The Sofia Municipality is launching the competition procedure to select a new Chief Architect of Sofia. Candidates for the position will have 14 days - until March 6 - to submit their documents for participation in the competition.
“Today we are announcing the start of the competition for a new Chief Architect of Sofia. We are looking for a professional who understands the city, knows the law and knows how to create a sustainable and functional urban environment.
The Chief Architect will no longer be a political figure, as he was before. This will be a person who will comply with the law, simplify processes, introduce digitalization and artificial intelligence, making the work of the administration more transparent and accountable.
I expect the future Chief Architect to continue the reforms we have started and make them sustainable. Also, together with all Sofia residents and investors, we want him or her to turn this unit into a professional and effective administration that works quickly and correctly”, said Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev.
The announcement was published on the Sofia Municipality website (https://www.sofia.bg/w/6105714), which marks the beginning of the deadline for submitting documents by candidates.
The competition was prepared by the experts of the "Human Resources" Directorate and the lawyers of the Sofia Municipality under the leadership of the secretary of the municipality. It will be conducted in accordance with the Civil Servant Law and the Regulation on Conducting Competitions and Selection for Mobility of Civil Servants.
The Sofia Municipality is committed to informing the public about each step of the competition and to making it as open as possible. A special website has been created where everyone can find information about the candidates, the competition committee, the evaluation system and official documents, as well as current news about the procedure.
The interviews with the candidates who have reached the final phase of the competition will be public and will be broadcast online”
What criteria must candidates meet?
Candidates for the position of Chief Architect of the Sofia Municipality must have completed higher education, with a minimum educational degree – Master's degree, have acquired full design qualification or the necessary experience for its acquisition, according to Art. 5, para. 2 of the Spatial Planning Act (SPA) and have at least 5 years of professional experience in a state, municipal administration or private structure.
Candidates for the position of Chief Architect will have to submit an application, a CV, copies of documents for the acquired educational and qualification degree, additional qualifications and legal capacity required for the position, documents certifying the duration of the internship and professional experience, a copy of a certificate for the acquired full design qualification or the necessary experience for its acquisition, according to Art. 5, para. 2 of the Spatial Planning Act and others.
The participants in the competition will go through three stages - admission based on documents, an exam in two parts - solving a test and a practical exam with solving tasks and cases, and an interview.
The admission of candidates to the competition is carried out by the competition committee on the basis of the documents provided. It reviews each application and assesses whether all necessary documents have been submitted and whether they certify the fulfillment of the minimum and specific requirements for holding the position. In case these circumstances are not present, the committee does not allow the respective candidate to participate in the procedure.
The test will assess the knowledge of each of the candidates related to the obligations of the chief architect, arising from the Spatial Planning Act and the laws and regulations related to its implementation, as well as knowledge related to the organization and functioning of the direction “Architecture and Urban Planning“ in the administration of Sofia Municipality.
Taking a practical exam aims to assess the candidates' skills in dealing with specific cases related to the performance of the position of Chief Architect of Sofia Municipality.
Conducting an interview is a mandatory part of the competition. Before conducting it, the competition committee, based on the job description of the position of Chief Architect of Sofia Municipality, formulates questions that are asked of all candidates. The aim is to establish to what extent the participant possesses the professional and business qualities necessary for holding the position.
The final result of each candidate is the sum of the results obtained in conducting a test, practical exam and interview, multiplied by the appropriate coefficient, in accordance with the requirements of the Regulation on Conducting Competitions and Selection in the Case of Mobility of Civil Servants. The competition committee will determine the evaluation criteria and the system for determining the results of the competition procedure, which will be publicly announced.
The competition committee is also formed according to the requirements of the Regulation and the Spatial Planning Act (SPA). According to the Regulation, the competition committee consists of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 7 members, and it must include the immediate head of the competitive position, in this case the mayor of Sofia Municipality, an employee or a person with a legal education and a representative of the "Human Resources" unit. The ZTA provides for the participation of representatives of the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria (KAB) and the Union of Architects in Bulgaria (UAB) in the commission.
At the end of last year, Sofia Municipality held a series of consultations with the academic, professional and business community, holding meetings with over 15 organizations, which were also invited to nominate their representatives in the competition commission.
The initiated reforms in the NAG, as well as the competition procedure, the requirements for candidates, and the job description of the chief architect were discussed with all organizations.
The nominal composition of the competition commission will be determined by order of the Mayor of Sofia Municipality on March 7, 2025.