Head of EEA Legal Coordination (Senior Officer)

Position description

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between its members, within Europe and globally. The EFTA Secretariat provides services to the EFTA Member States and has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Luxembourg. In Brussels this entails support in the management of the EEA Agreement, particularly in ongoing decision making for the continuing evolution of the EEA Agreement.

The EEA Coordination Division consists of currently 17 staff members and is responsible for the overall coordination of general policy and legal EEA related activities, i.a. servicing the EEA Council, EEA Joint Committee and Standing Committee of the EFTA States.

We are looking for a highly motivated and qualified lawyer who is willing to take on a challenging post with a high level of responsibility in a dynamic environment.

This position is open to nationals of the EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

Division: EEA Coordination Division
Category/Level: A5
Type/Duration of Appointment: Fixed term three years. If considered desirable and in the organisation’s interest, an additional three-year contract may be offered.
Start Date: As soon as possible
Job Reference: VA 01/2024

Scope

The position is based in the EEA Coordination Division (ECD), and reports to the Deputy Secretary General/Director of ECD.

In the role of Head of EEA Legal Coordination in the Brussels Secretariat the successful applicant will have the responsibility to coordinate the work of a cross-divisional legal team, consisting of highly qualified lawyers from both ECD and the Internal Market Division. The position entails analysing and providing advice on a variety of legal issues related to the EEA Agreement and associated Agreements, both to the EEA EFTA States and internally at the Secretariat, as well as coordinating legal procedures related to the continuous updating of the EEA Agreement. The position involves facilitating and participating in discussions between the EEA EFTA States and the European Commission. The successful applicant will also serve as secretary to Subcommittee V on legal and institutional questions and work closely with EEA EFTA States in that capacity and as well as other assigned legal tasks in the Secretariat.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in law;
• Extensive knowledge of the EEA Agreement/EU law.

Experience

• Several years of relevant work experience, from private or public sector.

Skills

• Ability to coordinate a team of highly qualified professionals and high work capacity;
• High degree of motivation, initiative and organisational skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills and service-mindedness;
• Ability to draft and communicate analytical reports and policy papers concisely and clearly in English;
• Result-oriented approach and a productive and co-operative attitude;
• Self-reliance and autonomy, while being a strong team player;
• Good knowledge of Office 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneDrive, SharePoint, OneNote).

Languages

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• Native level of knowledge of at least one of the EFTA languages;
• Knowledge of French would be an asset.

Employment Terms

Grade: A5
Annual starting salary: € 123.576

Appointments are made at the first step of the grade. The Secretary-General reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level different from that advertised. Through its recruitment policy, the EFTA Secretariat wants to ensure diversity in terms of gender, age and culture.

EFTA is an international organisation and the salaries and related payments are normally exempt from income taxation by the EFTA States and the host states of the EFTA duty stations. Depending on the candidate’s family status, benefits and allowances may apply.

Applicants must be nationals of one of the EFTA Member States (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein).

Applicants must apply online via the EFTA e-recruitment tool.

Application instructions

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