Crypto Custodian

Vacancy details

Contract Agent EUSPA/2022/CA/002
FGIV Saint-Germain-en-Laye / France
15.09.2022 11:59 AM (GMT+2) 29.09.2022 11:59 AM
5 yes
As soon as possible 31.12.2023
Security Authority GSMC Local Security Office Team Leader or his/her assignee
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 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.

1. EUSPA AND THE HIRING DEPARTMENT

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is an operational EU Agency that provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services, promotes the commercialization of Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus data and services. It also coordinates the EU’s forthcoming governmental satellite communications programme GOVSATCOM. EUSPA is also responsible for the security accreditation of all the Components of the EU Space Programme. For more information on the EUSPA and the EU Space Programme, click here.

A core task for EUSPA is security of the EU Space Program. The Security Authority (SAU) Department 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 Program are defined, implemented and exploited securely, (2) achieve successful security accreditation of the components of the Program, (3) ensure a wide, secure and sustainable use of the services provided by the different components, (4) ensure the protection of classified information’s.

In particular, the GSMC Local Security Office (GSMC LSO) implements and monitors the correct implementation of the applicable security rules, as laid down in Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444. In coordination with the Central Security Office (CSO) and the Security Offices of the other Agency sites, the GSMC Local Security Office supports the functions of the Security Authority of the Agency ensuring the on-site implementation of the security rules, managing the GSMC EU Classified Information (EUCI) Registries and COMSEC accounts, supporting the performance of the GSMC operations and in maintaining the accreditation of the Agency’s infrastructure and IT assets deployed at the GSMC sites.

The place of employment for this position is Saint-Germain-en-Laye, one of the more affluent suburbs of Paris. With its historic museum and impressive castle, the city is less than 32 kms from romantic Paris and even less from the football stadium Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain club.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

We are looking for a Crypto Custodian (CC) to join the security team in Galileo Security Monitoring Centre located in France (GSMC-FR).

The Crypto Custodian is responsible to ensure all measures necessary for the physical security, setup and operations of all COMSEC items within his/her account, as well as for supporting the Crypto Authority team of the Security Authority Department in the handling of crypto items. The Crypto Custodian reports to GSMC Local Security Office Team Leader and has the following main tasks and responsibilities:

  • Manage (safeguard and control) all accountable crypto material in his/her custody and account;
  • Keep the inventory of the COMSEC items received, for his/her custody and further distribution, whilst verifying and assuring the integrity of the seals of the envelopes and parcels;
  • Verify the implementation of the minimum-security measures in accordance with the relevant security requirements needed for the safe custody of the COMSEC items for which he/she is responsible, in order to prevent compromise;
  • Perform periodic inventories of the COMSEC items under his/her responsibility, as per the EUSPA COMSEC policy;
  • Report immediately any security breach, compromise or potential compromise of the COMSEC items under his/her responsibility;
  • When applicable, support investigation of breaches/compromise of COMSEC items;
  • Distribute the COMSEC items to internal users according to the EUSPA COMSEC Policy and the GSMC-FR operating procedures (SOPs);
  • Perform the encryption keys distribution for GSMC-FR;
  • Ensure that all COMSEC transfers involving the EUSPA site(s) are properly performed, recorded and all the items are packed in accordance with the defined transportation plans when arriving; draft the transportation plans; act as a courier when required;
  • Update and maintain the GSMC-FR crypto account SOPs;
  • Maintain and perform the crypto operations procedures in accordance with the GSMC Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and the GSMC COMSEC Key Management Plan;
  • Operate IT and COMSEC equipment for key material management to make equipment ready for use by the Operations team;
  • Perform the regular maintenance operations of the GSMC COMSEC items;
  • Contribute to monthly reports on his/her past and planned activities;
  • Report and contribute to handling breaches of security and compromise of sensitive or classified information;
  • Contribute to business continuity plans of the GSMC-FR in areas related to his/her responsibilities and in areas related to staff emergency evacuation or relocation (e.g. to other EUSPA sites);
  • Participate in working groups related to the post duties;
  • Contribute to Security Risk management activities;
  • Support other EUSPA personnel in preparing and implementing the EUSPA Information Security Management System;
  • Support the quality management system of the EUSPA for what concerns the activities related to the Security Authority department;
  • Carry out other related tasks as requested by the management.

The Crypto Custodian shall be available for regular on-call duties outside normal working hours (availability by phone with readiness to come back to the site within predefined elapsed times that will be established to meet operational external requirements). The duties associated with such ‘on-call’ shall be of a nature similar to those of the main duties of the post, but will also include a wider set of activities aimed at ensuring the security and technical availability of the site focussing on feared events and their related initial reaction procedures.

Language use: The above tasks and responsibilities will be conducted in the English language.

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

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 Union, Iceland or Norway      
  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 involved6
  6. Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union7 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 post8

Contract agents from EUSPA and other EU agencies are also invited to apply in accordance with the following EUSPA rules: https://www.euspa.europa.eu/simplecount_pdf/tracker?file=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. 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] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record. [7] 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. [8] 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.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

All eligible applications, according to the afore-mentioned criteria, will be assessed against the requirements listed below solely based 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 clearly include elements that demonstrate that their profile matches the requirements below.

Professional experience and expertise

  1. Experience in security practices and procedures, especially in handling classified material;
  2. Interest in management of sensible assets/goods registries requiring a rigorous custody and tracking (e.g. Crypto Accounts, Classified Information Registries or other);
  3. Previous training for a Crypto custodian or Registry Control Officer will be considered an advantage;
  4. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Required competencies

  1. Motivation, willingness to learn;
  2. Rigor, meticulousness, ability to strictly follow processes, even if repetitive;
  3. Sense of responsibility, accountability and attention to details;
  4. Excellent communication skills;
  5. Ability to work with others within a team as well as with stakeholders.

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

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: October 2022. 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 have the possibility to declare such situation to jobs@euspa.europa.eu.

6. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

In order to be considered 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 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.

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

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; 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.

8. SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS

The remuneration consists of a basic salary9 and, where applicable, additional allowances10, paid on a monthly basis and reimbursements11, 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 post12. The sum of usual social deductions from salary at source is subtracted from the weighted amount13. The full pay is exempted from the national income tax, but is subject to the internal income tax and the solidarity levy14.

Examples of net monthly salaries (as currently applicable in Saint Germain-en-Laye) are presented below:

FG IV 13 (less than 5 years of work experience after the relevant diploma)15
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
3,716.47 EUR  4,287.74 EUR 5,366.60 EUR

 

FG IV 14 (more than 5 years of work experience after the relevant diploma)15
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
4,018.36  4,815.69 EUR 5,920.89 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 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 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 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, 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_contract_staff_ca.pdf

 


[9] As per Articles 92 and 93 CEOS. [10] 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 European Schools in France and in the Netherlands); Expatriation allowance (16% of the sum of basic salary and other applicable allowances). [11] 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 45.12 for up to 10 months or EUR 36.39 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). [12] Currently correction coefficients for the EUSPA duty locations are: 88% for CZ, 118,7% for FR, 110,3% for NL, 95,2% for ES. The coefficient is updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July. [13] Pension (10.10%); health insurance (1.70%); accident cover (0.10%); unemployment insurance (0.81%). [14] Currently: income tax: tax levied progressively at a rate of between 8% and 45% of the taxable portion of the salary; solidarity levy: 6%. [15] 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.

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.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/privacy_statement_selection_and_recruitment_2019.pdf