Post: EMSA/TRA/2021/05 - Traineeship Notice Autumn 2021
Directorate/Unit: Traineeship to be used by various units
Type of post: Traineeship
Grade:
Location: Lisbon
Closing date for applications: 9 July 2021

The selection of candidates will follow the EMSA Staff Recruitment Procedure. Candidates must apply for this post via the EMSA website http://www.emsa.europa.eu - vacancies. Please note that to make an EMSA on-line application you will need to create your EMSA profile using a valid e-mail address and a password.

1. Background

The European Maritime Safety Agency was established for the purpose of ensuring a high, uniform and effective level of maritime safety, maritime security as well as prevention of and response to pollution by ships within the EU.

The idea of a European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)  originated in the late 1990's along with a number of other important European maritime safety initiatives. EMSA was set up as the decentralised agency that would provide a major source of support to the European Commission and the Member States in the field of maritime safety, security and prevention of pollution from ships. The Agency was established by Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 and subsequent amendments have refined and enlarged its mandate to cover among other measures, the efficiency of maritime transport.

2. Tasks of the agency

The Agency provides technical, operational and scientific assistance to the European Commission and Member States in the fields of maritime safety, maritime security, prevention of, and response to, pollution caused by ships as well as response to marine pollution caused by oil and gas installations.

The Agency also contributes to the overall efficiency of maritime traffic and maritime transport and supports European cooperation on coastguard functions.

EMSA's activities can be broadly described as:

  • providing technical and scientific assistance to the Member States and the European Commission in the proper development and implementation of EU legislation on maritime safety, security, prevention of pollution by ships and maritime transport administrative simplification;
  • monitoring the implementation of EU legislation through visits and inspections;
  • improving cooperation with and between Member States;
  • building capacity of national competent authorities;
  • providing operational assistance, including developing, managing and maintaining maritime services related to ships, ship monitoring and enforcement;
  • carrying out operational preparedness, detection and response tasks with respect to pollution caused by ships and marine pollution by oil and gas installations;
  • at the request of the European Commission, providing technical operational assistance to non-EU countries around relevant sea basins.

3. Traineeship to be used by various units

From the publication of this call, EMSA envisages to select 13 trainees. The starting date of the traineeship is 1 September 2021 until 28 February 2022.

More information about the selection procedure as well as the rights and duties of the trainees can be found in the Decision N˚2016/036 of the Executive Director relating to the rules governing the traineeship scheme of EMSA.

4. Positions available

0. Executive Office - Communication

  Tasks and duties of the trainee:
  • Carry out graphic design functions, using the Adobe suite of tools, particularly InDesign;
  • Carry out design visualisation functions, using the Adobe suite of tools, particularly Illustrator;
  • Assist with the preparation of graphic material for publication on the EMSA website, using the tools described above;
  • Assist with the preparation of graphic material for publication on the EMSA intranet, using the tools described above;
  • Carry out any other task that might be directed by the Head of Unit EO or his delegates, including (but not limited to):

- Assistance with social media scheduling and measurement;

- Assistance with the preparation of online content;

- Assistance with communicating events and activities of EMSA;

- Assistance with the preparation of press dossiers, media briefings, etc.

Other skills: Experience in social media management and promotion, some knowledge of CMS, plus some video editing skills (Adobe suite preferred) would be advantageous.

Diploma required: Communication, Design, Multimedia or Advertising.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English.

 

1.1 Sustainability - Pollution prevention & response services

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

  • To support in the preparation of the annual report on the implementation of the Sulphur Directive (data reported by MS to be checked);
  • To assist in the development of environmental factsheets/ indicators related to shipping;
  • Review and update the response resources database at EU level.

Other skills: Good knowledge of database software tools.

Diploma required: Environment management or Sustainability.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English.

