Email: info@ishmt.gov.al

Job Announcement! Assistant to Resident Twinning Advisor (RTA Assistant)

Aug 20, 2020 | Job Announcement, Njoftime

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Contract objectives and expected results

Provision of services as Assistant to the Resident Twinning Advisor (hereinafter “RTA”) under the Twinning Project AL 17 IPA FI  01 20  “Strengthening the Protection and the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” with the objective of supporting the Republic of Albania in aligning the standard of protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights with EU Best Practices in order to effectively conduct accession negotiations and successfully manage overall EU integration and pre-accession assistance.

Beneficiary Country

Albania

Contracting Authority

  • General Directorate for Financing and Contracting of EU, World Bank and Other Donor Funds (CFCU);
  • Delegation of the European Union to Albania (EUD).

 

SCOPE OF THE WORK

RTA Assistant will provide administrative support and accounting assistance to the Resident Twinning Adviser (RTA) and Twinning Partners during the whole duration of the Twinning Project and, in particular, support the effective delivery of the Twinning Contract mandatory results, ensuring a good flow of communications and coordinating the different Twinning partners; administrative support on a daily basis to the Member State`s experts involved for short-term working missions to the Beneficiary Country within the Project’s framework.

He/she will also provide linguistic assistance (interpretation and translation), in Albanian/English, during the implementation of the Twinning project.

He/she will work under the supervision of and report to the RTA.

  

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES/KEY DUTIES

Under the guidance of the RTA and in cooperation with his counterpart in the beneficiary administration, the RTA Assistant should deal with and implement all activities that are relevant under the Twinning project described in the Twinning contract, in particular, but not be limited to, the following activities:

Administrative assistance

  • performing all necessary administrative tasks, in line with the EC procedures for external assistance and the Twinning Manual (Revision 2017 – Update 2018);
  • supporting the RTA as a personal assistant in his duties of general daily management, project administration and coordination of project implementation;
  • giving assistance to RTA in his relations with Albanian public offices relevant for project activities;
  • establishing and maintaining on behalf of the project regular contacts with national and international experts, governmental and non-governmental organizations, stakeholders, etc.;

 

Office management

  • daily organization of the RTA office, including standard office/secretarial activities: answering phone calls, organizing and filing of all project materials and maintaining all financial records, sending and receiving correspondence, faxes and e-mails, providing general clerical work, etc.;
  • develop and maintain close working contacts and relations with Beneficiary Country (hereinafter “BC”), Project Leader (hereinafter “PL”) Junior Project Leader (hereinafter “JPL”) and RTA Counterparts, and other BC officials involved in the project;

 

Logistics/Project coordination

  • preparation, organization and support to local actions of RTA, PL, JPL, and Member State (hereinafter “MS”) experts, and giving support during missions by providing relevant information, making local travel arrangements and hotel reservations;
  • Support the preparation of the required documentation for experts missions: Steering Committee Minutes, Mission Certificates, Side Letters;
  • accompanying or representing the RTA in committees, working party meetings, workshops and seminars, including missions and field visits to Albanian regions, if any;
  • assistance in the organization of meetings, seminars, conferences, training activities, workshops, study visits and other project related-events (printing and photocopying of materials, arranging rooms, equipment for presentations);
  • assistance on management reporting (progress, completion), drafting and editing of texts relevant to the project (newsletters, press releases, PowerPoint presentations, substantive documents, etc.);
  • drafting programs for MS experts, agenda’s and minutes of meetings and any other relevant documents, in Albanian and English;
  • research of documents and reports and preparation of synthesis;
  • participation in the preparation of studies and documents in areas covered by the Twinning (research and information collection, analysis and summarization of data, monitoring of activities, etc.);
  • supporting RTA and PL and Technical Secretariat in organization and management of project communication (web site, business cards, project logo, brochures, pamphlet, information documents, etc.) and of project visibility (organization of workshops, seminars, study tours, etc.);
  • presenting and promoting the work of the project positively, contributing to the development of the Twinning communication strategy;

 

Translation/Interpretation services

  • Translation and interpretation in the daily relations with the RTA, the staff of the Beneficiary Country, the PL and MS experts, the MS Technical Secretariat, Albanian administration and other relevant Albanian stakeholders in compliance with the project necessities;
  • assist MS experts in matters related to language problems or other problems emerging from living and working in a foreign country;
  • consecutive or simultaneous interpretation during seminars, conferences, meetings, workshop, study visit, and other project related-events from Albanian to English and vice-versa;
  • translating documents, legislations and regulations, policy documents, implementation plans, reports, training materials, information materials, PowerPoint presentations, taking minutes, preparing notes and summary records and other written materials necessary for the project from Albanian to English and vice-versa;
  • contributing to quality assurance of project outputs with a special focus on Albanian and English languages, also on Italian if required;
  • performing other duties and activities as may reasonably be required, either related to assistance with the implementation of the project or related to assistance with language issues and other issues that arise from moving to and working in a foreign country.

