Vacancy notice for the role of President of the CPVO

The post is available from 1 September 2021 for an initial mandate of 5 years, with a possible extension for a maximum period of 5 years according to the Regulation establishing the Office as applicable at the time of appointment. The place of employment is Angers, (France), where the CPVO is based.

Description

The President represents the Office and is responsible for its management. In particular, he or she has the following functions:

taking all necessary steps, including the adoption of internal, administrative instructions and the publication of notices, to ensure the functioning of the Office in accordance with EU provisions, rules and guidelines,
drawing up the estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the Office, and implementing its budget,
exercising in respect of the Office staff the powers delegated to the EU Institutions by the Staff Regulations of officials of the European Communities and by the Conditions of Employment of other servants,
placing before the Administrative Council draft amendments to Regulation (EC) No 2100/94, the Fees Regulations and other implementing rules, or any other rules relating to Community plant variety rights,
representing CPVO and communicating with the range of stakeholders and the public on all matters within the Office’s remit.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will be an outstanding and dynamic professional who should fulfil the following selection criteria:

a) Management experience, and in particular:

solid leadership skills, being able to lead at a strategic and operational management level, in a dynamic and changing scientific environment,
excellent capacity to develop and implement a strategic vision, to set objectives and to motivate and lead highly qualified teams in a multicultural and multilingual environment,
very good decision-making skills, including the capacity to take decisions in a complex political environment and in emergency situations,
a demonstrable appreciation the CPVO’s guiding principles of openness, transparency, independence and scientific excellence as well as its commitment to people, innovation and excellence.

b) Technical knowledge and experience, and in particular:

experience and very good knowledge of matters relating to plant variety rights, to plant variety registration or to associated fields,
good understanding of EU policies in the field of intellectual property, plant variety rights, related international activities and other policies of relevance to the activities of the Office,
proven experience in budgetary, financial and human resources management in a national, European and/or international context,
good understanding of the European institutions and how they operate and interact.

c) Communication/negotiations skills, and in particular:

ability to communicate efficiently and fluently in a transparent and open manner with stakeholders, including press, the public, European, international, national and local authorities, international organisations, etc.,
excellent skills in relation to interpersonal relations, partnership dialogue, coordination and negotiation,
solid experience of negotiating at high level in an international environment.

Assets:

The university degree mentioned below should ideally be in law or life sciences with specialisation in plant related matters, e.g. botany, genetics or plant breeding.
Experience gained in a multicultural environment.
Knowledge of French, since the Agency is based in France.