Security Operations Centre (SOC) Operator

[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) provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services, advances the commercialization of Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), and Copernicus data and services, engages in secure SATCOM (GOVSATCOM & IRIS²), and operates the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front Desk. 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 economic growth and health 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, gender identity, 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 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 Security Operations and Monitoring Department (SOM) undertakes security operations (incl. security monitoring and cyber-defence by the EU Space Security Operations Centre and Public Regulated Services (PRS)) and monitoring (incl. performance assessment) of all ground and space elements of the Union Space Programme component. It will ensure the readiness of the corresponding operational teams and infrastructure through the continuous operations of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) and the Galileo Reference Centre (GRC) facilities, with the support of teams from other departments, to ensure the daily effective implementation of the Security Operations and Monitoring functions.

The job holder is expected to relocate to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, one of the more affluent suburbs of Paris. However, frequent missions and possible temporary detachment to GSMC Backup site (Madrid, Spain) or GRC (Noordwijk, The Netherlands), and occasional travel to Brussels (Belgium) and Prague (Czech Republic) and other locations are foreseen for this post.

We are looking for a Security Operations Centre (SOC) Operator, who will work in a 24/7 shift duty roster to primarily ensure the duties in line with the Council decision (CFSP) 2021/698⁵ for: 

• Security monitoring and detection in the Security Operations Centre (SOC) of the GSMC (Level 1 security analyst);
• Security incident response in the Security Operations Centre (SOC) of the GSMC (Level 2 security analyst);

In addition, the job holder will also contribute to ensuring the provision of governmental services (including PRS).

The successful candidate will be required to undergo training and certification for their operational role and to maintain their technical competencies and certification (internal and external) as part of the ongoing duties. 

The job holder will be entrusted with the following main tasks and responsibilities:

• Monitor the security and system status of the Components of the Union Space Programme included in the GSMC SOC perimeter (primarily for Level 1 security analysts), handle incidents and security alerts, operate the GSMC Ticketing System to log and trace the full incident handling process, in line with the operational procedure (primarily for Level 2 security analysts);
• Contribute to official recommendations provided to the EU decision-making bodies on the continuity of services, including actions required to maintain it, supporting the Crisis Management and implementing the instructions issued by the relevant authorities;
• Participate and contribute to the review and update of incident handling, lessons learnt, continuous improvement and risk and vulnerability management;
• Contribute to ensuring the timely execution of Governmental services procedures, delivery of access and deconfliction management (PRS being currently the main service to be provided), and supervision of the health status of Galileo system PRS Signal in Space;
• Investigate any degradation of the SOC and governmental services and process the system anomalies and notifications to Competent PRS Authorities when required;
• Support the improvement and evolution of the Security Operation Centre, PRS access and Council Decision 698’s operational procedures development;
• Support the validation of the new releases of operational equipment and new service milestones;
• Liaise with other EUSPA departments, notably in the area of Administration, to ensure the execution of related corporate tasks, such as planning, reporting, administration, financial & budget management, risk management, when needed.

The job holder will be required to work on systems deployed at GSMC as part of a 24/7 shift working and stand-by duty roster in line with EUSPA’s applicable rules.

Prior to certification and shift operations, the role will be primarily a normal ‘day-time’ job contributing to the development of operations.

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[5] Council decision (CFSP) 2021/698 of 30 April 2021 on the security of systems and services deployed, operated and used under the Union Space Programme which may affect the security of the Union.

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 studies⁶ 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 their 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 their duties
7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post⁹

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/sites/default/files/2024-04/conditions_of_employment_of_contract_staff_ca.pdf.

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[6] 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/   

[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 Communities.

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 how their profile matches the requirements below.

Professional experience and expertise

1. Previous experience in IT or Cyber Security in one of the following domains:

• Incident Handling in a Security Operations Centre (SOC) or similar environment using security technologies such as SIEMs, XDRs or SOAR;
• Other cyber defence areas, including vulnerability management and cyber risk management;
• System administration, network management and operations of IT systems;

2. Experience in working on 24/7 shifts or on-call/stand-by;
3. Previous experience in working with classified information and preferably holding Personnel Security Clearance at or above EU SECRET level or equivalent;
4. Experience in financial, procurement and contract management will be considered as an advantage;
5. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Required competencies

6. Motivation for the post;
7. Effective communication;
8. Transversal collaboration and working in teams;
9. Customer focus and service orientation, including ability to interact with stakeholders;
10. Ability to deliver accurate work under pressure, organise workload and prioritise tasks.

The current vacancy aims to establish a reserve list.

A comprehensive description of the selection process is available here.

Indicative date for the interview and written test: March/April 2025. 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 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.

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 for France) are presented below:

FG IV 13 (less than 5 years of work experience after the relevant diploma)16
a) Minimum final net salary (without any allowances)	b) Final net salary with expatriation and shift allowance	c) Final net salary with expatriation, shift, household and 1 dependent child allowance
4.115,20 EUR	5.850,17 EUR	7.043,02 EUR

 

FG IV 14 (between 5 and 17 years of work experience after the relevant diploma)16
a) Minimum final net salary (without any allowances)	b) Final net salary with expatriation and shift allowance	c) Final net salary with expatriation, shift, household and 1 dependent child allowance
4.368,86 EUR	6.432,58 EUR	7.653,90 EUR

 

WORKING CONDITIONS AND BENEFITS

Information about our comprehensive welfare package, including leave entitlements, social security, professional development and benefits contributing to work-life balance, is available here.

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 applicable EUSPA rules.

 

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^[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 European Schools in France and in the Netherlands); Expatriation allowance (16% of the sum of basic salary and other applicable allowances). Shift allowance: The on-shift operators are regularly required to work in three shifts, one of them at night, and including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Therefore, operators are entitled to an on-shift allowance laid down in Article 56a of the Staff Regulations. The allowance is calculated in line with the terms and conditions laid down in Council Regulation No 300/76. The allowance corresponds to the amount laid down in the fourth indent of Article 1(1) of that Regulation. The on-shift allowances are €1,180.84 per month, subject to correction coefficient and taxation. The shift allowance will be paid only after the inclusion in the GSMC shift roster (subject to successfully obtaining the internal certification).  

^[12] 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 53.17 for up to 10 months or EUR 42.89 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).  

^[13] Currently correction coefficients for the EUSPA duty locations are: 91.8% for CZ, 114,2% for FR, 111.4% for NL, 92.3% ES. The coefficient is updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July.  

^[14] Pension (12.10%); health insurance (1.70%); accident cover (0.10%); unemployment insurance (0.51%).  

^[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] 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 job holders 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 job holders 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.