 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONTRACT

Duty station

The RTA Assistant will be based in Tirana, at the General Directorate of Industrial Property (GDIP) premises. Travels within Albania may be required. Some possible international traveling.

Duration

Up to 11 months (depends on the date of the signature of the service contract).

Full-time bases service contract.

Estimated starting date

December 1st, 2020

Remuneration

The contract (gross) salary is a maximum of € 1035 per month.

The RTA Assistant will be employed as an independent consultant according to Twinning Manual provisions. This implies that he/she will be self-employed and undertake full responsibility for the payment of all taxes and obligations deriving from the legislation in force in the Republic of Albania, including those related to health and social insurance.

The payment to the RTA Assistant will be funded from the project budget and will be paid monthly by transfer to the indicated bank account on the base of the approved time-sheet submitted by the RTA Assistant and according to Twinning Contract.

Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation of the work of the RTA’s assistant shall be carried out by the RTA and the MS and BC PL.

Note

According to Twinning Manual (Revision 2017 – Update 2018, Art. 4.1.6.10), applicants cannot have or recently (past 6 months) have had any contractual relation with the Beneficiary administration. This implies that RTA Assistant is not a civil servant, public servant or agent of the Beneficiaries nor is on leave from the Beneficiaries to take up the position.

  

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Eligible candidates for the RTA Assistants have to fulfill the following compulsory requirements:

  • Albanian native speaker;
  • University-level education (minimum bachelor degree), in fields of Intellectual Property Law (Copyright and Industrial Property law) and/or European law and/or European Studies ;
  • Excellent spoken and written command of English;
  • Proficient drafting/report writing (English) and analytical skills, acquired through studies or professional experience;
  • At least 2 extensive professional experience in translation and/or interpretation activities from English to Albanian and vice versa;
  • At least 2 years’ proven working experience. Previous professional experience on EU funded projects and/or management and administration tasks in an international office would be an asset;
  • Excellent computer literacy, including an excellent command of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Internet, email;
  • Capacity to maintain effective document and record management as well as financial records and budget accordingly within a project;
  • Organizational and analytical skills, initiative, diplomacy and maturity of judgment;
  • Ability to organize events, such as training, meetings, business trips, study visits and availability to travel (within Albania and abroad if necessary for the project);
  • Ability to work in a team and independently as well as under pressure according to timelines and work overtime when needed;
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills together with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations and to work in a team.
  • Clean driving license and local knowledge

 

Besides the above-given requirements, the following attributes would be considered as an asset:

  • Very Good oral and written communication and presentation skills in Italian/ Greek language;
  • Problem-solving approach and readiness to work hard as part of an international result-oriented team;
  • Previous professional experience as RTA Assistant or Language Assistant in an EU twinning project or a similar position another project financed by an international organization;
  • Knowledge and/or experience in EU policies and institutions
  • Knowledge and/or experience in basic accounting
  • Good Knowledge in both written and spoken French and/or German language

 

 

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE

Qualified candidates are requested to send their application, duly completed in English, with the reference ‘RTA Assistant – Twinning AL 17 IPA FI 01 20, by e-mail to the following e-mail address:

E-mail addresses: programs@cieel.gr, k.kolotourou@gmail.com, by the deadline of 10th November  2020

 

Applications from interested candidates in the English language must include:

  • Letter of motivation (no more than 800 words), signed by the applicant, explaining the compliance with the eligibility criteria and requirements for the specification post;
  • CV (Europass format) with a detailed description of professional experience and education (with exact dates);
  • Copy of a document confirming fulfillment of the condition regarding nationality rule: a document required under Albanian law confirming the nationality (e.g. ID, passport);
  • Certificate of No Criminal Convictions under Albanian law (issued not later than 3 months, in the English language if available);
  • Annex 1 – Statement about fulfilling the conditions of participating in the procedure and regarding the requirement that project assistants remunerated by the project cannot have or recently (past six months) have had any contractual relation with the beneficiary administration, signed by the applicant;
  • Annex 2 – Candidate’s statement to demonstrate he/she is not in any of the situations of exclusion which are listed in Section 2.6.10.1.1 of the Practical Guide to Procurement And Grants for European Union external actions applicable as of 2 August 2018, signed by the applicant.

 

All documents have to be sent in PDF format. Incomplete applications or sent to the mentioned email addresses after the deadline will be disqualified and treated as non-eligible. Please note that applications will not be returned to applicants.

 

The selection procedure for the position of RTA Assistant shall be done according to the qualifications and experience required. A short-list of a minimum of three suitable candidates will be compiled on the basis of eligibility because of fulfilling all the requirements.

