Vacancy Notice - Director

  
VACANCY NOTICE
SEECEL DIRECTOR
REF: SEECEL / VN – 01 / 2010
 
South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (hereinafter referred to as SEECEL) is seeking to recruit a Director.
 
BACKGROUND
Keen on ensuring a more definite contribution of education to their competitive standing, the countries of South Eastern Europe (SEE) have signed up to a number of benchmarks which aim to promote more developed learning economies. Enshrined within the European Charter for Small Enterprise / the European Small Business Act as well as the Oslo Agenda for Entrepreneurship Education in Europe, lifelong entrepreneurial learning stands apart as a specific area for development.
In the course of 2007-2008, the National Charter Co-ordinators from the SEE countries took an initiative to establish structured co-operation amongst the SEE countries / pre-accession countries on lifelong entrepreneurial learning and agreed on the establishment of SEECEL. Following the completion of the preparatory phase (during which theCroatian Chamber of Economy acted as a temporary host institution), SEECEL was established in July 2009 as an independent institution under the national legislation of the host country (Public Institution Act of the Republic of Croatia).
The mission of SEECEL is to support all participating countries in the alignment of policies and practice in lifelong entrepreneurial learning with those of the European Union (EU) as well as to identify other global models that may enhance the role of entrepreneurial learning in the context of knowledge-driven, small enterprise-dominated and highly competitive economies.
The following SEE / pre-accession countries are involved in SEECEL’s activities (in alphabetical order):

• Albania;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Croatia;
• Kosovo[1];
• Macedonia[2];
• Montenegro;
• Serbia;
• Turkey.

 
SEECEL’s activities centre on a number of common areas identified through the 2008 assessment of each countries performance on the human capital areas of the European Charter for Small Enterprise.  Four pillars will be addressed in the period 2009-2012:

• Development of the entrepreneurship key competence  (ISCED 2 level);
• Promotion of  the entrepreneurship / entrepreneurial learning at the third level education (ISCED 5/6 level) within non-business disciplines;
• Enterprise-driven training needs analysis;
• Dissemination and promotion of good policy and good practice.

 
The SEECEL is governed by a Steering Committee (SC). The composition of the SEECEL SC is as follows:

• National Co-ordinators of the European Charter for Small Enterprises, including the official representative of Turkey responsible for relevant activities;
• Representatives of national line institutions responsible for  Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 of the European Charter for Small Enterprises;
• Representative of relevant Directorates General (DG) of the European Commission (EC) – DG Enlargement and DG Enterprise and Industry;
• Representative of the European Training Foundation;
• Representative of the Regional Cooperation Council;
• Representative of the Croatian Chamber of Economy.

The representative of the EC – DG Education and Culture participates in the work of the SC in the capacity of an observer.
SEECEL's 2009-2012 work programme is financially supported by:

• The European Union - IPA Multi-beneficiary Programme;
• The Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Croatia.

 
JOB DESCRIPTION – KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The SEECEL Director shall be appointed for a four – year (4) term of office with the possibility of reappointment. Reporting directly to the SEECEL SC, the successful candidate for the post of the SEECEL Director will be responsible for:

• On the basis of his/her extensive knowledge and international professional experience / know-how in the field of entrepreneurial learning, designing the overall SEECEL strategy in compliance with the specific needs at the SEE level and with the EU Acquis / the EU Open Method of Co-ordination in relevant fields;
• Proposing the adoption of general and specific acts within its scope to the SEECEL SC;
• Pursuant to the adopted SEECEL strategy, organising and managing the work and business activities of SEECEL, i.e. overseeing the execution of annual work programmes, financial management and human resource management;
• Taking all legal actions on behalf and on the account of SEECEL;
• Ensuring overall development of SEECEL as a centre of expertise by promoting the sharing of expertise with an emphasis on translating EU policies into new approaches in entrepreneurial learning at the SEE level as well as by developing a pool of expert teams and individual experts to provide inputs on specific issues of the interest to SEECEL;
• Promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue at the strategic level to enhance awareness and knowledge in the field of entrepreneurial learning, including the creation of sustainable SEE networks and communities of practice;
• Performing other activities defined by legal regulations, the SEECEL Statute and general / specific acts of SEECEL and issue related obligatory instructions

 
 
REQUIRED QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Have a university degree in Law, Geography or Social Sciences – an MA in the field of social sciences, education or economy / entrepreneurship  is considered to be an asset;
• At least fifteen (15) years of work experience, and out of those at least two years of work in an EU institution as an expert in the field of entrepreneurial competences development,
• At least two (2) years of work experience on managing positions.

