CAJU 06 - 2024 Legal Officer FG IV

The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU), based in Brussels, Belgium
is looking for candidates to establish a reserve list for 
Legal Officer
(Contractual Agent Function Group IV)
Ref.: CAJU 06 – 2024 Legal Officer

Please send us your application by no later than 14th of January 2025 at 23:59 (Brussels time), following the instructions in the ANNEX I
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Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is the largest European research programme in aeronautics, developing innovative, cutting-edge technology aimed at increasing commercial aircraft efficiency. The main objective of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is  to contribute to reducing the ecological footprint of aviation by accelerating the development of climate neutral aviation technologies for their earliest possible deployment, therefore significantly contributing to the ambitious environment impact mitigation goals of the European Green Deal and Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council, that is to say a 55 % emissions reduction by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and climate neutrality at the latest by 2050.
As of 30 of November 2021 the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) is the legal and universal successor of the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking (CS2JU) and is established until 31/12/31 in accordance with the COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) 2021/2085 of 19 November 2021.
The Clean Aviation JU is in Brussels, Belgium. For further information, please consult the following website: https://www.clean-aviation.eu/.  

1. General profile of the post

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU) is looking for an experienced, dynamic, and committed colleague to join the Governance unit as Legal Officer. The Legal Officer will support the Head of Unit and the team in the fulfilment of the Governance unit’s mission which is one of the four units of the CAJU. 

2. Specific duties and responsibilities
In particular, the Legal Officer will oversee the following tasks:

Horizontal legal advice:
-Provide legal advice and analysis on the applicable regulatory, financial and operational framework of CAJU.
-Contribute to the production of guidelines, manuals, vademecums, internal procedures relevant to the area of activity in coordination with other Units.
-Support the Head of Unit in coordination of working groups with stakeholders such as the CAJU Private Members and other stakeholders groups, the European Commission and other EU Agencies bodies.
-Support the drafting of legal documents, agreements,  handling of access to documents requests, Ombudsman enquiries, follow up of the EPPO's and the OLAF's notifcations and investigations.

Management of grant agreements in the field of Research & Innovation:
-Legal support in the management of grant agreements in the area of activities of Clean Aviation under Horizon Europe from legal design of the calls for proposals and legal conditions to grant preparation and legal overseeing of proper grant implementation and amendments.

-Legal support in the management of grants, IP aspects, terminations, bankruptcies, recoveries, grant reductions and guarantee fund’s activation linked to the implementation of the grant agreements and participation of beneficiaries in the projects funded by CAJU.

Contract management and procurement procedures:
-Prepare and implement the JU procurement planning, provide legal advice and support to the Units on applicable public procurement and contract management rules. 
-Support in intiating procurement procedures using e-Procurement suite,  follow-up of ex-ante and ex-post publications of calls for tenders, organize and coordinate opening and evaluation sessions, prepare contracts award dossier, register and archive procurement documents and signed contracts.
-Follow up and monitor the implementation of contracts including legal support in management of contract implementation invoices, establishment of liquidated damages..
-Support the Head of Procurement in the coordination of the activities of the Joint Undertakings  Back Office Arrangement in Procurement. 

Other tasks:
-Legal support to audits and ex-post audits by preparing accurate grants and procurement files for the auditors and managing contacts with audit and ex-post audit teams.
-Prepare presentations for meetings, info-days, update of the content of the website governance section 
-Perform other legal and horizontal tasks as needed and guarantee business continuity of the Unit, including acting as a back up within the unit whenever it is necessary.
-Register and archive all documents in an organized manner in line with internal instructions. 

3. Eligibility criteria

To be considered eligible for selection, an applicant must have met by the closing date of this call, the following formal requirements:
-Be national of one of the Member States of the EU and enjoy full rights as citizens;
-Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of three years or more attested by a diploma.  
-Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official EU languages and an excellent level of English. Candidates are invited to specify in their CV possible language certificates they have obtained to demonstrate their language skills.
-Produce the appropriate references as to their suitability for the performance of duties of the post.
-Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service.
-Be fit to perform the duties linked to the post. Before being engaged, a member of the temporary staff shall be medically examined by one of the institution's medical officers in line with the requirement of Art. 12(2)(d) of the CEOS.
In case you do not fulfill all the eligibility criteria, your application will not be taken into consideration. Eligibility criteria must be fulfilled by the deadline for applications and maintained throughout the selection procedure and appointment.

