APPLICATIONS OPEN! Administrators (AD7) EPSO Competition

The European Commission, with the support of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has just released an official Notice of Competition calling forward applications from specialists to join the team as AD7 level Administrators in the following TWO specialist profiles:

• Administrators in Digital Forensics
• Administrators in Operational & Strategic Analysis

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

Getting ready for this competition?
Access practice packages here, view methodology webinars here - some are even FREE! or join a simulation session. 

To help candidates get up to speed with all the ins-and-outs of this competition, EU Training will held a FREE 2021 Administrators / Investigators / Experts EPSO Exams - Information Webcast on 8 October to discuss all the key elements of this competition and how best to prepare for each stage. 

Competition Snapshot

• Open for Applications: 7 October, 2021
• Application Deadline: 9 November, 2021 (12-noon Brussels Time)
• Grade: AD7
• This competition covers two fields - you may only apply to one
• This competition includes a Talent Screener
• Posts will be based in Brussels

Under this competition, the following TWO reserve lists have been advertised, from which the European Commission - predominantly the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) - may recruit new members:

Please refer to the Notice of Competition's "what tasks can I expect to perform" (pages 1 & 2) section for details on the main roles covered by each field, as well as, 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 good command (minimum B2 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

Field 1: Digital Forensics

• Completed university studies of at least 4 years with a diploma relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I. PLUS a minimum of 6 years professional experience as a digital forensics examiner in support of investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime. OR
• Professional training/qualification equivalent to European Qualification Framework level 7, and relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I, that is recognised by a Member State or public national/international body. PLUS a minimum of 6 years professional experience as a digital forensics examiner in support of investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime. OR
• Completed university studies of at least 3 years with a diploma relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I. PLUS a minimum of 7 years professional experience as a digital forensics examiner in support of investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime. OR
• Professional training/qualification equivalent to European Qualification Framework level 6, and relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I, that is recognised by a Member State or public national/international body. PLUS a minimum of 7 years professional experience as a digital forensics examiner in support of investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime.

Candidates must have proven experience with a wide range of forensic methods, including data carving and live forensics and, in particular, experience with the forensic acquisition and examination of data from mobile devices. Also, have proven practical experience with forensic tools such as X-ways, FTK, Nuix, XRY, UFED, as well as, the experience with the following tools would be an advantage: EnCase, Paraben, Greykey, Axiom, or similar tools.

Field 2: Operational & Strategic Analysis

• Completed university studies of at least 4 years with a diploma relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I. PLUS a minimum of 6 years professional experience as an analyst supporting investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime or as a strategic analyst supporting anti-fraud policy. OR
• Professional training/qualification equivalent to European Qualification Framework level 7, and relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I, that is recognised by a Member State or public national/international body. PLUS a minimum of 6 years professional experience as an analyst supporting investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime or as a strategic analyst supporting anti-fraud policy. OR
• Completed university studies of at least 3 years with a diploma relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I. PLUS a minimum of 7 years professional experience as an analyst supporting investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime or as a strategic analyst supporting anti-fraud policy. OR
• Professional training/qualification equivalent to European Qualification Framework level 6, and relevant to the duties as indicated in Annex I, that is recognised by a Member State or public national/international body. PLUS a minimum of 7 years professional experience as an analyst supporting investigations targeting corruption and/or financial crime or as a strategic analyst supporting anti-fraud policy.

Candidates must have proven experience of specific data analysis tools (Elasticsearch, i2suite, Intella, Maltego, Codebase, Zylab, MSSQL server or Oracle SQL), data visualisation/mapping tools (BO), strategic analysis software (Tableau) and/or programming languages and/or knowledge on natural language processing (NLP). Also, have proven practical experience in a wide range of analytical techniques (OSINT, social networks analysis, data and text mining, financial analysis, etc.) and/or experience with gathering, collation and analysis of quantitative/qualitative data for the purpose of strategic analysis.

Please consult ANNEX IV 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, BUT your Talent Screener MUST BE completed in your chosen Language 2 (English or French)​.

1. 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 - except for the Talent Screener, which needs to be completed in your chosen Langauge 2 (English or French). Candidates that are deemed eligible will move on to the next round of the competition. 

2. TALENT SCREENER

You MUST complete your Talent Screener in Language 2 - English OR French.

The selection board assigns a weighting to each selection criterion and based on the information provided in the Talent Screener each candidate will receive a score. Only those candidates with the highest overall marks will go through to the next stage. Therefore, you should include all relevant information in your Talent Screener answers, even if you have already mentioned it in other sections of your application form. The questions are based on the selection criteria included in this notice - see ANNEX II for the list of criteria.

Getting this part wrong can easily jeopardise your chances of moving through to the next stage of the selection process - which you don't want to risk. To better understand how the EPSO Talent Screener works it is advised that you view this webinar recording - Everything You Need To Know About EPSO's Talent Screener.

Need help with your EPSO application or Talent Screener?
Take a look at our Application Assistance service

3. ASSESSMENT CENTRE

Those who scored the highest marks in the Talent Screener will be invited to the Assessment Centre. A maximum of 3 times the number of successful candidates sought for each field 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 and will need to complete the exercises in your chosen Language 1 or 2. (Further details and instructions will be included in your invitation letter.)

As part of the Assessment Centre, you will need to complete a series of computer-based multiple-choice reasoning tests in your chosen Language 1. 

• To progress in the competition and be invited to undertake the other Assessment Centre exercises you MUST reach the minimum pass mark in all tests.
• The results of these three tests will NOT be added to the marks obtained in the other Assessment Centre tests when calculating your final overall score.

Those progressing forward in the Assessment Centre will be tested on 8 general competencies, as well as field-related competencies required for each field of the competition, via 3 tests:​

1. Case Study
2. Competency-Based Interview (SCBI)
3. Field-Related Interview

These exercises will need to be completed in your chosen Language 2. 

Each general competency will be awarded a mark out of 10, with a total pass mark required of 40/80. 

In addition to this, the Field-Related Interview will require a minimum pass mark of 50/100.

4. 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 for each field 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. 

To start the application process, click below for the different fields:

• Administrators in Digital Forensics (AD7)
• Administrators in Operational & Strategic Analysis (AD7)

Are You New to EPSO Competitions? 

EU Training offers a wealth of practice materials for all stages and levels of the EU institutions’ selection exams.

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? 
Try our FREE EPSO Exam Demo

Unsure how the EPSO selection process works? 
View our short video - ‘New To EPSO Competitions’

Useful reading:

How To Make The Most Of Your EPSO Talent Screener

The Motivation Challenge - What To Write In Your EPSO Application?

13 Best EPSO Preparation Resources - Free and Paid

What EU Job Applicants Should Always Keep in Mind

6 Reasons Why EU Exam Candidates Fail

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