Legal and Procurement Officer

Vacancy details

Temporary Agent GSA/2021/AD/001
AD5 Prague / Czech Republic
02.03.2021 11:59 AM (GMT+2)
5 yes
As soon as possible 31.12.2021
Legal & Procurement Head of Department / Team Leader
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 LEGAL & PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) is responsible for operations, service provision, security and market development for the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) EGNOS and Galileo. By developing a new generation of GNSS, Europe is laying the foundation for the development of new high-tech industry, leading to job creation and economic growth.

With the introduction of the new Space Regulation, expected to enter into force this year, the Agency will transform into European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA). We will expand the scope of our activities beyond Galileo and EGNOS, to other exciting projects, such as “Copernicus” for Earth Observation, GOVSATCOM for Governmental Space Communications and Space Situational Awareness (SSA). 

You will be joining a dynamic and growing 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.

The Legal and Procurement Department steers the legal dimension and ensures the overall follow-up of all GSA legal activities, and provides legal advice on all GSA policies. The department assists all other departments in contract preparation, negotiation and interpretation and manages all procurements, contracts, grants and other agreements. It also oversees the protection of personal data and ensures compliance with relevant legislation.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Legal and Procurement department is looking for a Legal and Procurement Officer. The Officer will support the Agency in a broad range of legal tasks pertaining to both administrative and operational activities of the Agency, and will handle the entire life-cycle of procurements and contract management.

The Legal and Procurement Officer’s tasks and responsibilities will in principle include the following areas:

  1. Legal advice
  • Providing legal advice on operations and administration of the Agency
  • Advising on the regulatory framework of the Agency
  • Providing advice on procurement and grants
  • Advising on staff matters, interpretation/drafting of legal instruments
  1. Procurement/grants
  • Drafting, helping coordinating calls for tenders/call for proposals in line with standard best practices
  • Managing calls for tenders/call for proposals (e.g. publication, organisation of and assistance to evaluation boards, selection process, contract/grant award and signature)
  • Interfacing with relevant stakeholders, including project officers, finance department, economic operators, auditors
  1. Contract drafting and management
  • Drafting and support negotiating contracts/agreements
  • Following up on contract/agreement interpretation, implementation, performance and enforcement
  • Assisting project officers with issues in contract/agreement lifecycle
  • Support in building and maintaining of an up-to date tender, contractual and other legal commitments database
  1. Provide support for the implementation of any other task falling in the sub fields of responsibility of the Legal and Procurement Department defined in section 1.

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 of at least three years attested by a diploma
  2. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union 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

Temporary agents (2f) from GSA and other EU agencies, in grade AD5 or AD6, 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] 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. 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 law, economics, engineering or another relevant field
  2. Experience in legal practice and/or public procurement practice, in particular experience in drafting and negotiating contracts, producing opinions related to procurement, contracts or grants
  3. Excellent command of both written and spoken English

Advantageous criteria

  1. Good knowledge (by training or experience) of the EU institutional and regulatory framework, including in particular Financial Regulation and Staff Regulation
  2. Experience/background in practising high-technology or high-value procurements/grants and contracts in particular within EU institutions or bodies

Behavioural competencies

  1. Motivation
  2. Excellent communication skills
  3. Sense of confidentiality, professional integrity and service mindset
  4. Team player attitude and motivation to perform general administrative duties
  5. Ability to deliver accurate work under pressure, organise workload and prioritise tasks
  6. Sense of accountability and attention to detail

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

The current vacancy aims to fill in one (1) post and establish a reserve list.

A comprehensive description of the selection process is available here.

Indicative date for the interview and written test: March 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 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 Prague) are presented below:

AD 5 - Step 1 (less than 3 years of work experience)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
3,314.81 EUR 3,985.14 EUR 4,785.34 EUR

 

AD 5 - Step 2 (more than 3 years of work experience)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
3,439.23 EUR 4,137.73 EUR 4,947.38 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


[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 GSA 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 (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). [12] Currently correction coefficients for the GSA duty locations are: 85.2% for CZ, 120.5% for FR, 113.9% for NL, 94.2% 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] 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.