EEAS Vacancy Notice Contract Agent FGIV – Job title: Finance & Contracts Officer

We are

The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the work of the High Representative in defining and implementing an effective and coherent EU foreign policy. The EEAS supports his/her tasks of conducting the Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy and chairing the Foreign Affairs Council. It also supports the High Representative in his/her capacity as Vice President of the Commission with regard to his/her responsibilities within the Commission in the external relations field including the coordination of other aspects of the Union’s external action. The EEAS works in close cooperation with Member States, the Council and relevant services of the European Commission.

SG.CRC.3, Field Security Division is part of the Crises Response Centre. The CRC provides the EEAS with a permanent response capability when facing crises outside the Union which threaten the safety of EU Delegation staff and staff placed under its duty of care (EU Diplomatic missions or EU Agencies/Institutions collocated in its premises), or in reaction to a consular crisis.

The Field Security Division is a dynamic team, responsible for enabling the work of the EU Delegations worldwide by providing security advice and support, and assisting the EEAS on the fulfilment of the legal duty of care obligation towards the EEAS staff and eligible dependents, assets and information. We bring to the EEAS the human expertise, the professional methodology and the management of essential assets to ensure the Union Delegations are working in the most secure environment possible. We provide the threat analysis, propose the mitigating measures, accompany in their implementation and reduce the residual risks to an acceptable level for our institution.

The Division has three sectors: Operations, Resources & Logistics and Strategy. The Operations sector provides the link between HQ and field operations including the Regional Security Officer (RSO) network, comprising 71 RSOs (with three HQ RSO floaters and 68 RSOs based in Delegations). The Resources and Logistics Sector carries out oversight of the budget lines for Security services contracts (security static guarding and close protection worldwide), coordinates on all security contract tenders worldwide, manages the procurement and maintenance of armored vehicles, personal protective equipment, radio-communications networks, the Division's human resources, and is involved in all security related financial, budgetary, legal and audit matters. The Strategy Sector is responsible for the drafting of policies, security trainings, Service Level Agreements and IT tools.

We propose

The position of Finance & Contracts Officer, contract agent FGIV as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS)¹.

Under the general overview or responsibility of the Head of Division, the Desk Officer will work within a small team and report directly to the Head of Sector of Resources and Logistics when required/ appropriate.

The successful candidate will be part of a motivated team with a strong emphasis on collaboration and teamwork.

Place of employment: EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available: 16.09.2023

We look for

A highly motivated colleague who, under the supervision of an official, will:

• Monitor the Resources and Logistics sector’s Framework Contracts for Security Services, Radio installations and maintenance, purchasing and maintenance of armoured vehicles and other security equipment;
• Liaise with EU counterparts in EU Delegations: Heads of Administration, Delegation Security Coordinators and Regional Security Officers, on the situation and advancement of security purchasing and deployments;
• Coordinate budgetary procurement and legal matters with the relevant horizontal Divisions in Headquarters;
• Control the compliance with budgetary rules and sound financial management;
• Prepare the annual budgetary programme including planning the appropriation of budgetary funds according to the evolution of the existing and future contracts;
• Make a periodic budgetary and financial overviews;
• Coordinate and support the yearly accounting closure;
• Provide contribution for replies (and their follow-up) to ex-post control, Internal Audit Service, Court of Auditors and even OLAF reports or investigations concerning the contracts managed by the Division.

Legal basis

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the CEOS, in particular Article 82 thereof.

Subject to having passed the CAST exam, the successful candidate will be offered a contract agent position (Function group IV), on the basis of a contract with an initial duration of one year that may be successively renewed for a maximum duration of 6 years.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates for this contract agent IV post should:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in FG IV; or (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent Contract Agent Selection Tool (CAST) for FG IV (https://epso.europa.eu/en/job-opportunities/open-for-application). In that case, while the registration will render the candidate eligible for the selection procedure, the recruitment of a candidate on this vacant post will be subject to their successfully passing the CAST exam that this candidate will be called to attend.
• have completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
• have the capacity to work in languages of CFSP and external relations necessary for the performance of their duties. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an asset;
• be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Candidates should:

• have an excellent ability to maintain interpersonal relations and to ensure communication in a complex, multi-cultural environment;
• have strong numerical, drafting, communication and analytical skills combined with sound judgement;
• have excellent knowledge of the European Institutions, Financial Regulation and EU Public Procurement Directives;
• have proficiency in the different financial data systems such as ABAC Workflow, ABAC Assets, Data Warehouse Business Objects (BO);
• be stress resistant and able to work under tight deadlines;
• be fluent in English and in French (both orally and in writing);

Furthermore:

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions
• experience of dealing with lawyers and other specialists on contentious files;
• experience of working in / with an Embassy, a Delegation, an international organisation, NGO

would be considered as strong assets:

Specific conditions of employment

The signature of the contract will be subject to prior favourable opinion of the Medical Service.

