Head of Unit – Human Resources

About the Job

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) located in Helsinki, Finland manages the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction processes for chemical substances to ensure consistency across the European Union.​ The staff of ECHA is expected to grow from 200 to over 400 people from all over the European Union by the end of 2010.​

1.​ THE JOB

Reporting to the Director of Resources, the Head of Unit will be responsible for managing the human, financial and technical resources of the Human Resources Unit and for defining and achieving its objectives within the framework of the overall strategic planning of the Agency.​ In particular, (s)he will:

* Provide the Executive Director, the Director Resources and senior management of the Agency with timely and appropriate advice and information on Human Resources management;

* Coordinate the HR planning and budgeting and ensure timely recruitment of suitably qualified staff in accordance with EU rules and standards;

* Ensure an adequate framework of rules and regulations, personnel policies and policy instruments and ensure the good administration, management and training of staff in accordance with the established rules and procedures and the objectives of the Agency;

* Ensure timely payment of staff salaries and allowances, and sound financial management of the Agency’s HR related budget;

* Support the management of the Agency in its people management responsibilities and provide line managers with assistance, advice and appropriate instruments in managing their staff;

* Ensure smooth communications with the Agency Staff on HR matters;

* Promote the social welfare of staff and their families, in particular in the areas of health care, education and employment;

* Ensure the continuous professional and personal development of staff in line with the competences and skills needs of the Agency and the professional and personal development goals set for the staff;

* Ensure timely consultation of the Staff Committee on all HR policies and the regular contact with it;

* Perform other related activities.​

2.​ FORMAL REQUIREMENTS

You must fulfill the requirements set out below:

2.​1.​ General conditions

* Be a national of a Member State of the European Union or a national of the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein),

* Enjoy your full rights as a citizen,

* Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service,

* Produce the appropriate character references as to your suitability for the performance of your duties,

* Be physically fit to perform your duties,

* Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of your duties.​

2.​2.​ Qualifications

a) Successful completion of a full course of university studies attested by a degree, where the normal duration of university education is four (4) years or more;

Or

b) Successful completion of a full course of university studies attested by a degree, where the normal duration of university education is three (3) years.​

2.​3.​ Experience

To qualify for this profile, you must have total professional experience of at least fifteen (15) years (if you have a four-year degree) or sixteen (16) years (if you have a three-year degree) after achieving the qualification set out in a) or b) above, of which at least five (5) years must be in a field or fields relevant to human resources, and at least three (3) years in a management role (Head of Unit, Head of Sector, Team Leader or equivalent).​

The deadline for applications is Friday 06 November 2009 at midnight 24:00 Helsinki time (23:00 CET).​

ECHA is an equal opportunities employer.​

For more details on the job profiles, formal requirements, selection criteria and application procedure, please consult our job opportunities on the ECHA website: http://www.​echa.​europa.​eu