Director General (Ref: 2014-174-EXT)

Function
The European Central Bank (ECB) is seeking applicants with an international reputation for leadership in research and research-based policy advice on a range of central bank functions for the position of Director General in the Directorate General Research.

The Directorate General Research (DG/R) is composed of two divisions, the Financial Research Division and the Monetary Policy Research Division. It conducts and coordinates economic research on issues relevant to the conduct of monetary policy, banking supervision and other ECB tasks. It provides research results relevant for the formulation of policy advice to the ECB’s decision-making bodies. DG/R supports other ECB business areas by providing research and policy advice input. In particular, it designs and implements analytical tools in order to strengthen the analytical basis for its policy advice. DG/R builds, maintains and uses econometric models for economic forecasts and the comparison of policy alternatives. It interacts with other research centres and with the academic community, as well as contributing to external communication with the publication of its research in external refereed journals.

The successful applicant will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• leading the business area and its management team, and pursuing DG/R’s two strategic objectives: i) to establish intellectual leadership within the global central banking research community; and ii) to strengthen DG/R’s role as a valued source of policy advice within the ECB, the Eurosystem and the ESCB, by drawing on its research expertise and tools;
• supporting the Executive Board by ensuring the provision of high-quality advice, drawing on research results and analytical models, advising it on the ECB’s high-level research priorities with active interaction with the Research Coordination Committee and providing relevant input for its decisions;
• conducting  own  research,  feeding  it  into  the  relevant  policy  processes  of  the  ECB  and publishing that research;
• fostering a stimulating working atmosphere conducive to keeping the management and staff of the Directorate General motivated, competent and committed to achieving the set objectives, including through effective teamwork;
• setting the business area’s own objectives in line with the above strategic objectives and ensuring the corresponding forward planning and review of work progress;
• allocating resources to DG/R’s Divisions and Thematic Teams, with a view to achieving the agreed objectives and implementing the ECB’s strategy and priorities for research;
• ensuring adequate budget planning and monitoring processes for the business area as a whole, including the necessary coordination between the budget centres, allowing for a smooth and cost-beneficial implementation of the set objectives;
• acting as the interface between other DG/R management and staff and the Executive Board, as well as ensuring efficient internal and external communications;
• fostering interaction and collaboration between DG/R and other business areas with a view to fully exploiting the potential for a two-sided cross-fertilisation between research and policy work;
• fostering interaction and  collaboration between DG/R  staff and the outside academic  and central banking research communities; and
• representing the business area and the ECB by participating in and/or chairing key internal and external high-level fora, including chairing the Eurosystem/ESCB Heads of Research Meeting and the ECB Research Coordination Committee.

Qualifications and experience
Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies:

• a PhD-level university qualification in economics, finance or a related discipline;
• at  least  ten  years  of  work  experience  in  a  policy-making  authority  conducting  important research activities, a think-tank with a strong research orientation and/or a university;
• at least five years of experience in leading and managing highly qualified managers and staff, ideally from diverse cultural backgrounds;
• a research publications record, including publications in reputable academic journals;
• a proven ability to provide policy advice, drawing on research results and analytical models, and to effectively process research-based policy work in a policy institution providing close supervision;
• a  proven  ability  and  keenness  to  fruitfully  interact  with  the  academic,  policy  and  market research communities.

The following knowledge and competencies would be considered a strong asset:

• a strong familiarity with central banks across all their tasks and functions with a thorough knowledge of the working methods of the Eurosystems, the ECB and another institutions;
• an ability to identify and anticipate research and policy trends relevant for central banks and a proven ability to translate this into general directions for research in a central bank;
• a publication record in policy or market outlets and an ability to supervise contributions to the ECB’s official publications;
• excellent presentation skills and an ability to represent the ECB in high-level international fora;
• the ability to establish and maintain cooperative and productive relationships with internal and external counterparts.
• an excellent command of English with proven professional drafting ability;
• a working knowledge of at least one other official language of the EU, with a command of other EU languages being a distinct advantage.

Competencies
The successful candidate must have the following behavioural competencies:

• supervises the DG/R management team and steers it towards reaching DG/R’s objectives by coordinating team activities, delegating tasks responsibly, coaching managers and/or staff members and using their competencies and diversity in the most effective and efficient way;
• has the ability to mentor staff and managers, explaining their role in the ECB and DG/R and harnessing their research, policy and leadership qualities;
• has a proven record of promoting diversity and working under diversity policies;
• demonstrates a strong aptitude for strategic thinking by anticipating relevant developments, identifying medium-term goals and ensuring the formulation of coherent strategic plans in accordance with the mission statement and overall strategy of the ECB;
• inspires others by embracing and fostering the ECB’s mission statement, objectives and values in a motivating manner using open debate and other means of a research nature;
• looks beyond the individual role to establish the wider context in which DG/R and the ECB operate, by having a full understanding of the different ECB functions/business areas, of the ECB’s main public and private counterparties and by assessing the implications of certain decisions on others;
• fosters creative debate and innovative thinking, channels results in new conceptual frameworks and finds appropriate solutions to new solutions.
• makes sound judgements when assessing situations by using data and, where possible, the results of analytical tools;
• acts as a role model, embracing the European project and the ECB’s objectives and mission as the main driver of his/her actions;
• influences the views of others by means of persuasion, personal authority and tact;
• effectively establishes and maintains a wide network of relations and contacts with relevant internal  and  external  counterparties  and  manages  these  relations  for  the  benefit  of  the institution as a whole.

Closing Date for Applications: 06.06.2014

Further Information
Five-year fixed-term contract, with possible conversion to a contract of indefinite duration subject to individual performance and organisational needs.

How to apply
Applications  are  to  be  made  in  English  and  submitted  using  our  online  application  form. An "Applicants' Guide" can be downloaded from our recruitment pages.

The recruitment process may include a pre-screening exercise, a written exercise, a presentation and interviews.

Further information on the ECB's conditions of employment for fixed-term positions can be found at:  
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/jobs/html/index.en.html

Applications are accepted from nationals of Member States of the European Union.