Head of Unit

VACANCY NOTICE FOR POSITIONS OF
Head of Unit
Temporary Agent (AD9)
Reference no. EEA/AD/2024/16

Please send us your application no later than 6 January 2025 at midnight (Copenhagen time), following the instructions in the ANNEX.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is organising an open competition with a view to establishing a reserve list for positions of Heads of Unit.

THE AGENCY:

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union. Together with our Eionet network, the EEA aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe’s environment, through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policymakers and the public.
In recent years, the EEA has been entrusted to take on an increasing number of tasks, with resulting growth in staff numbers and resources. We are therefore reorganising and strengthening our management structures by introducing a new formal level of management: Head of Unit.

Would you like to be part of an organisation that delivers high quality work with real impact? We are looking for highly skilled and motivated management professionals who are passionate about contributing to Europe’s environment, climate and sustainability goals.

Heads of Unit are expected to be high-performing people managers that understand and nurture the crucial link between strategy and operational delivery in their own Unit, whilst ensuring that cooperation runs smoothly with other parts of the organisation. 

As Head of Unit, you will lead a team of around 10-25 staff members, depending on the Unit in question. Expert-level knowledge in the areas for which the Unit is responsible is not required, however it is expected that the successful candidates will have sound technical knowledge relevant to the area of work. 

Applicants should have a proven track record of management experience and enjoy working with people. You should be a confident manager, driven by being part of a team that collectively works towards making the EEA the best it can be. 

The EEA is a learning organisation which employs staff members with diverse professional backgrounds and offers an international, inclusive and stimulating working environment. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Heads of Department, Heads of Unit should lead and motivate staff, support their development, and manage their performance. They should maintain communications with management and other stakeholders in order to steer and influence discussions effectively, and to ensure collaboration across different units and departments. The Head of Unit will be responsible for the overall management of the unit’s activities and staff, as well as for planning and budgeting.  

The position will entail the following tasks: 

Unit management and planning:

• Defining operational objectives and performance indicators for the staff in the Unit based on the EEA Single Programming Document (SPD), EEA-Eionet Strategy and the Annual Management Plans (AMPs);
• Ensuring, monitoring and reporting on progress towards operational objectives;
• Performing quality assurance and control of processes, products and services for which the Unit is responsible;
• Supporting the Head of Department and contributing actively to department planning and management.

People management:

• Managing the team allocated to the Unit:
  - Ensuring job descriptions and career development plans are meaningful, completed and updated as required
  - Ensuring appraisals are completed as required and used constructively to improve performance
• Coordinating and planning of day-to-day operations;
• Fostering communication and engagement of staff in Unit activities;
• Coaching and support to staff to foster team performance and well-being;
• Where required, taking corrective and preventative actions concerning processes and interpersonal relations (collaboration) in the Unit;
• Participating in selection procedures for new staff joining the Unit.

Resource management:

• Planning and executing management of human and financial resources allocated to the Unit;
• Managing leave, absence, hybrid-working and time recording;
• Planning, authorisation and budget management of missions, training and meetings;
• Acting as authorising officer by sub-delegation for financial and budgetary aspects of activities carried out within the Unit.

As Head of Unit, you will be a part of the department’s management team. You will also be a member of EEA’s larger ‘Management Group’ which comprises all heads of Unit, and where, as operational managers, you will collectively support and develop cross-cutting projects and activities in the organisation. 

OPEN POSITIONS OF HEAD OF UNIT

The EEA is currently undergoing a reorganisation, and a new organisational chart will be applicable as of 1 January 2025 (see here: Organigram 2025).

Head of Unit Pollution and Health (Environment Department)

The Unit is responsible for the EEA’s activities on zero pollution and associated policy implementation support. This includes delivering policy-relevant assessments on key environment and health issues, including air quality and emissions, environmental noise, chemicals, industrial releases and accidents, and human biomonitoring. The Unit is responsible (working closely with the EEA’s Data Management Unit) for managing the delivery of a number of legislative data flows and activities stemming from current and proposed EU obligations (including under the Air Quality, National Emission Reduction Commitments and LRTAP Convention), Environmental Noise, One Substance One Assessment, Serious Cross-border Threats to Health, Seveso, Industrial Emissions Portal, Directives/Regulations, etc). 

In addition, the Unit coordinates the EEA’s internal and external delivery on cross-cutting initiatives such as Zero Pollution and One Health. Building on reported data and additional information, data reporting services are delivered via policy-relevant indicators, and information-sharing tools and web platforms (e.g. the EEA’s Air Quality Portal, Environment and Health Atlas, the European Industrial Emissions Portal). 

The Unit engages in a number of key networking activities with EEA member countries, Eionet and key stakeholders such as the European Commission, other EU agencies, and international organisations, and it coordinates work with the European Topic Centres and consultants.

The Head of Unit will report to the Head of the Environment Department.