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Commission will evaluate the Curriculum Vitae submitted by the candidates with the minimum requirements. Concerning knowledge and skills, the assessment will follow the scores indicated in the chart below.

 

The maximum overall score for each Candidate is 30/30 points and is divided as follows:

  • the maximum score for evaluation of the curriculum vitae: 15 points
  • the maximum score for the interview phase: 15 points

 

Candidates will be admitted to the interview phase if they obtain a minimum score of 10/15 points in the evaluation of the curriculum vitae. The interview will be carried out in English and will take place in Tirana on the premises of the General Directorate of Industrial Property (GDIP), in November 2020. The interview could be held online via video conference.

Information on the result of the selection process will be provided only to candidates invited for the interview.

 

The maximum overall score for each Candidate is 30/30 points, to be assessed as indicated below:

Evaluation area

Maximum

score

 Score breakdown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compulsory requirements

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12

Languages key requirements:

–       Albanian native speaker;

–       Excellent spoken and written command of English;

–       Proficient drafting/report writing (English) and analytical skills, acquired through studies or professional experience;

–       Extensive experience in translation and/or interpretation activities from English to Albanian and vice versa;

 0-4

Formal qualifications:

–       University-level education (minimum bachelor degree), preferably in fields related to the Twinning Project;

–       At least 2 years’ proven working experience. Previous professional experience on EU funded projects and/or management and administration tasks in an international office would be an asset;

–       Advanced computer literacy, including an excellent command of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Internet, email;

–       Capacity to maintain effective document and record management as well as financial records and budget accordingly within a project;

 0-4

Soft skills:

–       Organizational and analytical skills, initiative, diplomacy and maturity of judgment;

–       Ability to organize events, such as training, meetings, business trips, study visits and availability to travel (within Albania and abroad if necessary for the project);

–       Ability to work in a team and independently as well as under pressure according to timelines and work overtime when needed;

–       Excellent interpersonal and communication skills together with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations and to work in a team

 0-4

 

 

Additional requirements considered as assets

 

 

 

 

3

–       Good oral and written communication and presentation skills in Italian;

–       Problem-solving approach and readiness to work hard as part of an international result-oriented team;

–       Previous professional experience as RTA Assistant or Language Assistant in an EU twinning project or a similar position another project financed by an international organization;

–       Knowledge and/or experience in EU policies and institutions, and protection of personal data;

–       Knowledge and/or experience in basic accounting.

 0-3

 

Interview

 

15

In-depth analysis of skills and experiences described in the Curriculum Vitae as well as:

–       Problem-solving and team-building skills;

–       Organizational skills;

–       Interpretation/translation skills (Albanian-English and Italian/greek as an asset);

–       Knowledge of Twinning procedures.

 

0-15

Candidates invited to the interview might be asked to provide documents confirming the professional experience and qualification stated in their CV (i.e. University degree, reference letters, and certificates in the original language, if available, in the English language).

At the end of the evaluation process, the Commission will formulate the ranking list of merit for the purpose of conferring the assignment.

The assignment will be awarded to the first classified in the ranking list, among the suitable Candidates.

In the event of renunciation or exclusion due to the outcomes of any possible check on the declarations provided by the Candidate, the assignment will be proposed to the following candidate in the ranking list.

CSI reserves the right not to assign the position if no suitable candidate is identified.

The schedule for the interview will be published on www.cieel.gr

The Responsible for the Procedure and for the Contract is Dr. Nikolaos Gaitenidis

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact programs@cieel.gr 

Privacy Statement and information on the processing of personal data

According to the Twinning Manual (Revision 2017 – Update 2018, Art. 4.1.6.10), Section 5. 12, the data are stored and processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the European Union institutions and bodies and on the free transfer of such data and their successors, which imposes the same high standards of personal data protection applicable in the Member States under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).

Pursuant to art. 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016), candidates are informed that the processing of personal data provided by them when participating in the recruitment activities or otherwise acquired for the selection and recruitment of an RTA Assistant in the framework of the above mentioned Twinning Project.by the Centre of International European and Economic Law (CIEEL), as the data controller (based in Thessaloniki, Greece, Ikaron 1 str., pc: 55102, email: programs@cieel.gr, tel. :2310486943), is aimed at the performance of the recruitment activities, in relation to the related tasks and legal obligations, and will be carried out by the persons in charge of the recruitment proceedings, with the use of procedures, including computerized, in the manner and within the limits necessary to pursue the above purposes, even in the event of any disclosure to third parties. The conferment of such data is necessary to verify the requirements of participation and the possession of qualifications, as well as, in general, to allow the completion of the recruitment procedure; failure to provide such data may preclude such verification and participation in the recruitment activities.

