APPLICATIONS OPEN! Administrators In Data Protection EPSO Competition

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has just released an official Notice of Competition calling forward applications from specialists to join the European Data Protection Supervisor, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the Economic and Social Committee, the European Court of Justice, or the European External Action Service as AD6 level Administrators in the field of data protection.

Below we explore the specifics of this competition and the selection process that you will need to undertake.

Getting ready for this competition?
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To help candidates get up to speed with all the ins-and-outs of this competition, EU Training held a FREE 2021 Administrators in Data Protection EPSO Exams - Information Webcast on 10 September to discuss all the key elements of this competition and how best to prepare for each stage. 

Competition Snapshot

• Open for Applications: 9 September, 2021
• Application Deadline: 12 October, 2021 (12-noon Brussels Time)
• Places on the Reserve List: 76
• Grades: AD6
• Posts will be based in Brussels and Luxembourg

Under this competition, the European Data Protection Supervisor, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, the Economic and Social Committee, the European Court of Justice, or the European External Action Service may recruit new members who are specialists in the field of Data Protection. 

Data protection experts will be expected to:

• inform and advise on good practice in the area of data protection;
• draft respective guidance documents and contribute to the promotion of public awareness;
• provide information to data subjects about the exercise of their rights;
• handle and investigate data protection complaints;
• assess the impact of technological choices on data protection and offer relevant solutions;
• offer advice on the application of the General Data Protection Regulations of the EU;
• perform audit activities and tasks in connection with litigation;
• represent the institutions in court cases

Please refer to the Notice of Competition's ANNEX I which expands on the duties to be performed. 

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates will need to satisfy the following:

• Have EU citizenship
• Fulfilled any military service requirements
• Meet the character requirements for the duties concerned
• Have knowledge of at least TWO official EU languages:
  
  • Language 1: Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of one of the 24 official EU languages - will be defined as your Language 1.
  • Language 2: Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of either English OR French and MUST BE different to your Language 1 choice - will be defined as your Language 2.
• Qualifications & Work Experience
  • Completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma. Plus a minimum of 3 years of appropriate graduate-level professional experience related to the field of the competition - that is, the development of data protection policies and/or the application of data protection legal framework.

Please consult ANNEX III of the Notice of Competition for examples of minimum qualifications.  

Selection Process

IMPORTANT: You can complete your application in any of the 24 official EU languages​.

1. PRE-SELECTION COMPUTER-BASED FIELD-RELATED TEST

This phase of the competition is made up of a computer-based field-related multiple-choice test.

• The results of the computer-based filed-related MCQ test is eliminatory.
• You must reach the minimum pass mark in this test and get one of the highest scores in order to move on to the next stage of the competition.
• The marks obtained in this test WILL BE ADDED to your final overall Assessment Centre score.
• Your goal is to get the highest possible mark in this test to maximise your final score. 

2. ELIGIBILITY CHECK

EPSO will check the data provided by each candidate via their online application against the eligibility requirements of this competition. Remember that you can fill out your application in any of the 24 Official EU languages. 

Eligibility will be checked in descending order of the overall marks obtained during the pre-selection field-related exam until the number of eligible candidates reaches a certain threshold.

3. ASSESSMENT CENTRE

Those who scored the highest marks in the Field-Related MCQ exam and meet the eligibility criteria of the competition will be invited to the Assessment Centre.

A maximum of 3 times the number of successful candidates sought via this competition will be invited to this phase.

You will be invited to attend an Assessment Centre (online or in-person) over one or several days. Most of the tests will need to be completed in your chosen Language 2. (Further details and instructions will be included in your invitation letter.)

8 general competencies will be tested through two tests:

• Case Study (Language 2)
• Situational Competency-Based Interview (SCBI) (Language2)
• Each general competency will be awarded a mark out of 10, with a total pass mark required of 40/80. 
• The marks obtained in these tests will count towards your final overall mark.

The field-related competencies will be assessed through one test: 

• Field-Related Interview (Language 2)
• This test will require you to reach, at the very minimum, the pass mark of 70/140.
• The marks obtained in this test will count towards your final overall mark.

In addition to the tests mentioned above, you will ALSO need to complete a series of computer-based multiple-choice reasoning tests. 

• There is NO PASS MARK for these computer-based multiple-choice tests, but the marks obtained DO count towards your final overall AC score, so it is vitally important for you to get the highest possible score in these tests as well. 

5. RESERVE LIST

After checking candidates’ supporting documents, the selection board will draw up a Reserve List of eligible candidates who obtained the highest overall score, until the number of successful candidates sought is reached.

How Can You Apply?

Make sure to ALWAYS check the official Notice of Competition and understand the rules relating to the exams. For full details on this selection procedure read the official Notice of Competition and the General Rules Governing Open Competitions to ensure you have the required qualifications and satisfy the eligibility criteria before applying. 

Click here to start the application process: Administrators in the field of Data Protection

Are You New to EPSO Competitions? 

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Check out our FREE E-books, webinars, webcasts and e-learning materials to help you excel.

If you have a question or need additional help in understanding the EPSO processes, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Want to see what these EPSO Pre-Selection exams look like? 
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Unsure how the EPSO selection process works? 
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