Project Manager (M/F)

1. BACKGROUND

1.1 THE EUIPO

25 years of work  on IP have consolidated the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) as the independent, self-financed, non-profit European Union (EU) agency responsible for the registration of trade marks and designs in the EU and one of the most technologically advanced and innovative organisations in the world of Intellectual Property (IP). Indeed, new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence or blockchain are now fully embedded in EUIPO’s practice in the administration of its unique and unbeatable business proposition: registering and protecting trade marks and designs for the whole of Europe in a cost effective, reliable, and timely manner. 

The EUIPO has fully embraced the new IP trends in terms of globalisation and emerging importance of enforcement. Since 2013, the Office is responsible for IP research, communication, knowledge sharing and cooperation with enforcement authorities, covering all IPRs, via the European Observatory on Infringements of IP Rights (the Observatory).

The EUIPO does not only operate in Europe, it has now enlarged its footprint to the five continents and is, for example, implementing EU projects on IP in China, South East Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.

The EUIPO enjoys a privileged sea front location in Alicante in a newly inaugurated campus where staff benefit from EUIPO’s facilities (such as retail services, sport facilities, etc.). In addition, Alicante has a European School. Since 2008, the Office is committed to reducing its environmental impact through extensive initiatives. Its geographical location in Alicante is well connected, with high-speed train connections to many locations and hosting the 4th largest airport in the country.

EUIPO offers a unique mix of professional opportunities and quality of life.

The working languages of the Office are English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

2. DUTIES

The successful candidates will be expected to carry out any of the following tasks related to, amongst other, projects in the area of IP, such as EU cooperation projects, projects related to customer engagement or delivery of new IT products, and/or in the areas of Finance, and/or Human Resources, and/or Learning.

Initiating Project

• Initiate project defining objectives, scope, roles and resources; 

Managing Project

• Develop and manage a detailed project schedule, a work plan and an outline budget, ensuring compliance with agreed time, cost and scope;
• Produce project documentation, including timelines, charts and tables, PowerPoint presentations, progress reports and similar;
• Identify key milestones and dependencies in the lifecycle of the project;
• Identify potential risks and deviations from scope, budget and time;

Controlling Project

• Control the progress of projects so as to verify the adequate level of technical, financial and human resources for the successful execution of such programs;
• Take corrective measure in line with agreed upon actions;
• Ensure deliverables are in line with quality criteria;
• Manage resources involved in projects, including dealing with providers, planning, monitoring, controlling consumption of resources and managing relevant contracts;

Managing stakeholders

• Ensure good communication and awareness of key stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle (planning, implementation, benefits, identification of priority areas and realisation);
• Adequately report to the programme board when required and timely update of the Project documentation and information, using available corporate tools and approved methodology;

Closing Project

• Prepare End project reports with suggested follow-on actions, and lessons learned;

Horizontal Tasks

• Provide advice on best practises in the setting up, implementation and monitoring ofprojects; 

Duties applicable to all staff: 

• Actively work towards the achievement of the goals of the EUIPO in accordance with the Strategic Plan;
• Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the LineManager.

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be admissible for this selection, candidates  must  fulfil  all  the following conditions by the deadline for submission of applications:

3.1 General conditions

• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union;
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws on military service;
• Meet the character requirements as to suitability for the performance of the duties involved;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties.

3.2 Education

• Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma. 

3.3 Professional experience

• Have a minimum of  3 years of full-time relevant professional experience2  in relation with and at the level of the tasks described under “Duties”. 

3.4 Language skills

• Have a thorough knowledge of English (minimum level C1) – Language 1;
• Have a good knowledge of one of the official languages of the EU (minimum level B2) – Language 23.
• The levels indicated correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

3.5 Computer skills 

• Advanced computer literacy is compulsory. Candidates must have extensive practical experience with computer applications such as MS Office package or similar (mainly Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, MS project), databases (at user level) and Internet research.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

Notwithstanding the required experience established under point 3 of the present vacancy notice (eligibility criteria), and in particular under point 3.3, the Office will use the following criteria in order to select the best qualified candidates for the interview and test phase:

1. Experience in definition and implementation of projects in their full life cycle;

2. Certification in Project Management, such as Prince2®, PMP®, or equivalent;

3. Project management experience:

• in international cooperation, and/or on customer engagement, management of customer oriented solutions or services, and/or IT products or services; and/or in the areas of Finance, and/or Human Resources, and/or Learning;
• considering relevance and impact for the managed project in the organization;

4. Demonstrated ability to work on projects in a multicultural and/or international environment.

In addition to the above criteria, candidates invited to the interview and test phase will also be assessed against the following requirements: 

Competencies

• Communication: communicate clearly and precisely both orally and in writing;
• Analysis and Problem Solving: identify the critical facts in complex issues and develop creative and practical solutions;
• Working with Others: work co-operatively with others in teams and across organisational boundaries and respect differences between people; create a sense of team spirit by encouraging shared goals and exchange of knowledge and experience; 
• Learning and Development: develop and improve personal skills and knowledge of the organisation and its environment; commit to train others, share knowledge, and systematically improve working methods;
• Prioritisation and Organisation: ability to prioritise the most important tasks, work flexibly and organise own and others’ workload efficiently; 
• Resilience: remain effective under work pressure, be flexible and adapt to a changing work environment; encourage others to do the same and adjust own and team’s approach to embrace changing circumstances;
• Quality and Results: take personal responsibility and initiative for delivering work to a high standard quality within set procedures; show clear customer orientation (internal and external); build systematic and methodical processes into projects and work of self and own team; 
• Leadership: lead and manage people and teams to achieve results; delegate work in own team appropriately and provide clear directions; inspire enthusiasm and a positive attitude in people about their work and their contribution to EUIPO’s success.

5. INTERVIEWS AND WRITTEN TESTS

Pre-selection

Admissible candidates whose applications rank among the best qualified in accordance with the selection criteria detailed under point 4, may be contacted in order to verify their language skills (in particular, spoken production in English), as well as to prove their professional experience and/or other skills, knowledge and competencies. This pre-selection contact does not entitle candidates to be invited for interview: it is a step in selecting the most suitable candidates to be invited for interview. 

Interview

Interviews will take place virtually and, given the nature of the duties, will be carried out in English.

Other relevant languages as declared in the candidate’s application/CV may be assessed in accordance with the levels indicated in this vacancy notice.

The interview will test the candidate’s knowledge of matters relating to the duties to be performed (technical knowledge and behavioural competencies), activities of the Office, knowledge of the EU, suitability to perform the tasks to be accomplished and suitability to work in an international environment. 

Candidates called for the interview will be requested to produce appropriate professional references prior to attending the interview.

Test(s)

One or several tests will complete the assessment of one or several of the above aspects.

Candidates called for the interview and test phase will receive detailed information with the invitation.