 

1.2 Human Element

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

  • Assist project officers in the preparation of visits and inspections on maritime education, training and certification of seafarers;
  • Assist the project officers in the organisation of workshops;
  • Assist in the drafting of reports related to visits, inspections and the correspondence group on the establishment of an EU Seafarers’ Certification Platform;
  • Assist the project officers in the preparation and delivery of training courses/workshops;
  • Assist the project officers in any task that they are responsible related to the MLC, STCW and STCW-F Convention.

Other skills: Team player.

Diploma required: Maritime Studies, Maritime Law or Maritime Economics.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English.

 

1.3 Capacity Building - EMSA Academy / ENP Projects

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

Using the technologies, equipment and software available in the eLaboratory to:

  • Support the promotion of the EMSA Academy through the creation of attractive and professional-looking contents on the EMSA website and in the social media;
  • Enhance the visibility of the projects through the preparation of newsletters, updates on the EMSA website and other activities within the agreed communication plans;
  • Support relevant EMSA staff with the creation of attractive and professional-looking contents in Moodle courses, both for MSs and the ENP projects;
  • Support in the preparation and organisation of relevant training activities.

Other skills:

  1. Practical experience in photography, video shooting, visual and digital media design, production and publication of digital contents;
  2. Practical experience with creating and managing courses in learning management systems such as Moodle, Totara or equivalent will be an advantage;
  3. Practical experience with Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, StreamLab OBS, or equivalent applications will be an advantage;
  4. Good knowledge of the Microsoft Office package and social media;
  5. Good communication skills;
  6. Good teamwork.

Diploma required: Graphic design, Graphic animation, Digital Education and eLearning, Digital Media and Communication or Journalism.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. Working knowledge of French is not essential but will be of added value.

 

2.1 Ship Safety and Marine Equipment

 Tasks and duties of the trainee:
  • Support the study on Container ship cargo fires by reviewing reports and providing feedback;
  • Support the work on safety of alternative propulsion systems, especially, batteries and hydrogen;
  • Support the organisation of workshops on these two items.

Other skills: Microsoft Office: Excel, Word and Power Point.

Diploma required: Naval architecture/marine engineering, Risk analysis and assessment, Ship propulsion and design.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

2.2 RPAS Services

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

  • Provide support to the quality control of RPAS operations;
  • Support the monitoring and follow-up of RPAS operations including the provision of performance statistics;
  • Contribute to reporting and support the preparation of publications, web site, etc.

Other skills: 

  • Proficiency Microsoft tools: Excel and Word;
  • Knowledge of geographical information systems;
  • Knowledge/certificate of piloting.

Diploma required: Engineering, Aviation or Remote Sensing.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

3.0 Digital Services and Simplification

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

Trainee is expected to research the topic of “Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning/BigData technologies applied to maritime data sets” by:

  • Identifying relevant fora, contexts, and stakeholders’ groups who are leading innovation in this field – and map opportunities for benchmarking and cooperation;
  • Monitoring technological trends and identify concrete opportunities to enable innovation and derive new knowledge when applied to maritime data sets;
  • Proposing a process to disseminate curated information about these innovative technologies, approaches and algorithms to relevant staff inside EMSA;

During this process, the trainee will also familiarise with the functioning and administrative processes of a European Agency. 

Other skills:

  1. Data formats, analysis and quality and data fusion techniques.
  2. Cloud technologies for ML/AI/Big Data.
  3. Analytical skills to perform research and benchmarking.
  4. Awareness of Legal/EU Regulation.

Diploma required: Graduation or PhD in Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Business, Economics, Social Science or Law.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

3.1 Maritime Digital Services

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

  • Contribution to the training activities, participation in the trainings and webinars:

        - SEG, IMS, ABMs training materials review;

        - Preparation to the training and administrative assistance.

  • IMS documentation and communication materials - review, drafting:

        - Communication material update, new communication materials, BI tools;

        - Review the existing documentation, drafting glossary, FAQs etc.

  • Ship data base support:

        - Collecting the ship update requests (internal or from external parties e.g Member States);

- Updating the operational vessel registry and Central ship database.

Other skills: Autonomy, ability to plan activities.

