System Engineer

Vacancy details

Temporary Agent GSA/2020/AD/016
AD7 Prague / Czech Republic
22.10.2020 11:59 AM (GMT+2)
5 yes
As soon as possible 31.12.2021
Galileo Services Head of Department
SECRET UE / EU SECRET

[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.

1. GSA AND THE SERVICE PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is responsible for the operations and service provision for the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) EGNOS and Galileo. By developing a new generation of GNSS, Europe is laying the foundation for new high-technology industry development, leading to job creation and economic growth. These European flagship 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. We analyse, define and implement the EGNOS and Galileo exploitation phases, in compliance with the delegation agreements with the European Commission, including controlling the associated schedule, costs and risks. We oversee the EGNOS and Galileo infrastructure operations, maintenance, protection, on-going improvement and evolutions activities, through associated contracts and/or working arrangements. We also ensure all standardisation activities associated with the EGNOS and Galileo programmes and manage the operational interfaces and service provision to the EGNOS and Galileo users.

With the introduction of the new Space Regulation, expected to enter into force in 2021, it is planned to expand the Agency’s scope of activities beyond Galileo and EGNOS, to other components, such as “Copernicus” for Earth Observation, GOVSATCOM for Governmental Satellite Communications and Space Situational Awareness (SSA).

For more information on the Agency and the European Space Programme, click here.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The System Engineer will be involved in the system and infrastructure engineering and development activities related to the exploitation of the Galileo System deployed in various sites (e.g. Galileo Control Centres, Galileo Security Monitoring Centres, Service facilities) and managed by the Agency. He/she will also contribute to the management of the industrial contracts supporting the GSA activities (e.g. Galileo WP1X).

The System Engineer tasks and responsibilities will in principle include:

  • Contribute to the technical management of the system and segment infrastructure activities;
  • Support the follow up of the system definition, design, qualification and acceptance activities for the different GSA service provider infrastructure evolutions (for Galileo First and Second Generation);
  • Specify, design and follow up the evolutions of the Ground infrastructure, to be implemented by industrial contracts;
  • Participate in the system engineering processes for managing requirements through the lifecycle of the system and ground segments;
  • Support the technical analysis of the architecture and specifications for system and ground segment upgrades to ensure coherence and compatibility with the system in exploitation and identify impacts on baseline technical documentation;
  • Support the definition of an overall System Integration and Verification (I&V) Programme, ensuring consistency between system and segments verification but also between verification and validation activities;
  • Establish a System upgrades deployment/migration plan consistent with service continuity needs;
  • Monitor the qualification status, following up anomaly resolution through the implementation of Work Arounds, fast fixes, midterm-long term correction;
  • Maintain the qualification status, assessing any changes with respect to impact on system qualification;
  • Verify that the system upgrades are under configuration control prior to handover to operations team;
  • Follow up the development of the Galileo Second Generation from the system and infrastructure point of view;
  • Represent the GSA in the relevant boards as necessary (including but not limited to Change Control Boards, Anomaly Review Boards, Qualification Review Board, Acceptance Review Board);
  • Support the GSA management as needed.

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The selection procedure is open to applicants who satisfy the following eligibility criteria, on 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 six years after obtaining the required diploma
  3. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union7 
  4. Be entitled to his or her full rights as citizen
  5. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service
  6. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved8
  7. Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union9 and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties
  8. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post10

Temporary agents (2f) from GSA and other EU agencies, in grade AD7 or AD8, are also invited to apply in accordance with the following GSA rules: https://www.gsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.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] 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] 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).  [8] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record. [9] 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. [10] 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 Union.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

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 the exact sciences, such as engineering, physics, mathematics or computer science;
  2. Experience in system and/or ground segment engineering, verification and qualification activities;
  3. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Advantageous criteria

  1. Experience in project management and in leading/managing complex industrial procurement activities and contracts;
  2. Good expertise and background in space systems, preferably in an international environment;

Behavioural competencies

  1. Motivation;
  2. Excellent communication skills with ability to be concise on complex subjects;
  3. Solution-oriented mind-set and collaborative attitude;
  4. Excellent organisational and planning skills;
  5. Strong negotiation skills;
  6. Ability to deliver quality results under pressure and prioritise tasks.

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

The current vacancy aims to fill three (3) posts and establish 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 considered for placement on the reserve list is 65% of the total points.
  • The best-ranked candidates will be invited for a final interview with the Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts. The interview will focus on the overall suitability of the candidate for the post covering motivation, relevant technical and behavioural competencies, in line with the selection criteria established in the vacancy notice.
  • 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: November 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.

6. APPLICATION 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.

7. APPEAL PROCEDURE

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

Email: jobs@gsa.europa.eu

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.

8. SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

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:

AD 7 - Step 1 (less than 9 years of work experience)17
a) Minimum final net salary (without any allowances) b) Final net salary with expatriation allowance c) Final net salary with expatriation, household and 1 dependent child allowance
4,120.59 EUR 4,975.74 EUR 5,843.16 EUR

 

AD 7 - Step 2 (more than 9 years of work experience)17
a) Minimum final net salary (without any allowances) b) Final net salary with expatriation allowance c) Final net salary with expatriation, household and 1 dependent child allowance
4,268.82 EUR 5,159.90 EUR 6,041.27 EUR

 

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 or 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_temporary_staff_ta.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 (EUR 43.97 for up to 10 months or EUR 35.46 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, 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] 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.

9. COMMITMENT

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.

10. DATA PROTECTION

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.