Space Programme Security Officer

[1] The place of employment is subject to changes in the interest of the service and always under due consideration of the Staff Member’s interests.

[2] Possibility of renewal for a fixed period and a further renewal for an indefinite period on the conditions set out in the Staff Regulations and in the Conditions of Employment for Other Servants

[3] The organisational department and the hierarchical reporting line may change in line with the developments of the EUSPA and department’s organisation.

[4] The successful candidate must hold a valid personnel security clearance at the level defined above or be able and willing to apply for it immediately after the contract signature. The procedure for obtaining a personnel security clearance shall be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate. Description of the EU classified information levels is available here.

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is an EU Agency that provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services and supports other European projects, such as Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Copernicus, the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) data and services, and the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST). Through these projects, EUSPA enhances European autonomy in space technologies, fosters innovation and creativity, supports European transport net and agriculture, all while contributing to the sustainable growth as well as the security and safety of the European Union.

EUSPA offers a diverse multicultural workplace that welcomes all applicants without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, ethnic or social origin, nationality, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or other family situation. EUSPA wishes to employ competent talents and be representative of the diversity of the EU citizens we serve and is committed to provide the best working conditions and benefits to its staff. For more information on the EUSPA and the EU Space Programme, click here.

The current vacancy will offer an opportunity to work in the Security Authority (SAU) Department, which proactively contributes to the fulfilment of the missions of the Agency by providing the security expertise in order to (1) ensure that the components of the Space Programme are defined, implemented and exploited securely, (2) achieve successful security accreditation of the components of the Programme, (3) ensure a wide, secure and sustainable use of the services provided by the different components, and (4) ensure the protection of classified information.

The position requires permanent relocation to Toulouse, a city located in southwestern France, within short distance of the sea, mountains and countryside. This peaceful city is considered the largest centre for aerospace in all of Europe and it is home for the French Space Agency.

We are looking for a Space Programme Security Officer who will take on the responsibilities for preparation of the security governance and accreditation of different components of the EU Space Programmes, such as Galileo, EGNOS, GOVSATCOM, SSA/SST and Copernicus. The jobholder will report to the Head of the Security Authority Department or one of their assignees.

The main tasks and responsibilities of the current job will focus on the security aspects of the EGNOS component, and may be extended also to the other components of the Space Programme (Galileo, GOVSATCOM, SSA/SST, Copernicus):

• Coordinate the Programmatic Security Risk Assessment and Management, by preparing the Agency contribution to the security governance in preparation of:
  • General Security Requirements;
  • System and Service Security Requirements;
  • High Level Description – security (HLD-x);
  • Mission Requirements Document – security (MRD-x);
• Establish the Security Accreditation and Certification Plan (SACP) to define the Space Programme Component security accreditation process, and provide support for its implementation;
• Monitor the Security Risk Assessment and manage the identified security risks;
• Coordinate the Accreditation strategy implementation with the Security Accreditation Board (SAB) Secretariat and stakeholders, including the European Commission, European Space Agency, Member States Authorities, Agency contractors, and others;
• Coordinate the security accreditation process for sites hosting infrastructure of the Space Programme components;
• Represent the Agency in the relevant fora established by the European Commission, such as Boards, Working Groups, and others;
• Coordinate reporting to the Security Accreditation Board of the Space Programme; represent the Agency at the SAB for selected programme matters;
• Act as the Local Security Officer for the Agency’s office in Toulouse;
• Collaborate with EUSPA operational departments in charge of the management and exploitation of selected Space Programme Components, as well as with other stakeholders, such as the European Commission, European Space Agency, Member states’ authorities and Agency's contractors;
• Liaise with EUSPA administrative departments to ensure execution of related corporate tasks, such as planning, reporting, administration, financial & budget management and risk management.

To be considered eligible, the applicants must satisfy each of the following eligibility criteria by the closing date for application:

1. A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies⁵ attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more OR A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and at least one year of appropriate professional experience when the normal period of university education is three years
2. In addition to the above, appropriate professional experience⁶ of at least nine years after obtaining the required diploma
3. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland or Norway      
4. Be entitled to their full rights as a citizen
5. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service
6. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved⁷
7. Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union⁸ and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties
8. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post⁹

Temporary agents (2f) from EUSPA and other EU agencies are also invited to apply in accordance with the following EUSPA rules: https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.pdf The grade bracket applicable for internal and inter-agency mobility is AD8 – AD9.