Candidates have the right to obtain from CIEEL, in the cases provided for, access to personal data and the rectification or cancellation of the same or the limitation of the treatment that concerns them or to oppose the treatment (Articles 15 et seq. of the Regulation). The appropriate request to CIEEL is made by contacting the European Projects Implementation Unit of CIEEL (email: programs@cieel.gr).

Candidates who believe that the processing of personal data referred to them is in violation of the provisions of the Regulation have the right to lodge a complaint with the Garante, as provided for by art. 77 of the Regulation itself, or to take appropriate legal action (art. 79 of the Regulation).

 

ANNEX 1

STATEMENT ABOUT FULFILLING THE CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATING

IN THE PROCEDURE AND REGARDING THE REQUIREMENT THAT

PROJECT ASSISTANTS REMUNERATED BY THE PROJECT CANNOT HAVE OR RECENTLY (PAST SIX MONTHS) HAVE HAD ANY CONTRACTUAL RELATION

WITH THE BENEFICIARY ADMINISTRATION

 

In regard to the Selection of the RTA Assistance of the EU financed IPA Twinning AL 17 IPA FI 01 20 “Strengthening the Protection and the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” I declare that:

 

  • I read the JOB ADVERTISEMENT aimed at recruiting the RTA ASSISTANT, taking notices of the requirements, capacity, experience and knowledge required;
  • I have the necessary capacity, knowledge and experience for carrying the RTA Assistant’ services as required by the job advertisement (duties and tasks);
  • I have not or recently (past 6 months) have not had any contractual relations with the beneficiary administration – ………………………………………………Albania (…);
  • I declare that I am aware of the contents of the paragraph “Privacy Statement and information on the processing of personal data” of the JOB ADVERTISEMENT, that deals with Privacy and provides information pursuant to Articles 13 and 14 of EU Regulation 2016/679 governing the protection of personal data, and I authorize the processing of my personal data for the purposes indicated in the above mentioned paragraph.

 

Name, Surname  ……………………………………

Place, Date  …………………………………………

Signature …………………………………………….

 

 

ANNEX 2

CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT TO DEMONSTRATE HE/SHE IS NOT IN

ANY OF THE SITUATIONS OF EXCLUSION PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.4 AND 2.6.10.1.1 OF THE PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR PROCUREMENT AND GRANTS FOR EUROPEAN UNION EXTERNAL ACTIONS

 

In regard to the Selection of the RTA Assistance of the EU financed IPA Twinning AL 17 IPA FI 01 20 “Strengthening the Protection and the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”, I declare that:

 

I am not in any of the situations excluding me from participating in contracts which are listed in the Section 2.6.10.1.1 of the Practical Guide to Procurement and Grants for European Union external actions applicable as of 2 August 2018:

  1. a) bankrupt, subject to insolvency or winding-up procedures, where its assets are being administered by a liquidator or by a court, where it is in an arrangement with creditors, where its business activities are suspended, or where it is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for under national laws or regulations;
  2. b) in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions in accordance with the applicable law;
  3. c) guilty of grave professional misconduct by having violated applicable laws or regulations or ethical standards of the profession to which the economic operator belongs, or by having engaged in any wrongful conduct which has an impact on its professional credibility where such conduct denotes a wrongful intent or gross negligence, including, in particular, any of the following:
  4. i) fraudulently or negligently misrepresenting information required for the verification of the absence of grounds for exclusion or the fulfillment of selection criteria or in the performance of a contract;
ii) entering into an agreement with other economic operators with the aim of distorting competition;
iii) violating intellectual property rights;
  5. iv) attempting to influence the decision-making process of the contracting authority during the procurement procedure;
  6. v) attempting to obtain confidential information that may confer upon it undue advantages in the procurement procedure;
  7. d) guilty of any of the following:
  8. i) fraud, within the meaning of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 and Article 1 of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities’ financial interests drawn up by the Council Act of 26 July 1995;
  9. ii) corruption, as defined in Article 4(2) of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 and Article 3 of the Convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of MS of the EU, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 May 1997, and in Article 2 of Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA, as well as corruption as defined in the law of the country where the contracting authority is located or the country of the performance of the contract;

iii) conduct related to a criminal organization referred to in Article 2 of Council Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA;

  1. iv) money laundering or terrorist financing within the meaning of Article 1(3), (4) and (5) of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
  2. v) terrorism-related offenses or offenses linked to terrorist activities, as defined in Articles 1 and 3 of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA .respectively, or inciting or aiding or abetting or attempting to commit such offences, as referred to in Article 4 of that Framework Decision;
  3. vi) child labour or other forms of trafficking in human beings as defined in Article 2 of Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council;
  4. f) committed an irregularity within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/951.

 

Name, Surname  ……………………………………

Place, Date  …………………………………………

Signature …………………………………………….