ESA Vacancy Announcements – Junior Professionals

/i

Deadline for applications: 5 March midnight CET
Start Date: 1 September 2023
Interviews via MS Teams: March/April 2023

Launch your career in the heart of Europe

For 2023/2024, several talented candidates will be invited to join the EFTA Surveillance
Authority (ESA) Junior Professional Programme for 11 months from September 2023 to
July 2024. The Junior Professional Programme provides young professionals and recent
graduates from the EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) a unique
opportunity to experience and participate in the work of ESA and the inner workings of the
EEA Agreement.

About ESA


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.

The Junior Professional Programme


The Junior Professional Programme at ESA is a great way to kick-start your career.
Whether you are pursuing a career in the public or the private sector, at home or
internationally, the experience will prove beneficial. The Junior Professionals take part in
the daily work of the different departments. They gain valuable work experience by
assisting case handlers with the ongoing activities of ESA, get hands-on knowledge of the
functioning of the EEA Agreement and have the opportunity to live and work in a thriving
multicultural environment.

We are looking for engaged young professionals and recent graduates who have already
graduated or expect to complete their degree in law by 1 September 2023. Strong
academic results and an interest or specialisation in EEA/EU matters are required, as is an
excellent command of English, the working language of ESA.
Several Junior Professionals are selected to work in either the Competition and State Aid
(CSA), the Internal Market Affairs (IMA) or the Legal and Executive Affairs (LEA)
Departments.

The Chief Economist Team

ESA is recruiting an Economist Junior Professional to work within the Chief Economist
Team (CET) in our Directorate for Competition and State Aid (CSA).
CSA is a multi-disciplinary team comprising both economists and lawyers and enforces
the competition and state aid rules of the EEA Agreement. CSA’s Chief Economist Team
consists of five economists with backgrounds covering competition policy enforcement,
public authority, regulation and consulting. The main task of the CET is to ensure a high
standard of economic reasoning and financial analysis in CSA’s cases in the area of
State Aid control and antitrust.

Essential requirements, skills and qualifications:

  • Applicants must be nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. Exceptionally, in
  • light of the under-representation of Liechtenstein nationals at ESA, other EEA or
  • EFTA nationals who can demonstrate close links with Liechtenstein may also be
  • considered
  • Applicants should be young professionals with a university degree in law or final
  • year law students due to complete their degree prior to 1 September 2023
  • An interest or specialisation in EU/EEA matters
  • An excellent command of written and spoken English, the working language of ESA
  • We are looking for candidates who are engaged, proactive and independent, whilst
  • at the same time being strong team players
  • You should be accurate, well-organised and proactive in your work

Conditions

The Junior Professional Programme at ESA is a paid position, and the Junior Professionals

receive:

A monthly allowance of €1713.23

Furnished and private accommodation in Brussels

  • Utility and internet costs covered, and mobile phone provided
  • Health, life and invalidity and travel insurance cover
  • Reimbursement of travel costs upon taking up and leaving the Programme
  • An allowance for language training costs

For more information about ESA and the Junior Professional Programme, visit:
www.eftasurv.int

In the interests of ensuring that the Junior Professional positions are open to as wide a
group of individuals as possible, current and former Junior Professionals/Trainees of the
EFTA Secretariat/Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) will not be eligible to apply for ESA
Junior Professional positions. Current and former Trainees of the EFTA Court will, however,
be eligible to apply in light of the short-term nature of traineeships in the Court as compared
with those in the Secretariat/FMO.

Application procedure:


Further questions regarding the Junior Professional Programme may, in the first instance,
be addressed to Emma Thomas, HR Officer: eth[at]eftasurv[dot]int or +32 (0)2 286 18 70,
or Jóhanna Hjartardóttir, Junior Professional HR: jhj[at]eftasurv[dot].int or +32 (0)2 286 18
75.

Deadline for applications: 5 March midnight CET
Start Date: 1 September 2023
Interviews via MS Teams: March/April 2023