Project Officer: Economics, Private sector development, and Trade facilitation
We are
The European Union (EU) is an economic and political partnership between 27 European countries. It plays an important role in international affairs through diplomacy, trade, development aid and working with global organizations. Abroad, the EU is represented through more than 140 diplomatic representations, known also as EU Delegations, which have a similar function to those of an embassy.
The EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Colombo works in close coordination with the Embassies and Consulates of the 27 EU Member States. We are a fully-fledged diplomatic mission and represent the European Union in dealings with the Sri Lanka and the Maldives governments in areas that are part of the EU’s remit.
We offer
The post of Project Officer (Local Agent Group 1) in the Delegation’s Cooperation Section. The team consists of 10 people and there are occasional atypical working hours.
Under this post, the recruited person will be attributed functions depending on the needs of the Delegation, and on the changes of these needs. The successful candidate will serve under the supervision and responsibility of the Head of Cooperation Section, providing support, expertise and assistance, as a Project Officer in economics, private sector development, public finance management and trade facilitation.
Following main tasks and duties are currently required:
Sector analysis, strategy formulation and programming
- Assist the Head of Cooperation in relevant analysis of developments and policies, as well as dialogue with relevant ministries, agencies, development partners and other relevant stakeholders;
Delegation’s project cycle management
- Contribute to the programming, identification and appraisal of projects and programs in close cooperation with the beneficiary institution(s), if and when such programs are decided in the programming process
- Contribute to all aspects of the procurement process (drafting Terms of Reference, launching tenders, evaluation of proposals, etc.
- Monitor on-going projects, attend management and monitoring meetings, contribute to progress reports on projects, and propose action if and when needed
- Follow the financial progress of projects/programs and advise the Delegation on procurement, tenders and payments
- Contribute to project evaluations
- Review invoices, expenditure statements, requests for advance and reimbursement prior to submission to the Finance & Contracts Section; to maintain regular financial monitoring information on EU assisted projects and programs through EU financial management information systems; to review annual budgets of projects and programs prior to submission to the Finance & Contracts Section.
Preparation and follow up of calls for tender
- Assist in launching, managing and monitoring calls for proposals, tenders, evaluation and selection of projects
- Ensure the follow-up of the implementation of projects and the performance of project managers and partners, monitor contractual obligations (via periodic reviews, audits, reporting and assistance, etc.) and gather and handle external expertise
- Deal with horizontal activities and networking aspects of the program and its projects.
Representation, Negotiation, Participation
- Maintain good and effective contacts with all counterparts;
- Maintain contacts with development partners and participate in coordination activities
- Represent the EU in Steering Committee meetings and in other official meetings between the EU and program partners.
The base salary will depend on relevant and verified employment experience, typically starting from EUR 1,474. There is a competitive benefits package, subject to certain conditions, including personal leave days and public holidays, health insurances and a retirement savings plan. The expected start date will be 15 April 2024.
Minimum requirements / eligibility criteria (necessary for the application to be considered)
- Minimum of Masters University degree or equivalent in a field of economics, business administration, finance management or similar;
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in economic or private sector development, and/or PFM and/or macro-economic analysis;
- Excellent knowledge (C2) of English;
- Computer literate (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, WebEx, Outlook)
- Enjoys civil rights and permits for employment under local law in Sri Lanka
- Medical fitness to carry out the tasks assigned
Assets / selection criteria (basis for awarding points to select the best applicant)
- Able to work as a team member with good inter-personal skills;
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment;
- Good presentation skills;
- Good level of computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Zoom, Skype etc.);
- B2 level of language skills (written, oral) in Sinhala and/or Tamil;
- Excellent drafting skills;
- Capable of producing high quality results within often tight deadlines;
- Professional experience of management of programs and projects, in dealing with central, regional and local authorities, multilateral agencies;
- Knowledge of the European Union and EU - South-Asia relations;
- Good knowledge of Project Cycle Management;
How to apply
Please submit your application, consisting of a cover letter expressing your motivation, Europass format CV[1] and a declaration on honour regarding the civil rights and permits for employment under local law in Sri Lanka, medical fitness via the Functional Mailbox delegation-sri-lanka-recruitments @eeas.europa.eu (Reference: NAME – Application for LA-1 post Project Officer) no later than 23:59 14/02/2024. Only complete applications received on time via the Functional Mailbox delegation-sri-lanka-recruitments @eeas.europa.eu will be considered.
The successful candidate will be subject to a medical check and background check.
The process
After the deadline for applications, the eligible applications will be admitted to the Selection by the Committee set up for this purpose.
Depending on the number of applications received, successive phases of Selection may include shortlisting of candidates based assessment of the information provided in the cover letter, CV; practical testing and interviews. The 3 best candidates will be invited to the final test.
Only candidates admitted to each successive selection phase will be contacted individually. The Delegation will use the same means of publication as for this job advertisement to inform the remaining candidates once the recruitment procedure has been completed and that a candidate has (or has not) been recruited.
The Delegation will not supply additional information or discuss the selection procedure. During the selection process, please do not contact the members of the Selection Committee, but address your questions and comments to the Delegation’s Administration.
The deadline for submitting applications is: 14 February 2024
Download the full job description here.