Cyber Security Engineers

Vacancy details

Temporary Agent GSA/2021/AD/004
AD7 Prague / Czech Republic
15.04.2021 11:59 AM (GMT+2) 27.04.2021 11:59 AM
5 yes
2021 31.12.2021
Security Head of Department 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 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 SECURITY DEPARTMENT

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. 

The GSA is assumed to become the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA) and to expand the scope of its activities beyond Galileo and EGNOS, to other areas, such as Copernicus for Earth Observation, GOVSATCOM for Governmental Space Communications and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) (according to the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the space programme of the Union and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013, (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision 541/2014/EU and upon final adoption and entry into force of the corresponding Regulation) The entry into force of the Regulation and the change of name the Agency will not affect possible employment relationships entered into by the GSA before such entry into force.

You will be joining a dynamic EU Agency and have the opportunity to work with colleagues from a broad array of different backgrounds and expertise all committed to ensure that European citizens get the most out of Europe’s space programmes. 

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

In particular, in the security field, the Agency is expected to be delegated with the direct responsibility of the operational security of Galileo and EGNOS. At the same time, security-related activities are expected to be entrusted to the Agency also in the other components.

The Security 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 Programme are defined, implemented and exploited securely, (2) achieve successful security accreditation of the components of the Programme, and (3) ensure a wide, secure and sustainable use of the services provided by the different components.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In line with the aforementioned developments, the Security Department is looking to recruit Cyber Security Engineers who will report to the Head of the Security Department or his/her assignee. The Cyber Security Engineers will work in one of the areas listed below and have in principle the following tasks and responsibilities:

  1. Cyber Security Management
  • Taking an active part in the implementation of the Agency’s Cyber security Awareness and Training plan;
  • Supporting the update of the Galileo and/or EGNOS service security requirements and their implementation by the infrastructure providers and the operators;
  • Contributing to the continuous update of the Statement of Compliance to the applicable cyber security requirements;
  • Developing procedures for the efficient processing of cyber security management activities;
  • Participating in the technical reviews related to cyber security aspects;
  • Participating to the Agency’s Cyber security Panels and to the Programme Cyber security Boards;
  • Supporting auditing and testing activities, participating in these and following-up their results;
  • Driving the cyber security vulnerability management for the projects under his/her competence, in cooperation with Services departments (Galileo, EGNOS and others in the future) and the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC);
  • Contributing to the preparation of security accreditation files, security risks analyses and the associated security risks treatment plans related to cyber security aspects;
  • Supporting the development of cyber security activities for the other space components (e.g. GOVSATCOM, COPERNICUS, SSA, …);
  • Liaising with other GSA teams and provide cyber security engineering support as needed;
  • Liaising with the other EU Agencies entrusted with cyber security activities, in particular ENISA; 
  • Providing technical support to the European Commission on the relevant forums focused on cyber security aspects.
  1. Cyber Security Audit
  • Maintaining the Agency’s cybersecurity auditing strategy, the cyber security audit programme and the cyber security audit plan for Galileo and/or EGNOS;
  • Auditing the implementation of the Agency’s Cyber Awareness and Training plan;
  • Reviewing the Statement of Compliance to the applicable cyber security requirements for Galileo and/or EGNOS;
  • Developing procedures for the efficient processing of cyber security audit activities;
  • Auditing the existing procedures for the cyber security management and the cyber security operational activities;
  • Participating in the technical reviews related to cyber security aspects, in particular for the cyber security acceptance of the infrastructure and operations;
  • Participating to the Agency’s Cyber security Panels and to the Programme Cyber security Boards;
  • Promoting auditing and testing activities, taking an active part in these and following-up their results;
  • Contributing to the review of security accreditation files, security risks analyses and the associated security risks treatment plans related to cyber security aspects;
  • Supporting the development of cyber security auditing activities for the other space components (e.g. GOVSATCOM, COPERNICUS, SSA, …);
  • Liaising with other GSA teams and providing cyber security engineering support as needed;
  • Liaising with the other EU Agencies entrusted with cyber security activities, in particular ENISA;
  • Providing technical support to the European Commission on the relevant forums focused on cyber security aspects.

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 Union
  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 involved7
  7. 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
  8. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post9

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. 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] 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] 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 Union.

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. 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 clearly include elements that demonstrate that their profile matches the requirements below.

Essential criteria

  1. University degree in the exact sciences (e.g. engineering, physics, mathematics, computer science, telecommunications, electronics etc.)
  2. Experience in Cyber security management or auditing
  3. Experience in the field of information and network security (e.g. secure design, operations, security risk management)
  4. Excellent command of both written and spoken English

Advantageous criteria

  1. Experience in handling classified material at or above SECRET UE/EU SECRET (or equivalent)
  2. Experience in a security accreditation, security certification, particularly with regard to the analysis of compliance to cyber policy, processes and requirements
  3. Knowledge (by training or experience) of the security aspects of the European GNSS or other EU/Member State Space Programmes
  4. Knowledge of relevant security standards (e.g. CISSP, GIAC, ISO 27000, ISACA, NIST)
  5. Certification in cybersecurity domain (e.g. CISSP, GIAC, OSCP)

Behavioural competencies

  1. Motivation
  2. Excellent communication skills
  3. Working with others and customer service mindset
  4. Ability to work under pressure and prioritise

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

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: April/May 2021. 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@gsa.europa.eu

 

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. 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@gsa.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@gsa.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 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 in Prague) are presented below:

AD 7 - Step 1 (less than 9 years of work experience)16
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
4,119.25 EUR 4,977.36 EUR 5,846.72 EUR

 

AD 7 - Step 2 (more than 9 years of work experience)16
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
4,267.32  EUR 5,161.50 EUR 6,044.79 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


[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 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). [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 (EUR 44.28 for up to 10 months or EUR 35.71 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: 85.2% for CZ, 120.5% for FR, 113.9% for NL, 94.2% ES. The coefficient is updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July. [14] Pension (10.10%); 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] 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.