Security Support 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 Security Department proactively contributes to the fulfilment of GSA missions by providing the security expertise and support in order to (1) achieve successful security accreditation of the systems, (2) secure programmes’ implementation and exploitation and (3) ensure a wide, secure and sustainable use of the Public Regulated Service (PRS).

• GNSS Security Requirements and Standards: Defining the security requirements and following up on their implementation in all GSA contracts related to Galileo and EGNOS exploitation activities. The task is performed by a specific team in close collaboration with the GSA Galileo and EGNOS Exploitation teams.
• Preparation of security accreditation files for the system and services to be submitted to the GNSS Security Accreditation Authority (SAB) in support to the European Commission.
• PRS User Segment: The GSA supports the development of the PRS User Segment with specific technological projects. The Agency also collaborates with the European Commission in technical and secretariat activities related to the management of the Working Groups established by the European GNSS Security Board.
• Central Security Office: The Central Security Office (CSO) implements (and monitors the correct implementation of) the European Commission’s internal security rules applicable to the GSA, as laid down in Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444. This office also assumes the functions of the Agency’s Central EU Classified Information (EUCI) Registry, and supports the other teams of the Security Department, as well as the whole Agency, in the handling of EUCI and in maintaining the accreditation of the internal Agency’s infrastructure and IT assets. The CSO oversees the implementation of the security rules in the GSA Headquarter located in Prague (Czech Republic) as well as other GSA facilities.

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

The Security Support Officer (SSO) will support the management of the overall GSA security, including physical security, document security and personnel security in compliance with the relevant legislation.

The tasks and responsibilities will include the following non-exhaustive list of activities:

• Contributing to the establishment, maintenance and execution follow-up of the security procedures jointly with the parties hosting the GSA facilities as well as relevant security authorities regarding:
  • The use and access policies of any security related systems (e.g. access control systems, CCTV monitoring systems, badges, etc.)
  • The use and activities of the guards whenever needed to maintain solid security environment of the premises
• Supporting the reporting and follow-up of security incidents, both breaches of security (regarding infrastructure, equipment and personnel) and compromises of EU Classified Information, and taking any necessary steps in their mitigation as and when requested
• Supporting the handling of the GSA HQ EUCI Registry
• Supporting the management of the guarding contract for the GSA HQ and other GSA sites
• Supporting the management of security keys and combinations, ensuring the proper handling, storage and audit of (physical) security keys
• Contributing to the security training/awareness briefings: providing regular update briefings for personnel authorised on the site and the induction security briefings to newcomers
• Supporting the maintenance of the legal framework for, and the transfer of, the EU classified information needed by the GSA
• Supporting the development and the maintenance of GSA contingency plans
• Supporting the monitoring of the physical security of the communications infrastructure, network assets and database infrastructure for indications of internal or external violation of the system
• Liaising with relevant authorities and partners, in particular with:

  • Deputy Local Security Officers at other GSA sites

  • Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic, the owner of the GSA HQ building

  • Police, Fire brigade, Municipality, Local Security Accreditation Authority and similar authorities that are supporting the GSA or with whom the GSA has to interface in case of security incidents and for the implementation of the ‘Critical National Infrastructure’ status of the GSA premises

  • The GSA Data Protection Officer  and the European Data Protection Supervisor

  • The Local Informatics Security Officer and Registry Control Officer

• Contributing to the implementation of business continuity plans of the GSA in areas related to his/her responsibilities
• Participating in security accreditation tasks, especially reviews/audits/inspections carried out by the GSA Accreditation Panel for Internal Systems, also in support of the Local Informatics Security Officer
• Contributing to the GSA Risk management activities
• Supporting the other GSA personnel in preparing and implementing the GSA Information Security Management System, as defined by the ISO standard 27001
• Supporting the quality management system of the GSA for what concerns the activities related to the Security Department
• Providing support/back-up to Chiasmus for Windows keys distribution and generation (or any other similar crypto tool)
• Preparing support in Industrial Security activities (e.g. security annexes to GSA industrial contracts)
• The SSO may act as a backup for any other post of the Central Security Office in relation to security, in particular those of the Local Security Officer and the Registry Control Officer
• The SSO 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.

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 studies^[5] of at least three years attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience^[6] of at least one year after obtaining the final diploma
2. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union 
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 involved^[7]
6. Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union^[8] 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 post^[9]

^[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 A.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 A.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, 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. Proven experience relevant to the described tasks and responsibilities, such as ensuring appropriate security practices and procedures, handling classified material, contributing to security awareness and training 
2. Experience in defining and enforcing industrial security rules and associated legal matters
3. Experience in security investigation, audits or inspections
4. Excellent command of both written and spoken English

Advantageous criteria

5. Valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate at or above the SECRET UE / EU SECRET (or equivalent) level
6. Basic knowledge of the Czech language
7. Experience in anti-fire, health and safety matters

Behavioural competences

8. Motivation
9. Working with others
10. Excellent communication skills
11. Problem-solving approach and delivery of quality results
12. Ability to work under pressure and prioritise tasks in a fast paced and technically challenging environment

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 Appointing Authority 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, may be contacted in order to verify (through an oral or written test) their studies, professional experience and/or other knowledge and competencies as indicated in their application. This contact would be an intermediate step in pre-selecting the most suitable candidates. It 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. The minimum threshold is 65% of the total points.
• 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 Appointing Authority 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 Appointing Authority 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: September. 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 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: European Union Civil Service Tribunal Boulevard Konrad Adenauer Luxembourg 2925 LUXEMBOURG For details on how to submit an appeal, please consult the website of the European Union Civil Service Tribunal: http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo1_6308/. The time limits for initiating this type of procedure (see Staff Regulations as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 723/2004 of 22 March 2004, published in Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27 April 2004 - http://eur-lex.europa.eu start to run from the time you become aware of the act allegedly prejudicing your interests.  
• 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 salary^[10] and, where applicable, additional allowances^[11], paid on a monthly basis and reimbursements^[12], 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 post^[13]. The sum of usual social deductions from salary at source is subtracted from the weighted amount^[14]. The full pay is exempted from the national income tax, but is subject to the internal income tax and the solidarity levy^[15].

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.

^[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 GSA has an agreement with (currently more than 17 international schools in the Czech Republic, France and Spain); Expatriation allowance (16% of the sum of basic salary and other applicable allowances). ^[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 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). ^[13] Currently correction coefficients for the GSA duty locations are: 83% for CZ, 116.7% for FR, 109.9% for NL, 91.7% ES. The coefficient is updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July. ^[14] Pension (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] 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 information GSA requests from candidates 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).

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018R1725&from=EN

The purpose of processing personal data which candidates submit is to manage applications in view of possible pre-selection and recruitment at GSA. All personal data collected will only be used for this purpose and will in no case be transmitted to any third party. Any data provided will be treated in the strictest confidence and with high standards of security.

Applicants’ documents will only be kept for as long as it is mandatory to fulfil the requirements of existing auditing/control procedures applicable to GSA.

Applicants have a right to access their data. They have a right to update or correct at any time their identification data. On the other hand, data demonstrating compliance with the eligibility and selection criteria may not be updated or corrected after the closing date for the respective selection procedure.

Applicants are entitled to have recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor (http://www.edps.europa.eu; EDPS@edps.europa.eu) if they consider that their rights under Regulation (EC) N° 2018/1725 have been infringed as a result of the processing of their personal data by the GSA.

https://www.gsa.europa.eu/privacy-policy