Head of Unit Freshwater and Marine (Environment Department)

The Unit is responsible for the EEA’s activities on freshwater and marine, and associated policy implementation support. This includes delivering policy-relevant assessments on the pressures and status of Europe’s freshwater and marine environments, including the solutions needed to ensure more resilient water and marine resources and ecosystems. Assessments are also performed on the transition towards sustainability of specific maritime sectors such as fisheries and maritime transport. 

The Unit is responsible (working closely with the EEA’s Data Management Unit) for managing the delivery of a number of legislative data flows stemming from current and proposed EU obligations (including under the Water Framework, Environmental Quality Standards, Urban Wastewater Treatment, Nitrates, Bathing Water, Drinking Water, Marine Strategy Framework, and Maritime Spatial Planning Directives, Mission Ocean and Waters etc.). Building on reported data and additional information, data reporting services are delivered via policy-relevant indicators, as well as information sharing tools and web platforms (WISE). The Unit engages in a number of key networking activities with EEA member countries, Eionet and key stakeholders such as the European Commission, other EU agencies, and international organisations, and coordinates work with the European Topic Centres and consultants. 

The Head of Unit will report to the Head of the Environment Department.

Head of Unit Biodiversity and Nature (Environment Department)

The Unit is responsible for the EEA’s activities on biodiversity and nature protection, and associated policy implementation support. This includes delivering policy-relevant assessments on the pressures and status of Europe’s nature and protection/restoration status. 

The Unit is responsible (working closely with the EEA’s Data Management Unit) for managing the delivery of a number of legislative data flows stemming from current and proposed EU obligations (including under the habitats, birds, Natura2000 network, invasive alien species, pollinators, nature restoration, forest monitoring, soil monitoring and resilience Directives/Regulations etc.). 

In addition, the Unit coordinates the EEA’s internal and external delivery on cross-cutting initiatives such as support to the EU Biodiversity Strategy and related policies, global biodiversity processes, nature restoration and protection, Europe’s agriculture and agri-food system, as well as on ecosystem accounting and valuation. Building on reported data and additional information, data reporting services are delivered via policy-relevant indicators, as well as information sharing tools and web platforms (BISE, FISE). 

The Unit engages in a number of key networking activities with EEA member countries, Eionet and key stakeholders such as the European Commission, other EU agencies, and international organisations, and coordinates work with the European Topic Centres and consultants. 

The Head of Unit will report to the Head of the Environment Department.

Head of Unit Climate neutrality, Energy and Mobility (Climate Department)

The Unit is responsible for monitoring progress to climate neutrality in Europe. This includes annual coordination of up to 40 individual data flows as defined in EU legislation, with submissions from European Member States, EEA member and cooperating countries, and commercial entities. The collected data are quality assured and aggregated into official datasets upon which expert assessments are based. Among these expert assessments is a range of indicators that are updated annually, as well as briefings and reports on policy-relevant issues. 

While the Unit works on decarbonisation of all sectors in Europe's economy, it also serves as the agency's anchor point for work on energy and mobility systems more broadly. While the above-mentioned reporting, data and knowledge services are coordinated within the Unit, its members actively network and collaborate with experts, policymakers, researchers and stakeholders from across Europe and in neighbouring regions. This also extends to international fora, including the UNFCCC.

The Head of Unit will report to the Head of the Climate Department.

Head of Unit Climate Risk and Resilience (Climate Department)

The Unit is responsible for strategic developments on climate risk and resilience and the dialogue with key stakeholders. The Unit provides regular inputs to policy developments in the climate risk and resilience files. This requires close working relations with DG CLIMA, the European Parliament and the Member States. 

The Unit is also responsible for the EEA’s contribution to policy developments on climate change adaptation based on EEA knowledge and products. The Unit also coordinates the strategic development of the next European climate risk assessment (EUCRA) based on the knowledge and lessons from the first edition of EUCRA. The Unit develops and maintains the key data and knowledge platforms on climate adaptation, notably the European climate adaptation platform (Climate-ADAPT), the European climate and health observatory and the Mission adaptation portal. 

The Head of Unit will report to the Head of the Climate Department.

Head of Unit Data Management (Digital Department) 

The Unit delivers efficient and effective data management services for the EEA, Eionet, and their stakeholders. It oversees the implementation and evolution of the EEA Data Strategy towards greater integration, automation and enhancement of analytics capabilities. It manages all regular data flows and processing activities within the EEA, including monitoring and maintaining the production chain of automated data flows in collaboration with other EEA Departments. 

The Unit manages the evaluation of Eionet core data flows and optimises EEA data processes to ensure efficient service provision. It leads data governance and architecture efforts, implementing EEA data management policies, practices, principles and procedures in alignment with EU strategies, policies, and international standardisation frameworks. 

The Unit operates EEA data centre services and platforms to ensure interoperability and user-friendliness, providing robust web services for maps and data. Additionally, it supports the development and implementation of interactive products, for example visualisations, used both internally and externally, enhancing user engagement and data accessibility.

The Head of Unit will report to the Head of the Digital Department.