[5] Only study titles that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration. Qualifications/diplomas awarded in the United Kingdom until 31/12/2020 are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded in the United Kingdom after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/.

[6] Only appropriate professional experience acquired after achieving the minimum qualification stated in point.1 shall be considered. Where additional periods of training and study are accompanied by periods of professional activity, only the latter shall be considered as professional experience. Compulsory military service or equivalent civilian service accomplished after achieving the minimum qualification stated in point.1 shall be taken into consideration. Internships will be taken into consideration, if they are paid. Professional activities pursued part-time shall be calculated pro rata, on the basis of the percentage of full-time hours worked. A given period may be counted only once.

[7] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record.

[8] The languages of the EU are: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish.

[9] Before a successful candidate can be appointed, they will be medically examined by a selected medical service so that the Agency will be satisfied that they fulfil the requirement of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulation of Officials of the European Union.

All eligible applications, according to the afore-mentioned criteria, will be assessed against the requirements specified below, and based solely on the information provided by the candidates in their application.

The Selection Board responsible for this selection will determine the criteria to be assessed in the various phases of the selection procedure (assessment of the application forms, interview and written test) prior to being granted access to the names of the applicants.

When filling the online application, candidates are expected to include elements that demonstrate how their profile matches the requirements below.

Professional experience and expertise

1. Knowledge (by training or experience) of the security aspects of Space Programmes, knowledge of the security aspects of any of the EU Space Programme components will be considered an asset;
2. Experience in security accreditation processes;
3. Experience in security engineering activities, in particular experience related to space or complex projects;
4. Relevant certifications will be considered an asset (e.g. CISSP, GIAC, ISO 27000, ISACA);
5. Experience in handling EUCI - valid Personnel Security Clearance at the level of SECRET UE/EU SECRET or above will be considered an asset;
6. Experience in financial, procurement and contract management;
7. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Required competencies

8. Motivation for the post;
9. Effective communication skills;
10. Ability to prioritise and organise workload to effectively deliver assigned work under tight deadlines;
11. Ability to produce synthesized reports from complex information and present them to different audiences;
12. Sense of responsibility, accountability and attention to detail;
13. Ability to collaborate with others, both within the team and external stakeholders.

The current vacancy aims to fill 1 (one) post and establish a reserve list.

A comprehensive description of the selection process is available here.

Indicative date for the interview and written test: August/September 2024. The date might be modified depending on the availability of the Selection Board members.

Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the Selection Board members, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure.

Any questions regarding the selection procedure should be addressed only to: jobs@euspa.europa.eu

In addition, candidates having any personal relationship within the EUSPA shall declare such situation to jobs@euspa.europa.eu.

To apply for this position, candidates need to create an account by registering via the EUSPA e-recruitment tool.

Only applications submitted via the e-recruitment tool will be accepted. Applications sent via email or post will not be taken into consideration.

Multiple applications received for the same position via different accounts will lead to the exclusion of the applicant from the selection procedure.

Important: the information provided by candidates in their online application constitutes the solely basis for the assessment of the eligibility and selection criteria. Therefore, they are invited to carefully read the requirements and to provide the relevant information in such detail that would allow this assessment. Particular attention should be paid to information on the education and professional experience, in particular exact dates, description of responsibilities and duties carried out. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure accurate and elaborate completion of the application form and avoidance of unclarities and typos.

All sections of the application should be completed in English to facilitate the selection procedure.

To be considered, applications must be received by the closing date indicated in the vacancy notice.

Candidates are advised to submit the application well ahead of the deadline in order to avoid potential problems during the final days before the closing date of applications’ submissions. The Agency cannot be held responsible for any last-minute malfunctioning of the e-recruitment tool due to heavy traffic on the website.

Any request for technical support must be sent to: jobs@euspa.europa.eu minimum two working days before the vacancy notice deadline. Please note, that if you submit your request for technical support later, we may not be able to assist you.

Please consult the e-recruitment guideline for instructions on completing the application.

Any questions regarding the selection procedure should be addressed only to: jobs@euspa.europa.eu.

If a candidate considers that they have been adversely affected by a particular decision, they can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union; submit a judicial appeal under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (ex Art. 236 of the EC Treaty) and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union; or make a complaint to the European Ombudsman.