Diploma required: Communication, GIS background, Maritime related studies (navigation, maritime transport), Maritime Informatics or Maritime Electronics.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

3.1.1 Maritime Digital Services - Vessel Safety Team

The tasks and duties of the trainee:

Helpdesk support:

  • Acting as a 1st line support to classify, categorize and assign tickets to 2nd line as necessary;
  • Prepare Incident Handling Procedures for the most typical types of tickets;
  • Prepare ticket answers as appropriate, following defined Incident;
  • Handling Procedures and/or execute necessary analysis and investigations to solve tickets;
  • Follow-up on tickets resolution status.

Project Delivery lifecycle:

  • Review project documentation and update as needed (e.g. training manuals);
  • Perform testing and validation of new releases;
  • Support the consolidation and organization of the project delivery documentation according to EMSA standards (e.g. update project online);
  • Support to data extraction requests as needed.

Other skills: 

  1. Knowledge of IT application development lifecycle;
  2. Knowledge of ticket tracking applications such as JIRA, is considered a plus;
  3. Knowledge of SQL language is considered a plus;
  4. Good sense of initiative and responsibility;
  5. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Diploma required: Informatics, Electronics, Information Technology or related areas of knowledge.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

3.2 Maritime Support Services

The tasks and duties of the trainee:
  • Support the daily operations of the MSS under the supervision of the MSSOs on duty. The daily operations include data quality checks, reporting on maritime accidents, monitoring newswires, monitoring and incident management, helpdesk service, etc.;
  • Furthermore, trainees are engaged in specific tasks and surveys such as Hazmat or MRS reporting, according to the service needs.

Other skills: Computer skills (mainly MS Office), databases SQL or equivalent and Geographical information systems (ARCGIS).

Diploma required: Diploma in Nautical Science (Mate/Master), Naval Engineering, Computer Sciences, Engineering IT diploma or Engineering in general.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

3.2.1 Testing and Validation

Task and duties of the trainee:

  • Support daily operations in the Testing and Validation Team:
  1. Creating test plans and/or update existing plans, linking tests to software requirements;
  2. Preparing and performing tests either manually or automated by using test tools (e.g. JIRA X-Ray, JMETER and SOAP UI);
  3. Drafting status reports including reporting on bugs identified and their prioritisation.

Other skills: Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office package and excellent analytical, problem solving and troubleshooting skills.

Diploma required: Informatics engineering.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

 

4.0 Corporate Services

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

  • Documenting procedures in Facilities and Logistics – e.g. Security & Safety procedures, data checks, reporting, database management;
  • Documenting and follow up of procedures and data collection under the EMAS certification process;
  • Participating in Events organization and follow-up of meetings – e.g. preparing meeting rooms, setting up of furniture and equipment, welcoming & registering participants, preparing documents for meetings, support of videoconferences, assistance in reimbursement of participants;
  • Any other administrative tasks of the Department.

Other skills: Computer skills (mainly MS Office) and database experience would be useful.

Diploma required: Studies in Administration including facilities related areas.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English

 

4.2 Legal, Finance and Facilities - Legal Section

Tasks and duties of the trainee:

  • Preparation of legal and procurement related documentation following the update of Procurement templates, rules and manuals;
  • Assistance in revisions of the internal legal framework;
  • Assistance in the verification of procurement files;
  • Assistance in the e-procurement procedures;
  • Assistance in maintaining the contract archive;
  • Assistance in preparing presentations and other training materials;
  • Updates of the Court cases.

Other skills: Proficiency in Word and good knowledge of PowerPoint.

Diploma required: Master of Laws in European/Administrative/Business Law related fields.

Languages: Very good level of written and spoken English. 

5. Eligibility and Selection Criteria

A. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

A.1 Nationality and education

  • Candidates must have an EU or Iceland or Norway nationality.
  • Candidates must have completed the first cycle of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent by the closing date for applications.
  • Candidates must have completed their university studies no longer than three years prior to the deadline of applications.

It should be noted that due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on the 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of another European Union Member State, are not eligible.

