Director’s post in the Translation Service of the General Secretariat of the Council

Selection criteria

We are looking for an experienced manager with the ability to lead and motivate a large team, preferably with managerial experience in the translation domain. We are looking for a dynamic manager with the ability to manage change in an environment of rapid technological development while maintaining high-quality output.

 The Director of LING.2 must be capable of steering its modernisation process by promoting a culture of innovation, collaboration and communication and by ensuring the optimal use of resources.

Furthermore, the jobholder will need to possess:

• the ability to think and plan strategically, to anticipate and identify potential problems and propose workable solutions and compromises;
• leadership skills and the ability to give guidance, motivate and empower staff in a multicultural and diverse environment, with a strong emphasis on staff development;
• excellent communication skills, including interpersonal communication skills;
• the ability to promote a strong team spirit and to maintain good working relationships with a range of internal and external interlocutors and the ability to demonstrate diplomacy;
• the ability to manage change and support staff through change;
• a strong ability to plan and organise the overall work of the Directorate so as to meet critical deadlines and ensure a fair distribution of workload within the team and succession planning;
• the ability to reach common agreements or goals by providing targeted advice to stakeholders and by effectively and constructively facilitating discussions towards win-win outcomes.

Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements at the time of applying:

a) General conditions:

• be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union;
• enjoy their full rights as citizens;
•  have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service.

b) Specific conditions:

• hold a university degree;
• have at least 15 years of relevant professional experience out of which they have during at least three years effectively exercised management and organisational responsibilities.
• given that English and French are used extensively for communication within the GSC and with other institutions, an excellent knowledge of one of the two languages and a good knowledge of the other language is required. Knowledge of other official languages of the EU would be an asset.

The General Secretariat of the Council

The General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) assists the European Council and the Council of the EU and their preparatory bodies in all fields of their activities. It provides advice and support to members of the European Council and the Council and to their Presidents in all areas of activity, including policy and legal advice, coordination with other institutions, elaboration of compromises, supervising as well as attending to all the practicalities that are necessary for the good preparation and running of the European Council and the Council.

The Translation Service is responsible for providing translations of Council and European Council documents in all official languages of the EU. In addition, the Translation Service provides editing assistance for internal and Presidency drafters and multilingual assistance for media monitoring, President of the European Council briefings and other initiatives. Under its Strategic approach for an evolving service 2020-2024, the Translation Service is focused on building a flexible service ready for the future while also supporting staff through change. It consists of two Directorates, LING.1 which comprises 12 language units and the Operations Unit, and LING.2 which comprises the 12 other language units and the Resources Unit.

Deadline

8 June 2021

More information

Call – EPSO