This text is intended for publication in the
Official Journal (OJ) of the EPO. It is made available in advance on
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authentic. It cannot be guaranteed that this advance version accurately
replicates that text.

Job group: 1
Grade: G16/3
Duration of appointment: five years
Career path: Managerial
Location: The Hague/Munich
Application deadline: 05.09.2018

Applicants should be nationals of one of the
European Patent Organisation’s member states (currently Albania,
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France,
Germany, Hellenic Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom).

With almost 7 000 employees, the European
Patent Office (EPO) is the second-largest public service institution in
Europe. It supports innovation, competitiveness and economic growth
across Europe through a commitment to high-quality and efficient
services delivered under the European Patent Convention, its founding
treaty. It has a yearly budget of EUR 2.3 billion, entirely financed by
the fees paid by its users.

The EPO’s headquarters are in Munich and it
has a branch in The Hague and offices in Berlin, Vienna and Brussels.
Through its centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to
obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries, covering a
market of 700 million people. In 2017, it processed over 165 000 patent
applications and granted over 105 000 patents. The EPO is also the
world’s leading authority in patent information. It has built and
operates the most comprehensive patent databases and generates tools
that are used by most patent offices around the world. It boasts an
extensive network of partners in patent offices and user assocations in
particular.

The EPO is a highly diverse and
multicultural environment with 35 different nationalities represented
among its staff. The patent granting process can be conducted in the
three official languages (English, French, German).

Appointed by the Administrative Council, the
vice-presidents assist the President of the EPO in the implementation
of established strategies and policies. The Vice-President Corporate
Services (VP 4) is responsible for managing DG 4, the
directorate-general that covers all the areas supporting the proper
functioning of the EPO, in particular its patent granting process.

The Vice-President Corporate Services is
responsible for an area comprising over 1 000 staff covering the
following principal directorates:

• Information Management: provision of all
  automation services for the EPO, including the setting up and
  maintenance of information systems and the production and management of
  tools for the Office
• Finance: budget preparation and execution, preparation of annual financial statements, treasury and cash management, accounting
• Human Resources: recruitment, training services for managers and
  employees, health and safety, internal communication, compensation and
  benefits, employment law
• General Administration: buildings, facility management, physical security, language services
• Central Procurement: organisation and optimisation of procurement and tenders procedures, invoicing

Main duties

• Responsibility for the smooth functioning of the
  support functions in his/her domain and accountability for the
  directorate-general’s results
• Ensuring that service delivery meets the needs of internal and
  external stakeholders in terms of timeliness, quality and
  service-orientation
• Managing the directorate-general’s workforce and supervising its five principal directors
• Acting as a member of the executive board of the EPO and
  representing the Office in meetings of the Administrative Council and
  its sub-committees
• Representing the Office in meetings with external stakeholders (users, patent offices, international organisations)

Profile

• At least 10 years’ experience in a European or international environment, in a role with a high level of responsibility
• Effective people-management and strong leadership skills in a
  dynamic and multicultural environment (cross-functional leadership)
• Ability to build a strong working relationship with management and staff
• Results-oriented attitude with the capacity to perform and work
  under high pressure while ensuring quality is maintained at the highest
  standards
• Effective communicator with strong ability to lead change while maintaining employee engagement and motivation

Minimum qualifications

• Diploma of completed university studies at master’s level or – in exceptional cases – equivalent professional experience
• Excellent knowledge of one official language and ability to understand the other two

Salary and benefits