Only qualifications that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the EU Member States will be taken into consideration. Please note, that degrees awarded by the United Kingdom up to 31/12/2020 are considered as valid.

A.2 Language skills

  • The main working language in the field of maritime safety is English. Candidates must therefore have a very good command of oral and written English (at least B2 level).

B. SELECTION CRITERIA

B.1. Essential

  • Comply with the requirements of the position in the chosen units.

6. General conditions

Please note that sickness insurance is compulsory. Candidates must provide a certificate proving health insurance cover: private/public insurance or the European Health Insurance Card. The cover must be valid for the whole period of the traineeship.

Please note that your insurance must cover all the medical costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

It should be noted that due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on the 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of another European Union Member State, are not eligible for the traineeship.

7. Traineeship grant

The trainees will be awarded a monthly grant of € 1119.91 and a travel allowance as indicated in the above-mentioned decision, if applicable.

8. Submission of applications

Candidates must submit their application electronically solely via the EMSA website within the deadline. Applications by any other means or submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

When completing their application, candidates must indicate two units of their preference, indicating a first and second option.  

All candidates will receive an acknowledgement of receipt for their application via their EMSA profile/account.

In addition to this, and once the acknowledgement of receipt has been received, candidates need to send a copy of the University Diploma that gives access to the traineeship (first completed cycle of a Higher Education course) by e-mail to the following address: traineeship@emsa.europa.eu with the following subject: EMSA/TRA/2021/05 – SURNAME/Name

Examples:

  1. Candidate has a Bachelor Degree obtained in 2019 and a Master Degree obtained in 2021. The copy of the Diploma that has to be submitted is the Bachelor Degree one.
  2. Candidate has a Bachelor Degree obtained in 2015 and a Master Degree obtained in 2020. The copy of the Diploma that has to be submitted is the Master Degree one.

Please be reminded that the University Diploma to be submitted to the Traineeship mailbox, has to be obtained no longer than three years prior to the deadline of applications.

Only complete applications will be taken into consideration. No application will be considered if the required University Diploma has not been sent to the Traineeship mailbox: traineeship@emsa.europa.eu (Please note that self-certifications are not accepted).

Female applicants are encouraged to apply, EMSA seeks to attain at least 60% of female trainees in our Traineeship Programme.

The closing date for application for the traineeship program is 9 July 2021 (17h00 Lisbon time - UTC/GMT +1 hour).

Please be informed that due to the ongoing situation related to COVID-19, EMSA reserves the right to modify the foreseen start and/or end dates of traineeships or to cancel them should circumstances so require. Candidates should also be aware that teleworking arrangements may also need to be put in place for some period of the traineeship, again depending upon the situation at the time.

9. The selection process

For each traineeship intake, a Selection Committee (SC) is created. The work of the SC is confidential, and applicants must refrain from contacting the members of the SC. After the screening of the applications, the SC will set up a list of eligible candidates and send the list to the different EMSA Departments and Units for selection.

Once candidates have been selected by the relevant EMSA entities, the trainees' nomination is confirmed by the Head of Department 4 - Corporate Services.

Candidates can be contacted over the phone or by videocall by the recruiting Units to check availability and to discuss mutual expectations prior to the final selection decision.

Candidates could also be invited for an interview or to take part in a written test.

All candidates will be informed of the outcome of their application via their EMSA profile/account .

If an application is unsuccessful, candidates may re-apply for another traineeship period. It is, however, necessary to submit a new application together with all the supporting documents within the new deadline.

There is no appeal procedure.

At any stage of the application process, applicants may withdraw their application by informing the Agency by the following e-mail traineeship@emsa.europa.eu .

EMSA respects the privacy of its trainees and processes applicants’ personal data in line with Regulation (EC) 2018/1725 of 23 October 2018.  Personal information requested in the context of the traineeship is processed in line with the Data Protection Privacy Statement on the processing of personal data in the context of Selection of Trainees at EMSA as available on the EMSA website.