top management positions recruitment and appointment

The holders of top management positions are recruited, by means of open competition procedure, from among university graduates, attached or not to Public Administration, who have skills, aptitude, professional experience and training suitable to the performance of the respective duties.

In the case of recruitment for 1st grade top management positions, the applicants must be holders of a university degree, for at least 10 years, on the date of holding the open competition procedure.

In the case of recruitment for 2nd grade top management positions, the applicants must be holders of a university degree, for at least 8 years, on the date of holding the open competition procedure.

Appointments for top management positions in the Ministry of Justice public services that shall be filled by judicial magistrates or public prosecutors; appointment for the 1st grade top management position in the National Civil Protection Authority when filled by an armed or security forces officer as well as appointment for top management positions in the Internal Affairs Ministry public services when actually filled by judicial magistrates or public prosecutors, may be made without having to resort to an open competition procedure.

The initiative of the procedure shall be incumbent upon the Government member with managerial or inspection and supervision powers over the public service in which the position to be filled is integrated, being responsible for identifying the position competencies, outlining the management mandate and the main related responsibilities and functions as well as the respective mission charter.

The open competition procedure is ensured by the Recruitment and Selection Commission for Public Administration, an independent entity that operates and acts with the Government member responsible for Public Administration area.

The referred to Commission shall submit to the Government member a competence profile proposal for the applicant selection that shall be approved or amended within twenty days, after which such proposal is deemed tacitly accepted.

The mission charter establishing the goals to be attained in the course of the performance of duties shall be publicized along with the open competition procedure notice.

The recruitment procedure is compulsorily publicized through a notice to be disclosed in the Official Gazette, in the public employment pool (Emprego Público in the Portuguese version) and posted on the Government's electronic platform as well as other two electronic platforms, for 10 days, stating the legal requirements for filling the position, candidate’s expected profile and selection methods to be applied.

Selection methods include, necessarily, a curricular assessment and an appraisal interview to be conducted by the aforementioned Recruitment and Selection Commission. This Commission is also responsible for the methodologies and technical criteria definition that shall be applied to the selection procedure of applicants admitted to an open competition.

Holders of management positions immediately lower to that one for which the recruitment procedure is open are automatically included in the applicants’ lists when fulfilling their functions in the corresponding public service at the time the procedure notice is disclosed in the Official Gazette and provided that they meet all the requirements demanded for it. Nevertheless, they may request to the selection commission their exclusion from the list up to the moment of the interview.

Top management positions are filled by order of the competent Government member, on a tenure basis, for a 5 year period, renewable for an equal period, within 45 days after the appointment proposal has been received.

The tenure has a three year term, renewable for an equal period, in the case of appointment for top management positions in the Ministry of Justice public services that shall be filled by judicial magistrates or public prosecutors; appointment for the 1st grade top management position in the National Civil Protection Authority when filled by an armed or security forces officer as well as appointment for top management positions in the Internal Affairs Ministry public services when actually filled by judicial magistrates or public prosecutors.

Appointments for top management positions shall not take place whenever elections are called for the Parliament, the Government has been dismissed or at the time of the parliamentary investiture of a new Government.