4. Selection criteria 
Candidates selected on the above eligibility criteria will then be evaluated according to the following selection criteria. Eligibility criteria must be fulfilled by the deadline for applications and maintained throughout the selection procedure and appointment.

4.1 Essential selection criteria

-Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies in Law, of at least four (4) years attested by a diploma and, after having obtained the diploma, at least three (3) years full-time of appropriate professional experience.
OR
-Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies in Law, of at least three (3) years attested by a diploma and, after having obtained the diploma, at least four (4) years full-time of appropriate professional experience.
-Proven knowledge and relevant legal experience to perform the tasks described under point 2. Specific duties and responsibilities 
-Deep knowledge and demonstrated professional experience in the provision of legal advice, legal analysis and in the drafting and interpretation of legal documents, particularly in relation to the application of the legal and financial framework applicable to EU Institutions/Agencies and other Union bodies.
-Demonstrated professional experience of at least two (2) years in the provision of legal advice on EU-funded programmes and related legal and financial framework and procedures e.g. Horizon Europe, H2020. 
-Very good written and spoken English (C1/C2 level).

4.2 Advantageous selection criteria

-Master’s degree, LLM or other post-degree specialization in EU law.
-Demonstrated former professional experience in a legal officer position like the vacancy, in EU institutions, Agencies or other Union Bodies.  
-Demonstrated professional experience in the management and provision of legal advice on R&I grant agreements and EU public procurement procedures.  
-Proven former professional experience in working with external stakeholders and in supporting governance bodies like e.g. advisory bodies, governing board etc.

4.3 Behavioural competences
Throughout the different phases of the selection procedure candidates will also be assessed on the following criteria that are essential to the post:
-Ability to work effectively under tight deadlines in a highly dynamic work environment.
-Strong legal drafting and analytical skills.
-Excellent communication, interpersonal and collaboration skills.
To be evaluated in the best possible way, candidates are advised to give evidence of their knowledge with specific examples and/or detailed professional experience. Candidates are invited to be as detailed and as clear as possible when describing their professional experience and specific skills and competences in their application form.
Failure to comply with the eligibility and/or essential selection criteria will result in the disqualification of the applicant concerned.

5. Conditions of employment

The place of employment is Brussels, where the CAJU’s premises are located. The successful candidate will be appointed by the Executive Director of the CAJU as a Contractual Agent, pursuant to Article 3(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, for a period of 3 years. The successful candidate will be recruited as Contractual Agent Function Group IV. Subject to budget availability, after an evaluation of the post holder's performance and the needs of the service, the contract may be renewed not more than once for a fixed period. Any further renewal will be for an indefinite period (In line with provisions of art. 8 of the CEOS). 
The period of engagement will not in any case exceed the lifetime of the CAJU.
Candidates should be aware of the requirement under the Staff Regulations/ CEOS for all new staff to successfully complete a probationary period of 9 months. Remuneration will be based on the Union scale of salaries. Pay is subject to Union tax and other deductions laid down in the Staff Regulations. The pay of staff members consists of a basic salary supplemented with specific allowances, including expatriation or family allowances. The provisions guiding the calculation of these allowances can be consulted in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants available at the following address: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLEG:1962R0031:20140101:EN:PDF 

6. Selection procedure

A selection committee is nominated by the Appointing Authority of the CAJU. Each application is checked to verify whether the candidate meets the eligibility criteria.  All the eligible applications are evaluated by the selection committee based on the elements of the application and having regard to the Vacancy Notice. After the screening of the applications, the selection committee will draw up a shortlist of candidates who correspond best to the profile sought. On this basis, shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview with the selection committee, which will be complemented by a written test.

7. Appointment and reserve list

The Executive Director will select from the reserve list the successful candidate and offer the post.
A binding commitment can only be made after the verification of all conditions and will take the form of a contract signed by the Executive Director. Recruitment will be based on availability of posts and budget. Candidates should note that inclusion in the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. 
The reserve list for this post will be valid 24 months after the Executive Director has approved the reserve list and may be extended at the discretion of the Appointing Authority of the CAJU. 

8.    Equal opportunities
The CAJU, as a Union body, applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations.     
        
9.    Closing date
Applications must be submitted by 14th of January 2025 at 23:59 (Brussels time). The closing date of this vacancy may be extended.
More info on the application procedure, data protection and appeal procedure are in the Annex I.