Legal Officer Position in EU-LISA

Candidates are invited to apply for the above-mentioned post at the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (hereinafter referred to as “eu-LISA” or “Agency”). Eu-LISA was established in 2011 and its revised Regulation3 entered into force on 11 December 2018.

The seat of eu-LISA is Tallinn, Estonia. Tasks related to development and operational management of the current and future systems are carried out in Strasbourg, France. The Agency also has a backup site in Sankt Johann im Pongau, Austria and a Liaison Office in Brussels, Belgium. eu-LISA is responsible for the long-term operational management of the European Asylum Dactyloscopy Database (Eurodac)4, the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the Visa Information System (VIS).

The Corporate Services Department (CSD) is mainly responsible for managing and coordinating eu-LISA’s resource administration, including human resources, finance and procurement and legal services as well as general support and corporate IT services. The department is the bridge between eu-LISA’s core functions and its support functions, ensuring the smooth operation of the Agency.

The Legal Sector is under the direct supervision of the Head of the Corporate Services Department and provides general counsel services and oversees all legal matters of eu-LISA, including, but not limited to issues related to human resources11, public procurement, contract management, access to documents and corporate governance.

Duties

Under supervision of the Senior Legal Officer and reporting to the Head of CSD, the Legal Officer will provide legal advice and support in the areas of European Union law. The tasks of the Legal Officer will include the following:

• Ensuring the proper interpretation and implementation of all primary and secondary legislation, guidelines and internal rules applicable or pertaining to eu-LISA’s activities and providing advice;
• Acting as legal counsel to staff members and management, providing legal advice on administrative issues, including Staff Regulations and CEOS, General Implementing Provisions of Staff Regulations and financial rules and regulations;
• Drafting and reviewing documents such as internal Executive Director decisions and/or Management Board decisions (Corporate Governance) and agreements with other International Organisations;
• Providing legal advice on contractual and procurement-related matters;
• Drafting and presenting legal opinions, briefs, reports and correspondence;
• Contributing to the drafting of defences in legal proceedings involving or relating to eu-LISA’s mission and/or activities, handling of court cases and keeping abreast of recent developments in relevant areas of law, including jurisprudence of the General Court and the European Court of Justice;
• Monitoring and analysing developments of European Union case law impacting the operations of eu-LISA;
• Undertaking, as appropriate, consultation with external stakeholders, such as external lawyers and officers in European Union Institutions, Agencies and its Member States;
• Preparing replies to requests for access to documents and confirmatory applications;
• Acting as Operational Initiating Agent (OIA) for legal services contracts and for the preparation of procurement documents;
• Guaranteeing business continuity of the legal sector;
• Archiving all documents in an organised manner in line with internal instructions;
• Presenting and explaining legal positions at internal meetings;
• At times, interpreting the Data Protection related legislation;
• Performing any other tasks assigned by the Senior Legal Officer/Head of CSD.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates will be considered eligible for recruitment and selection on the basis of the following formal criteria, which need to be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:
4.1.1. You have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
N.B. Only qualifications awarded in an EU Member State or that are subject to an equivalence certificate issued by an authorities in a said EU Member State shall be taken into consideration.
4.1.2. You are a national of one of the Member States of the Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland and you enjoy full rights as a citizen;
4.1.3. You have fulfilled any obligations imposed on you by the laws concerning military service;
4.1.4. You produce the appropriate character references as to your suitability for the performance of your duties;
4.1.5. You are physically fit to perform your duties14 and
4.1.6. You produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and of a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of your duties.

Profesional competencies

• University degree in the field of law of at least three (3) years;
• Professional experience16 of at least one (1) year in a legal function, preferably in an International Organisation;
• Knowledge of the EU institutional framework, in particular public procurement law and/or the Staff Regulations and CEOS and/or the legal operational framework of the Agency’s systems;
• Familiarity with European Union law, including its case law, relevant to the work of the Agency;
• Excellent knowledge of English, both spoken and written, at least at a C1 level.