 
 
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Excellent oral and written command of English language (equivalent to at least  C1 level as defined in the Europass CV instructions);
• A satisfactory understanding of severalnational languages spoken in the SEE regionto the extent necessary for establishing basic communication with relevant SEECEL’s counterparts;
• Proven capacity to use computerised office tools (especially MS Office applications such as Word, Excel and databases);
• Excellent organisational skills, ability to work under pressure with accuracy and meet tight deadlines;
• Flexibility and ability to work and communicate well within a team in an international and multi-cultural environment;
• Extensive knowledge of the EU Acquis / EU Open Method of Co-ordination in the field of education and entrepreneurship, most notably in the field of entrepreneurial learning (ISCED 0-6 levels) – general knowledge of other global models (e.g. USA, Australia) in the field of entrepreneurial learning / entrepreneurship education is considered to be an asset;
• Demonstrable knowledge of  national policies / strategies and best-practice examples in the field of entrepreneurial learning in each of the SEE countries involved – general knowledge of national policies in other EU partner countries, e.g. Euro-Mediterranean region, would be an asset;
• Proven skills in designing, planning and implementing policy instruments in the field of education / entrepreneurial learning, including development of tailor-made policy indicators and other relevant analytical tools;
• Practical skills in carrying out comprehensive country assessments in the field of education and/or entrepreneurial learning – direct involvement in relevant exercises within the framework of the European Charter for Small Enterprises (Chapter 1 and Chapter 4) and/or EU pre-accession programmes (CARDS, Phare, IPA) is considered to be an asset;
• Proven skills in developing  and fostering both “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches in the field of education / entrepreneurial learning, including the development of the knowledge management systems and diverse communities of practice;
• Good knowledge of the EU IPA programme (including the IPA Component 3 / IPA Component 4 and the IPA Multi-beneficiary envelope)  as well as relevant EU Community Programmes (e.g. Lifelong Learning Programme, Tempus, Youth in Action, Competitiveness and Innovation Programme, 7^th Framework Programme);
• Excellent knowledge of the European Union and the European Commission, most notably of the Directorate General (DG) Enlargement, the DG Education and Culture and/or the DG Enterprise and Industry;
• Very good knowledge of the socio-economic context of the SEE countries and general reforms undertaken in the course of the last decade.

 
 
OTHER ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be considered eligible, applicants must satisfy the following requirements on the closing date for the submission of applications:

• Be a national of the Republic of Croatia;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by law concerning military service.

 
SELECTION PROCEDURE
Interested candidates are invited to send their applications in English language, including:

• A curriculum vitae (CV) in Europass CV format or in the standard EU format for experts - other formats will not be considered;
• Aframework work programme of SEECEL for the three year period;
• Copies of relevant diplomas, certificates and documentary evidence of professional experience / skills (including the letters of recommendation)

 
Applications must be submitted in an envelope by registered mail or private courier service at the address below:
 
South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning
Selska 217/IV
10000 Zagreb
 
The envelope must clearly quote the reference number of this Vacancy Notice:  SEECEL / VN – 01 / 2010.
 
Applications sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by hand delivery) or delivered to other addresses will be rejected.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 03 February 2010 as evidenced by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip.
Failure to comply with one of the above formal requirements will result in the immediate disqualification of the applicant.
Selection process for the appointment of the SEECEL Director will be co-ordinated by the specially appointed Selection Committee. It will consist of:

• Two representatives of the SEECEL Steering Committee;
• A legal expert.

 
Eligibility of candidates will be assessed according to compliance with all formal requirements by the closing date for the submission of applications. Eligible candidates whose application shows evidence of all required qualification / experience and knowledge / skills may be invited for an interview, which will be both in Croatian and English language. Only the short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview.
 
SEECEL’s human resources policies and actions are based on a number of distinctive values / standards, which contribute to making SEECEL a modern administration:

• Efficiency;
• Knowledge sharing;
• Transparency;
• Ethics and conduct;
• Equal opportunities;
• Application of modern Information and Communication Technologies;
• Environmental friendliness;
• Multilingualism.

 
In line with those values / standards, SEECEL encourages all qualified candidates to apply.