Cost Engineering 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 GSA and department’s organisation.

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

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is responsible for operations, service provision, security and market development for the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) EGNOS and Galileo. By developing a new generation of GNSS, Europe is laying the foundation for the development of new high-tech industry, leading to job creation and economic growth. These flagship European space programmes, which embody what can be achieved when Europe works together, are already bringing real benefits to people and business in Europe and around the world.

The GSA is operated and supported by a multicultural team of professionals with interdisciplinary expertise working to ensure that the end-user is kept at the centre of Galileo and EGNOS.

For more information on the GSA and the European satellite navigation programmes, click here.

In this context the Project Control Department and Quality handles all matters related to project control, cost engineering, quality and risk management. The Department proactively contributes to the fulfilment of GSA mission, particularly by providing support to the Galileo, EGNOS and other strategic EU programmes together with corporate planning and programming, and supporting the administrative management of the GSA Administrative Board.

The job holder will join the Cost Engineering Team within the Project Control Department and Quality. His/her main tasks and responsibilities will in principle include:

• Contributing to the maintenance and further development of the Cost Engineering processes and tools required to support the management of the EU programmatic tasks entrusted to the GSA and internal activities in line with the applicable rules and best practices.;
• Developing an appropriate system of Cost Engineering metrics for the procurement and grant calls of the agency;
• Liaising with the GSA administrative and operational departments to support the efficient implementation of the necessary Cost Engineering arrangements in the Agency’s activities;
• Participation in tender and grant evaluations in support to the establishment of the congruity and appropriateness of the financial proposals, based on the cost engineering elements assessment
• Developing and maintaining a centralised Cost Engineering Database for data recording for analysis and benchmarking purposes;
• Supporting the data gathering process and other data users;
• Contributing to the development of Cost Models based on benchmarks for supporting the preparation of future procurements;
• Supporting activities related to cost estimates, forecasting, impact assessments and cost-benefit analyses;
• Supporting ad-hoc tasks as required.

The Cost Engineering Officer will report to the Head of Department or his/her assignee(s).

The selection procedure is open to applicants who satisfy the following eligibility criteria, on the closing date for application:

1. Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies⁵ of at least three years attested by a diploma 
2. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union⁶
3. Be entitled to his or her full rights as citizen
4. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service
5. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved⁷
6. 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 his/her duties
7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post⁹

Contract agents from GSA and other EU agencies are also invited to apply in accordance with the following GSA rules: https://www.gsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_contract_staff_ca.pdf

[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. [6] In accordance with the Article 127, paragraph 7(c) of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ 2019/C 384 I/01). [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, Irish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish. [9] Before a successful candidate can be appointed, s/he will be medically examined by a selected medical service so that the Agency will be satisfied that s/he fulfils the requirement of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulation of Officials of the European Communities.

All eligible applications, according to the afore-mentioned criteria, will be assessed against the requirements listed below. 

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. All essential criteria will be assessed during the applications evaluation phase.

Non-compliance with any of the essential criteria may result in the exclusion of the candidate from the selection process. Advantageous criteria constitute additional assets and will not result in exclusion, if not fulfilled.

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

Essential criteria

1. University degree in business administration, finance, economics, engineering or another relevant field;
2. Experience or knowledge in cost engineering/cost analysis in line with the tasks described;
3. Experience in technical complex projects involving multiple stakeholders, preferably in an international environment;
4. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Advantageous criteria

5. Knowledge (by training or experience) of quality frameworks and standards (ECSS, ISO, ITIL), preferably holding project management certification;
6. Knowledge (by training or experience) of the EU institutional and regulatory framework, including in particular Financial Regulation¹⁰ and/or public procurement, contracts management/administration;
7. Experience in Aeronautics, Security, Defence and/or Space programmes,
8. Experience in design and development of databases;

Behavioural competencies

9. Motivation;
10. Excellent analytical, mathematical and problem-solving abilities;
11. Excellent communication and reporting skills;
12. Sense of confidentiality and professional integrity;
13. Service mindset and ability to work with others;
14. Ability to deliver accurate work under pressure, organise workload and prioritise tasks.

[10] Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012.

The current vacancy is for 2 posts and establishment of a reserve list.

The selection procedure includes the following steps:

