von der Leyen is neither experienced nor faceless. She's famous throughout Europe for her gross incompetence, especially having led the German military to ruin. Given that she failed at running a single department in a single state she has no identifiable characteristics that make her qualified for her current role.

She is however notable for being a terrible negotiator and constantly being at the center of corruption scandals. Wikipedia has a sample.

But that is how the EU rolls.

There's no similarity to the US. Congress is the supreme power and originates all law. They might take suggested drafts from the executive branch, but outside of carve-outs where Congress lets the executive branch pass its own regulations, the civil service can only make suggestions for legislation. The EU is backwards: only the civil service can change the law, and the so-called Parliament is reduced to suggesting changes.