The requested level of security clearance for this post is: SECRET UE/EU SECRET. A description of the EU classified information levels is available under Article 2 of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS².

The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance (PSC)³ issued by the competent authority of the Member State concerned.

Candidates who do not already have a valid PSC will be required to go through the security clearance vetting procedure of their Member State to obtain this clearance in accordance with national laws and regulations and with the procedure laid down in the Decision ADMIN(2019)7 on Security Clearance Requirements and Procedures for the EEAS of 08 March 2019 and in Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS⁴. Until the PSC is issued by the competent authority of the Member State concerned, the selected candidate will not be authorised to access EUCI at the level of CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above, or to participate in any meetings or workflow where EUCI is processed.

Please note that the necessary procedure for obtaining a PSC can be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate.

In case of failure to obtain or renew the required PSC, the AACC may take the appropriate measures in accordance with Article 3(3) of the Decision ADMIN(2019) 7 on Security Clearance Requirements and Procedures for the EEAS of 08 March 2019.

Equal Opportunities

The EEAS is committed to an equal opportunities policy for all its employees and applicants for employment. As an employer, the EEAS is committed to promoting gender equality and to preventing discrimination on any grounds. It actively welcomes applications from all qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and from the broadest possible geographical basis amongst the EU Member States. We aim at a service, which is truly representative of society, where each staff member feels respected, is able to give their best and can develop their full potential.

Candidates with disabilities are invited to contact CONTRACTAGENTS-HQ@eeas.europa.eu in order to accommodate any special needs and provide assistance to ensure the possibility to pass the selection procedure in equality of opportunities with other candidates. If a candidate with a disability is selected for a vacant post, the EEAS is committed to providing reasonable accommodation in accordance with Art 1d.4 of the Staff Regulations.

Application and selection procedure⁵

Please send your CV and cover letter (with your EPSO CAST number), in English or in French via email, with reference to the Vacancy number in the Subject field, to: FIELD-SECURITY-RECRUITMENT@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 09/09/2023 at 12.00 (CET).

Candidates shall draft their CV using the Europass CV , which can be found at the following internet address: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae.

Late applications will not be accepted.

The selection panel will make a pre-selection on the basis of the qualifications and professional experience described in the CV and motivational letter, and will produce a shortlist of eligible candidates who best meet the selection criteria for the post. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be informed about the outcome of the pre-selection phase.

The candidates who have been preselected will be invited for an interview by a selection panel.

The selection panel may decide, in addition to the interview, to organise written tests, either for all pre-selected candidates or to the best ranked ones, after the interview. The content of such written tests will be defined by the selection panel and may include, but not be limited to, multiple choice questions, open questions and/or topics for a short essay.

Pre-selected candidates shall be invited to sit the CAST exam before or after the interview stage by the selection panel (in accordance with the eligibility criteria set out above).The panel will recommend a shortlist of candidates for a final decision by the Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (AACC). The AACC may decide to interview the candidates on the final shortlist before taking this decision.

If, exceptionally, on the date of recruitment, the successful candidate has not yet had the opportunity to pass the tests necessary to obtain the CAST, the latter will be engaged on condition that he obtains the CAST within six months of taking up his duties. Failure to obtain the required CAST will give the EEAS the right to terminate the employment contract.

It is recalled, that the selection procedure may be terminated at any stage in the interest of the service.

In the interest of the service, after identifying the candidate that best fulfils the requirement of the post as set out in the vacancy notice, the AACC may also establish a reserve list of candidates. These candidates shall be informed that the reserve list shall remain valid for a period of one year from when it is established and that it may be used to fill the same post or an equivalent post in the EEAS having the same job profile.

1. Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (SR) and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS).

2. OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

3. The ‘Personnel Security Clearance’ is defined under point 2 of Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2017) 10 on the security rules of the EEAS as “a statement by a competent authority of a Member State which is made following completion of a security investigation conducted by the competent authorities of a Member State and which certifies that an individual may, provided his ‘need-to-know’ has been determined, be granted access to EUCI up to a specified level (CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above) until a specified date; the individual thus described is said to be ‘security cleared’.”

4. OJ C 126, 10 April 2018, p.1.

5. Your personal data will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, as implemented by ADMIN(2019) 8 Decision of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The privacy statement is available on the Europa website: (https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eeas-privacy-statement-data-protection-notice-purpose-processing-personal-data-related-public_en) and on the EEAS Intranet:(https://intranet.eeas.europa.eu/page/eeas-work/data-protection/privacy-statements-dp-notices)