• Applications must be complete and successfully submitted via the e-recruitment tool within the deadline set for the vacancy notice.
• For each selection procedure, the Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts of the Agency appoints a Selection Board. The Board’s deliberations are confidential and applicants are strictly forbidden to contact its members.
• An automatic screening of all valid applications will be carried out by means of the e-recruitment tool in order to verify their compliance with the eligibility criteria. The eligibility screening will be verified and endorsed by the Selection Board responsible for the procedure.
• All eligible applications will be then evaluated by the Board based on the selection criteria defined in this vacancy notice.
• The candidates whose applications rank among the best-qualified in accordance with the selection criteria (the minimum threshold is 65% of the total points), may be contacted to verify (through a video-recorded interview) their studies, professional experience and/or other knowledge and competencies as indicated in their application. This step in pre-selecting the most suitable candidates does not, however, entitle candidates to be invited for an interview.
• The best-qualified candidates, those who obtained the highest scoring within the evaluation, will be short-listed for an interview and a written test.
• Prior to the day of the interview candidates will be requested to send photocopies of all the supporting documents for their educational qualifications and employment necessary to prove that they meet the eligibility criteria. GSA has the right to disqualify applicants who fail to submit all the required documents.
• During the interview, the Selection Board will examine each candidate’s profile and will assess their relevancy for this post. Shortlisted candidates will be also required to undergo a computer-based written test relevant to the job content (the minimum threshold for this test is 50% of the total points allocated for it).
• Interviews and written test will be held in English, however knowledge of another EU languages may also be tested. Mother tongue English speakers will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge of a second EU language in line with Article 28(f) of the Staff Regulations.
• All candidates short-listed for an interview may also be requested to complete an online Business Attitude Questionnaire.
• As a result of the interviews, the Selection Board will recommend the most suitable candidate(s) for this post to be placed on a reserve list. The minimum threshold to be placed on the reserve list is 65% of the total points.
• The Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts will ultimately decide on the successful candidate to be appointed to the post.
• The established reserve list may also be used for recruitment of similar posts depending on the Agency’s needs. Where a similar post becomes available, the Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts may select applicants from the list according to their profile in relation to the specific requirements of the post to be filled. However, inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee employment.
• The validity of the reserve list is indicated in the vacancy notice and its duration might be extended if deemed necessary.
• Normally, the recruitment procedure can take up to 6 months from the date on which a position is first advertised to the final offer being made.
• If, at any stage of the procedure, it is established that any of the information the candidate has provided is incorrect, the candidate in question will be disqualified.

Indicative date for the interview and written test: July 2020. 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.

In order to be considered for this position, candidates need to create an account by registering via the GSA 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.

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

In order 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.

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

If a candidate considers that he/she has been adversely affected by a particular decision, he/she 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, at the following address:

European GNSS Agency (GSA) Human Resources Department Janovského 438/2 170 00 Prague 7 Czech Republic

The complaint must be lodged within 3 months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the action adversely affecting him/her.

• 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 to the:

General Court of the European Union Boulevard Konrad Adenauer Luxembourg 2925 LUXEMBOURG

For details on how to submit an appeal, please consult the website of the General Court of the European Union:http://curia.europa.eu

• Make a complaint to the European Ombudsman:

European Ombudsman 1 avenue du Président Robert Schuman CS 30403 67001 Strasbourg Cedex FRANCE http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu 

Please note that complaints made to the Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the period laid down in Articles 90(2) and 91 of the Staff Regulations for lodging complaints or for submitting appeals to the Civil Service Tribunal under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (ex Art. 236 TEC). Please note also that, under Article 2(4) of the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman's duties, any complaint lodged with the Ombudsman must be preceded by the appropriate administrative approaches to the institutions and bodies concerned.

FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS

The remuneration consists of a basic salary¹¹ and, where applicable, additional allowances¹², paid on a monthly basis and reimbursements¹³, 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 post¹⁴. The sum of usual social deductions from salary at source is subtracted from the weighted amount¹⁵. The full pay is exempted from the national income tax, but is subject to the internal income tax and the solidarity levy¹⁶.

Examples of net monthly salaries (as currently applicable in Prague) 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 leaves for expatriates and an average of 16 GSA 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 GSA may be transferred into the EU pension system.

GSA’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

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

GSA also offers a wide range of training courses to develop staff members’ personal skills and 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 and interagency mobility, GSA and the selected candidate shall conclude a contract of employment in accordance with the GSA rules: https://www.gsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_contract_staff_ca.pdf

^[11] As per Articles 92 and 93 CEOS. ^[12] 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 GSA 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). ^[13] If staff member is requested to change the residence in order to take up duties, s/he will be entitled to: reimbursement of the travel costs; temporary daily subsistence allowance (e.g. EUR 43.11 for up to 10 months or EUR 34.76 for 120 days, if no dependents); installation allowance (depending on personal situation, 1 or 2 months of the basic salary – paid upon successful completion of the nine-month probationary period). ^[14] Currently correction coefficients for the GSA duty locations are: 85.5% for CZ, 117.7% for FR, 111.5% for NL, 91.6% ES. The coefficient is updated every year in December, with retroactive effect from 1 July. ^[15] Pension (9.7%); health insurance (1.70%); accident cover (0.10%); unemployment insurance (0.81%). ^[16] Currently: income tax: tax levied progressively at a rate of between 8% and 45% of the taxable portion of the salary; solidarity levy: 6%. ^[17] Please 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 jobholder 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 his/her independence.

The jobholder will be required to carry out his/her duties and conduct him/herself solely with the interests of the European Union in mind; he/she shall neither seek nor take instruction from any government, authority, organisation or person outside his/her institution. He/she 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: https://www.gsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/privacy_statement_selection_and_recruitment_2019.pdf.