The Directorate
Director
Antonio José Cubero Atienza
Professor in the field of Engineering Projects at the University of Córdoba (UCO), holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering, a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the same university, a Master's in Occupational Risk Prevention, and a diploma in Higher Education Management.
Since 2022, he has been teaching in the Master's programs in Industrial Engineering and Risk Prevention at UCO, having built much of his professional career in university management at the University of Córdoba. Notable roles include serving as the director of the Higher Technical School of Córdoba between 1996 and 2002, as well as holding positions as vice-chancelor for Infrastructure, Coordination, and Sustainability at various times between 2006 and 2022, during which he also served as manager (2010-2013).
He has extensive experience in evaluation and scientific quality in the Higher Technical School of UCO, overseeing study programme reviews for various degrees and chairing committees for the National Plan for University Quality Evaluation. He has evaluated research projects under the State R&D&I Plan and others supervised by the State Research Agency. For several years, he has been an article reviewer for numerous scientific journals. In R&D, Cubero has been a principal investigator on various research and knowledge transfer projects in acoustics, with a significant scientific output.
Executive functions
As the highest executive body of the Agency, the Directorate, without prejudice to the powers of the Presidency, is responsible for the ordinary legal representation of the Agency and the adoption of the measures necessary for the execution of the agreements of the Board of Governors, as well as:
a) Formulating and submitting to the Governing Council the proposal for the multi-annual strategic plan.
b) Formulating and submitting to the Governing Council the proposal for the annual activity report corresponding to the immediately preceding year.
c) Managing the financial resources of the Agency. And in particular in relation to the economic and budgetary management of the Agency:
1.º Formulating the Agency's preliminary draft annual statement of expenditure.
2.º Executing the Agency's budget, in particular, to authorise expenditure, make provisions, incur obligations and order payments, in accordance with the applicable regulations and except in those cases reserved by law to the competence of the Governing Council or the Regional Government Department to which it is attached.
d) Administering and managing the Agency's assets and act as the Agency's contracting body, without prejudice to the authorisations that, in accordance with the general regulations on assets and contracting, may be applicable, entering into contracts, agreements and orders for execution on behalf of the Agency relating to the Agency's own affairs.
e) In relation to the management of matters concerning the internal rules and staff in the service of the Agency:
1.º Exercising the powers attributed to the heads of the Departments and Vice-counsellors' offices with respect to personnel.
2.º Guiding, coordinating, planning, promoting and inspecting the activity of the agency's administrative units and its staff.
3.º Exercising the powers attributed to employers by labour legislation insofar as they do not correspond to the bodies of the Administration of the Regional Government of Andalusia competent in personnel matters due to the Agency's nature as an administrative agency.
4.º Maintaining and updating the inventory of jobs for the employment personnel not included in the 6th Collective Agreement for the employment personnel of the Administration of the Regional Government of Andalusia.
5.º Ruling on disciplinary proceedings brought against staff in the service of the Agency, except for the imposition of the sanction of dismissal from the service.
6.º Formulating and submitting to the Board of Governors the proposal for the Agency's list of posts.
7.º Formulating and submitting to the Board of Governors the Employment Equality Plan stipulated in Article 32 of Law 12/2007, of 26 November.
f) Resolving the proceedings on the patrimonial responsibility of the Agency and its authorities and other personnel in its service.
g) Agreeing the referral of files and proceedings to the Administration of Justice, to the Administrative Court of Contractual Appeals of the Andalusian Regional Government, to the Council for Transparency and Data Protection of Andalusia and to any other bodies and organisations that may correspond in accordance with the applicable regulations.
h) Responding to the suggestions and complaints made by citizens in the Book of Suggestions and Complaints of the Regional Government of Andalusia regarding the services provided by the Agency.
i) Complying with the obligations of active publicity and respond to requests for access to public information made by citizens regarding the Agency's own matters.
j) Appointing the Agency's data protection officer.
k) Appointing representatives of the Agency in organisations in which the Agency may be integrated.
l) Producing statistics and reports.
m) Others referred to in these Statutes, those determined in other applicable provisions, as well as those delegated to it.
ntes estatutos, las que se determinen en otras disposiciones de aplicación, así como las que se le deleguen
Evaluation and accreditation functions
1. As the competent body for evaluation and accreditation, the Directorate of the Agency shall perform its duties with autonomy, independence and objectivity, and shall not receive any express instructions from any authority with regard to its academic, evaluation or accreditation decisions.
In this area, the following functions correspond to the Directorate, in application of the criteria and standards of evaluation of national and international reference within the framework of the European Higher Education Area:
a) The exercise of all the powers and functions of evaluation and accreditation that correspond to the Agency in accordance with Article 7, by issuing the corresponding acts, resolutions or reports of evaluation and accreditation in accordance with the provisions of these Statutes.
b) The proposal of assessment and accreditation criteria, guidelines and protocols for approval by the Technical Committee.
c) The designation of the technical collaborating personnel of the Agency for the development of the evaluation and accreditation activity.
d) The designation of the Agency's technical collaborating personnel for the coordination of the functional areas.
e) The appointment of the members of the evaluation and accreditation commissions, assigning the functions of chair and secretary to them.
f) The other functions of scientific and higher education evaluation and accreditation within the competence of the Agency that are attributed to it by the laws, the present Statutes and other regulations in force.
2. The Agency's Directorate shall exercise its evaluation and accreditation powers on the basis of the evaluation and accreditation reports issued by the Agency's technical collaborating staff individually or on commission, issuing the corresponding evaluation and accreditation acts or resolutions, as the case may be.
Internal quality functions and institutional collaboration
1. The Directorate shall promote and supervise the Agency's internal and external quality assurance policy, ensure its recognition by the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) and may issue any instructions, circulars or service orders it deems necessary to ensure the best possible functioning of the Agency and the fulfilment of its functions in accordance with international standards.
2. The Directorate will promote the Agency's collaboration with Universities, Higher Education Centres, Research Institutions and Centres and other Agents of the Andalusian Knowledge System, as well as with other quality agencies that have a similar purpose and with the networks and associations that group them together on a national and international level.