Details on how to initiate these processes are available here.

FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS

The remuneration consists of a basic salary¹⁰ and, where applicable, additional allowances¹¹, paid on a monthly basis and reimbursements¹², paid upon their evidenced occurrence.

The sum of the basic salary and the applicable additional allowances is weighted by the correction coefficient applicable for the location of the post¹³. The sum of usual social deductions from salary at source is subtracted from the weighted amount¹⁴. The full pay is exempted from the national income tax, but is subject to the internal income tax and the solidarity levy¹⁵.

Examples of net monthly salaries (as currently applicable in France) are presented below:

LEAVE ENTITLEMENTS

Staff is entitled to annual leave of two working days per each complete calendar month of service plus additional days for the grade, age, home leave for expatriates and an average of 16 EUSPA public holidays per year.

Special leave is granted for certain circumstances such as marriage, moving, elections, birth or adoption of a child, serious sickness of spouse, etc.

SOCIAL SECURITY

The pension scheme provides a very competitive pension after a minimum of 10 years of service and reaching the pensionable age. Pension rights acquired in one or more national schemes before starting to work at the EUSPA may be transferred into the EU pension system.

EUSPA’s benefits include an attractive Health insurance: staff is covered 24/7 and worldwide by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS). Staff is insured against sickness, accident and occupational disease, and could be entitled to unemployment and to invalidity allowances.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND BENEFITS CONTRIBUTING TO WORK-LIFE BALANCE

EUSPA aims at creating and maintaining a supportive and healthy work environment that enables staff members to have a balance between work and personal responsibilities, for example through flexible working time arrangements. 

EUSPA also offers a wide range of training courses to develop staff members’ personal skills and to keep in touch with the latest developments in their field. The training and professional development opportunities are attuned to the career plan and requirements of the departments.

INTERNAL AND INTERAGENCY MOBILITY

In case of internal or interagency mobility, EUSPA and the selected candidate shall conclude a contract of employment in accordance with the EUSPA rules:

https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.pdf

[10] As per Articles 92 and 93 CEOS.

[11] Household allowance (e.g. if you have a dependent child or you are married and your spouse's income is below a defined threshold); Dependent child allowance (e.g. if you have a child under the age of 18 or between 18 and 26, if in specified training programme); Education allowances (in very specific cases) or Payment of the education fees applicable to the educational institutions EUSPA has an agreement with (currently more than 18 international schools in the Czech Republic and Spain, and accredited European Schools in France and in the Netherlands); Expatriation allowance (16% of the sum of basic salary and other applicable allowances).

[12] If the staff member is requested to change the residence in order to take up duties, they will be entitled to: reimbursement of the travel costs; temporary daily subsistence allowance (EUR 49.59 for up to 180 days, with dependents; or EUR 40.00 for up to 120 days, if no dependents); installation allowance (depending on the personal situation, 1 or 2 months of the basic salary – paid upon successful completion of the nine-month probationary period).

[13] Currently correction coefficients for the EUSPA duty locations are: 102,9% for CZ, 119,5% for FR, 114,6% for NL, 94,7% for ES. The coefficient is updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July.

[14] Pension (11.10%); health insurance (1.70%); accident cover (0.10%); unemployment insurance (0.81%). 

[15] Currently: income tax: tax levied progressively at a rate of between 8% and 45% of the taxable portion of the salary; solidarity levy: 6%.

[16] Kindly note that the numbers in examples b) and c) are indicative and net monthly remuneration varies depending on the personal, life and social situation of the incumbent. The various components of the remuneration are updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July.

Declaration of commitment to serve the public interest independently:

The jobholders will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make a declaration in relation to any interest that might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

The jobholders will be required to carry out their duties and conduct themselves solely with the interests of the European Union in mind; they shall neither seek nor take instruction from any government, authority, organisation or person outside their institution. They shall carry out the duties assigned with objectivity, impartiality and loyalty to the European Union.

Commitment to promote equal opportunities:

The Agency is an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourages applications from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility and selection criteria without any distinction whatsoever on grounds of nationality, age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or other family situation.

The personal data requested from applicants will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) N° 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, officers and agencies and on the free movement of such data (repealing Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 and Decision N° 1247/2002/EC) and the applicable privacy statement which can be accessed here.