AI and Digital Rights Analyst

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is organising a selection procedure to draw up a reserve list for the profile of AI and Digital Rights Analyst in the Justice, Digital and Migration Unit. The selection procedure is published inter-agency and externally.

Background

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) provides independent, evidence-based advice to policymakers and different stakeholders, to help ensure full respect for fundamental rights across the EU, for everyone. To this end, the Agency collects and analyses information and data on a range of fundamental rights issues, provides assistance and expertise to EU institutions and to EU Member States’ governments, raises rights awareness, communicates its findings, and strengthens cooperation and ties between fundamental rights actors.

Justice, Digital and Migration Unit

The position of AI and Digital Rights Analyst is based in the Justice, Digital and Migration Unit at FRA and will underpin the work of the Unit in key areas. In addition, the position can support the work of other Units with respect to research and related work on AI, digitalisation and fundamental rights.

FRA’s Justice, Digital and Migration Unit undertakes research and data collection, and provides policy-relevant advice, on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU with respect to its specific areas of work, which is divided across three Sectors: (i) Justice and Security; (ii) Data and Digital; (iii) Migration and Asylum. The Unit’s outputs are primarily in the form of reports, position papers and tools for practitioners, alongside the regular provision of timely expert input and advice to different actors – including EU institutions, and EU agencies in the Justice and Home Affairs field, as well as Member States – on fundamental rights compliance, as experienced by people in the EU.

The Unit’s work in the area of AI and digital rights is primarily embedded in the Data and Digital Sector and extends to work undertaken by the Unit’s two other Sectors. To date, work has mainly encompassed research on subjects ranging from: artificial intelligence (AI), including a focus on fundamental rights protection through the implementation of the EU’s AI Act; online content moderation, focusing, among others, on the Digital Services Act’s (DSA) implementation; as well as data protection, covering the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Law Enforcement Directive. The Unit’s work in other fields such as internal security, access to justice and migration and asylum variously addresses digital and AI-related themes.

The Unit’s staff consists of legal and social research experts, as well as data analysts, drawn from diverse fields.

Duties

The AI and Digital Rights Analyst will:

• Manage and contribute to FRA research and related work in the area of data and digitalisation – including mainly work on artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation and online content, and other digitalisation-related fields with respect to impacts on fundamental rights;
• Draft high quality and sound policy and/or legal analysis on issues related to digitalisation (including AI) and fundamental rights, based on legal and/or empirical data analysis, accessible to non-experts;
• Contribute to developing input/tools for practitioners, such as handbooks and guidance;
• Facilitate the provision of timely, policy-relevant and practical advice to relevant stakeholders and develop input to policy processes for FRA, including existing networks and fora that FRA participates in, at both EU and national level on issues related to digitalisation, including AI, and fundamental rights;
• Promote the Agency’s work and disseminate research findings through various means and channels, including conferences, workshops, expert meetings and events, and organise meetings with different experts and practitioners;
• Provide input for the development of internal initiatives, tools and working methods requiring AI-related competencies, including by contributing relevant expertise on AI, digitalisation and fundamental rights;
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders in the above-mentioned areas - focusing on data, digitalisation and AI - alongside related fields encompassing technological developments.

Duties applicable to all staff:

• Actively work towards the achievement of the goals of the FRA in accordance with the Strategic Plan.
• Perform any other related duties assigned by the manager.

Eligibility requirements

Only candidates who meet all of the following eligibility criteria by the deadline for submission of applications will be marked as eligible. Candidates who do not meet one or more criteria will not be considered further.

General conditions

• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and be entitled to full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;
• Meet the character requirements as to suitability for the performance of the duties involved;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post.

Education

• Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma and, after having obtained the university diploma, at least three years of appropriate professional experience.

Language skills

• Have a thorough knowledge (level C1 in all dimensions as per the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or CEFRL) of English, as this is the working language of FRA; and
• Have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of another language of the EU.

Only diplomas and certificates that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by authorities in the Member States shall be taken into consideration. Please note that any certificate of equivalence should be obtained by the deadline for applications.

Please note that to be assessed as eligible, candidates should possess the required language level across all the descriptors.

Selection criteria

In order to select the best-qualified candidates for the test and interview phase, FRA will assess the following essential and advantageous criteria.

Please note that all essential criteria are mandatory. If a candidate scores zero on any individual essential criterion, their application will not be assessed further. Therefore, it is important that all applications are accurate and clear with respect to the information given.

The following criteria will be considered as essential:

• At least 3 years of proven full-time work experience including research and analysis related to digitalisation - including AI - and fundamental rights;
• Ability to produce high quality legal and/or empirical analysis, related to fundamental rights, digitalisation, online content or AI, proven by at least one peer-reviewed publication or equivalent;
• Demonstrated knowledge of the regulatory and policy framework of the EU in the area of data and digitalisation, including the AI Act, the Digital Services Act and the data protection acquis.

The following criteria will be considered as advantageous:

• Proven experience with providing input to or otherwise contributing to EU or national policy documents or processes, particularly in the fields of digital, AI and/or fundamental rights;
• Proven experience in providing advice or communicating findings to various target audiences, including EU or national policy makers;
• Relevant work experience in an international environment or with international teams.

In addition to the essential and advantageous criteria, candidates invited to the interview and test phase will also be assessed behavioural competencies relevant for the position. In particular, the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:

• Communication: communicate clearly and precisely both orally and in writing;
• Analysis and problem-solving: ability to identify the critical facts in complex issues and develop creative and practical solutions;
• Working with others: work cooperatively with others in teams and across organisational boundaries and respect differences between people; create a sense of team spirit by encouraging shared goals and exchange of knowledge and experience;
• Learning and Development: develop and improve personal skills and knowledge of the organisation and its environment; commit to coach others, share knowledge, and systematically improve working methods;
• Prioritisation and Organisation: ability to prioritise the most important tasks, work flexibly and organise own and others’ workload efficiently;
• Quality and Results: take personal responsibility and initiative for delivering work to a high standard quality within set procedures; show clear customer orientation (internal and external); build systematic and methodical processes into projects and work of self and own team;
• Resilience: remain effective under work pressure, be flexible and adapt to a changing work environment; encourage others to do the same and adjust own and team’s approach to embrace changing circumstances.

Engagement and conditions of employment

A contract as a member of the temporary staff will be offered pursuant to Article 2(f) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union for 3 years. The contract may be renewed.

In addition to the basic salary, staff members may be entitled to various allowances, in particular a household allowance, expatriation allowance (16% of basic salary + household allowance), dependent child allowance and education allowance. The salary is subject to a Union tax deducted at source and it is exempt of national taxation.

FRA also offers a comprehensive welfare package including pension scheme, medical, accident and occupational disease insurance coverage, unemployment and invalidity allowance and travel insurance.

Moreover, FRA has policies on teleworking and flexitime in its attempt to reconcile work and private life.

Under certain circumstances, in particular where staff members are obliged to change their place of residence in order to take up employment, the Agency may also reimburse various expenses incurred on recruitment, notably removal expenses.