The EFTA Surveillance Authority

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) monitors compliance with the Agreement on the
European Economic Area (EEA Agreement) in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway,
enabling those States to participate in the Internal Market of the European Union.

ESA is an international organisation, independent of the States, which safeguards the
rights of individuals and undertakings under the EEA Agreement, ensuring free
movement, fair competition and control of state aid. ESA's work helps remove barriers to
trade and open up new opportunities to over 450 million Europeans, creating jobs and
growth and adding to the international competitiveness of the States.

ESA is based in Brussels. It currently employs staff members of 19 nationalities. ESA is
led by a College consisting of three members, each appointed for a period of four years
by the three participating EFTA States.

Role Description

ESA is recruiting a Deputy Director to join its Legal and Executive Affairs Department
(LEA).

Within ESA, LEA is responsible for providing legal advice and support with regard to
policy formulation, co-ordination and communication. The Department reviews all
decisions of ESA and conducts litigation before the EFTA Court and the CJEU. Day-to-
day work covers all aspects of EEA law including internal market, state aid and
competition law as well as the implementation and application of EEA law in Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway.

LEA is responsible for managing the formal decision-making process, in particular
preparations for College meetings, including ensuring the adoption of decisions by
College in compliance with ESA’s procedural rules within the appropriate timelines.

LEA also hosts the Communications Team, lead by a Head of Communications, and the
Registry, which has responsibility for ESA’s document management system, archives and
Library. ESA’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) is a member of the LEA team.

The successful candidate will assist the Director in managing the work of the Department.
They will be responsible for facilitating workflow throughout ESA, making the best use of
the resources and IT tools available, whilst ensuring adherence to ESA’s procedural
requirements. This requires an excellent and solution-oriented lawyer with an interest in
management and excellent interpersonal skills.

The tasks formally delegated to the Deputy Director will be likely to include:

• Taking on the role of Acting Director in the Director’s absence.
• Deputising for the Director in carrying out final legal reviews of draft decisions from the Internal Market Affairs (IMA) and the Competition & State Aid (CSA) directorates.
• Monitoring compliance with, and advising on, procedural requirements in ESA’s operations and the adoption of College Decisions.

The successful candidate will be fully involved in the legal review and litigation processes,
working in close cooperation with other members of the department. The position
presents a unique opportunity for input on a wide range of challenging and high-profile
cases. It should appeal in particular to eloquent, dynamic and self-motivated lawyers who
enjoy analysing legal problems while at the same time being interested in policy
formulation and implementation at both national and European level.

Other particular duties will be likely to include:

• Drafting and implementing work plans for LEA in consultation with the Director.
• Managing workflow within LEA, facilitating the operation of the legal review process, and liaising with IMA/CSA to identify and mitigate particular challenges.
• Helping foster an information-sharing culture within ESA, including further development of ESA’s knowledge management systems.
• Working with colleagues to ensure best use of ESA’s IT tools, including advising on template documents.
• Providing support, backup and advice to the Head of Communications on a wide variety of legal/communications issues.
• Drafting the LEA element of documents, such as the Annual Report, and advising on legal content on ESA’s website.
• Administrative tasks such as authorising annual leave/travel within LEA.
• Providing backup of last resort for the LEA Assistant’s tasks of preparing College
• Meetings and submission of formal communications to courts in litigation cases.

The following are essential:

• University degree in law, or recognised equivalent qualification in law;
• A broad and thorough knowledge of EEA law and the institutional framework of the EFTA pillar, and the ability to work themselves quickly into new areas of law;
• Minimum 7 years’ relevant professional experience in the private or the public sector, including 3 years’ experience in a leadership position;
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (ESA’s working language) as well as proven legal drafting ability;
• Excellent organisational, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to motivate others and build consensus;
• Highly developed organisational skills paired with initiative and the ability to work both independently and in a team in an international environment;
• An affinity for using IT tools and document management systems.

The following are desirable:

• Postgraduate degree in law;
• Relevant professional experience involving the EU institutions, relevant national authorities or administrations, and an interest in procedural law;
• Knowledge of institutional transparency requirements;
• Experience in communications;
• Familiarity with the legal orders of Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein;
• Good understanding of Norwegian, Icelandic or German (the EFTA languages).

The position is placed at grade A5 of ESA’s salary scale, the precise step being
determined depending on the relevant experience of the successful candidate, with a
likely starting salary of around €132 000 per annum. Depending on personal situation and
family status, additional allowances and benefits may apply. Tax conditions are
favourable.

The planned start date for the position is January 2024, with a one-month planned
handover period.

Type and duration of appointment: fixed-term contract of three years, renewable for a
further three years if desirable and in the interest of ESA. Candidates must be nationals
of the States party to the EEA Agreement (EU + EEA EFTA) at the point of application
and the time of any offer being made. 

ESA actively seeks to promote a healthy work/life balance and a working environment
allowing its staff members to develop their professional skills and interests.'

Application process:

All applications must be made online at: https://jobs.eftasurv.int

• Deadline for applications: Sunday 16 July 2023 (midnight CET)
• Interviews: September/October 2023
• Start date: January 2024

Applications submitted in response to this vacancy notice may also be taken into account
for the purpose of filling other vacancies arising for similar positions within ESA.

Questions regarding the post may be addressed to Melpo Josephides, Director LEA on
+32 (0)2 286 1885 / mjos[at]eftasurv[dot]int.

Questions regarding the recruitment process may be addressed to Emma Thomas, HR
Officer on +32 (0)2 286 1870 / eth[at]eftasurv[dot]int.

APPLY HERE