Head of Unit – Operational Centre

This selection procedure is intended to fill 1 currently available post.

Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts within the organisation, should business needs require so.

1. Organisational Context

Organisational setting:

The post of Head of Unit – Operational Centre is located in the Operational and Analysis Centre (OAC), Operations Directorate.

The Operations Directorate hosts the following distinct Departments: Operational and Analysis Centre, European Serious Organised Crime Centre, European Cyber Crime Centre, European Counter Terrorism Centre, European Financial and Economic Crime Centre and European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling.

The Operations Directorate deals with the core business of Europol, improving the effectiveness and cooperation of the competent authorities in the Member States in preventing and combating serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism affecting the Member States (MS). This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the Member States.

Europol delivers a number of products and services to national law enforcement agencies to support them in their fight against international serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism.

The Operational and Analysis Centre delivers support across the Operations Directorate by delivering added value to all Centres, including several functions of operational and strategic nature:

• Information hub and 24/7 Operational support;
• Travel intelligence;
• Integrated Operational Services
• EMPACT support;
• Liaison and Stakeholder coordination;
• Strategic analysis;
• Data analysis Development;
• Analysis Training.

The main tasks of the Operational Centre Unit are:

• Ensures 24/7 availability and monitoring of information exchange;
• Provides operational support to Europol’s Operational Centres (including processing, crosschecking and handling cases);
• Initiates immediate actions and crisis response mechanisms;
• Supports major events and operations;

Purpose of the post:

The Head of the Operational Centre Unit is responsible for the effective discharge of his/her responsibilities under the supervision of the Head of the relevant Department.

This includes close contact with Heads of Teams and Specialists/Analysts as well as external counterparts in order to identify opportunities for operational support and to enhance operational cooperation and live information exchange with competent authorities in MS and Third Countries.

Reporting lines:

The incumbent reports to the Head of the Operational and Analysis Centre (OAC) Department.

Job environment:

This post might require participation in a shift system including weekends and nights as well as on-call duty.

2. Functions and duties

The successful candidate will have to carry out the following main duties:

• Set vision, goals and objectives for the Unit in alignment with Europol’s organisational strategy and inspire staff;
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to facilitate seamless operations and ensure compliance with relevant legal framework and fundamental rights outlined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
• Manage the delivery of relevant products and services included in the Europol work programme; ensure the quality and timeliness of the products and services delivered;
• Manage staff within the Unit; establish and monitor the achievement of key performance indicators and identify and address areas for improvement; provide constructive feedback, guide and empower staff in order to grow and develop;
• Ensure the effective management and efficient use of all financial, human and other resources, in support of Europol's program delivery; identify risks and ensure appropriate mitigation;
• Manage conflicts by effectively applying techniques and strategies that identify and address conflicts early and to find satisfactory solutions that promote positive outcomes;
• Ensure that data entrusted to the unit are protected and used in accordance with the relevant Europol regulations;
• Cultivate a culture of teamwork and cooperation with zero tolerance for harassment; put into place effective communication and collaboration between the Unit and other Units/stakeholders inside or outside of Europol;
• Make development opportunities available and ensure staff members have the know-how, resources, environment and support necessary to achieve results in an effective manner;
• Represent the Unit in external and cross-departmental engagements and negotiations and provide advice on matters relating to area of responsibility; deliver presentations and prepare reports;
• Act as role model for the Unit and champion diversity and inclusion matters inside and outside Europol;
• Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management.

3. Requirements - Eligibility criteria

a. Candidates must

• Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post as further specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
• Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

b. Candidates must have

• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more;

OR

• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is three years;

OR

• Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g., Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below:

Duration of professional training Additional professional experience required for equivalency

More than 6 months and up to 1 year - 4 years

More than 1 year and up to 2 years - 3 years

More than 2 years and up to 3 years - 2 years

More than 3 years - 1 year

• In addition to the above at least 12 years of professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

4. Requirements - Selection criteria

a) Professional experience:

Essential:

• Experience in leading or coordinating law enforcement operations, with a strong focus on data handling, data management and operational data processing;
• Experience in leading the planning, coordination, and delivery of law enforcement activities, particularly in relation to data processing, information flows and the handling of operational information;
• Experience in liaison, coordination, and cooperation with internal and external stakeholders regarding operational activities, information exchange, data-sharing processes, and operational collaboration,
• Experience in managing staff of at least 5 years;
• Experience with administration, finances and planning at management level;
• Experience working in a multicultural environment.

Desirable:

• Experience in project and/or change management.

b) Professional knowledge:

Essential:

• Sound knowledge of Europol’s legal framework and the EU internal security architecture, particularly with regard to data management, data processing and operational information exchange;
• Sound knowledge of the EU legal and regulatory framework relevant to law enforcement cooperation and operational activities;
• Knowledge of the implementation and use of innovative and advanced technologies for data management and operational support;
• Knowledge of international law enforcement cooperation frameworks, regulations, procedures, and best practices, including collaboration with national, EU, and international partners.

c) General management skills, including:

Essential:

• The ability to set and revise objectives for the unit within the overall strategic framework and priorities of the Agency;

• The ability to determine and focus on priorities and to monitor and evaluate the progress made towards achieving the Department’s and Units/Team members’ objectives set, in cooperation with managers;

• The ability to organise, assign and manage the Department’s work among the members of the Units/Teams and to set them challenging but realistic objectives;

• The ability to empower members of the Units and Teams while ensuring that they understand what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the unit’s objectives;

• The ability to choose co-workers and to build strong teams with complementary strengths suited to the efficient pursuit of the Department’s objectives;

• The ability to motivate members of the team to achieve the desired results and also to provide regular feedback, acknowledge success and the need for improvement in order to enable them to achieve their objectives and greatest potential;

• The ability to develop and support career development and learning opportunities for the members of the team.

Communication skills

• The ability to communicate clearly and present complex subjects simply, both orally and in writing, including to the members of the team;
• The ability to solicit inputs from and listen to staff, partners, and stakeholders.

Interpersonal skills

• The ability to deal with people effectively, respectfully and courteously;
• The ability to build productive and cooperative working relationships with hierarchy and other units and colleagues.

Negotiation skills

• The ability to steer discussions and generate the best possible results without compromising productive working relationships with the other parties involved.

d) Fulfil the condition stipulated in Article 5 of the Decision of the Executive Director on the Duration of contracts of employment for Temporary Agents, on the start date of the possible contract of employment which may be offered. 5. Selection procedure All applications for Temporary Agent posts must be submitted through the online recruitment system accessible via Europol’s website. For further information, please consult the Europol Recruitment Guidelines. The stages to be followed by the AACC shall be as follows: 1) Pre-selection The Executive Director sets up a Pre-selection Panel composed of at least three members, of a grade and management function equal or superior to that of the function to be filled, consisting of one chair and at least one member from the administration of Europol and one member designated by the Staff Committee. Where there are no TAs within Europol fulfilling the requirement of management function and grade, the AACC may decide to designate officials or TAs from another agency or institution who fulfil that condition. For restricted posts, the Executive Director shall designate up to two additional members of the Pre-selection Panel if so requested by the Chairperson of the Management Board. The additional members shall consist of a representative of the Presidency or one representative of the Presidency and one representative of another Member State. The Executive Director may invite other persons to the Pre-selection panel as observers. The minimum pass-mark for being shortlisted, i.e., invited to participate in a pre-selection, is established as 60%