EEAS Vacancy Notice Contract Agent FGIV – Job title: IT Security and Accreditation Expert

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.

The Division RM.SCS.4 is responsible for the protection and registration of EUCI within all EEAS entities and during the transfer to Member States, other EU institutions, International Organisations, agencies and missions by the provision of classified communication and information systems (CCIS), along with the infrastructure, organisation, personnel and information resources required to develop, maintain and operate them.

Within the Division, the Security Studies and Accreditation sector conducts security assessments and accreditation exercises to advise the EEAS Security Accreditation Authority on its decisions to authorise the usage of CCIS for the handling, protection and storage of EUCI.

We propose

The position of “IT Security and Accreditation Expert”, contract agent FGIV as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS)¹.

Place of employment: EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available: immediately

We look for

An IT Security and Accreditation Expert. S/He will play a front role throughout the accreditation process for classified communication and information systems (CCIS) within the EEAS.

Under the direction of the Head of the Sector 'Security Studies and Accreditation', the person will be called to:

• Coordinate the whole accreditation process for a CCIS and liaise with all involved parties;
• Assess the CCIS context from the development stage and determine the scope and strategy for the accreditation process in close coordination with the system owner;
• Conduct risk assessments and define security requirements in function of the desired risk posture;
• Support and guide colleagues involved in the different phases of accreditation exercises;
• Perform ad-hoc security assessments on specific topics and projects;
• Advise on security configuration and hardening parameters for specific hardware and software components;

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 ability to maintain diplomatic relations and to ensure representation and communication in a complex, multicultural environment;
• have capacity to create constructive working relations in the field of external relations with national authorities, international organisations and EU Member States;
• have strong drafting, communication and analytical skills combined with sound judgement;
• have knowledge of external relations, internal policies and functioning of the Union;
• have a sound background and experience on IT systems and networks;
• have experience in the domain of IT security accreditation, including knowledge of and experience with:
  • Information assurance standards (e.g. ISO 27000)
  • IT risk analysis tools
  • Security accreditation processes, applying EU and NATO standards;
  • OR, a strong interest and motivation to specialise in this domain within a limited timeframe
• have experience in security review of technical IT documentation;
• have professional collaboration skills; a friendly, accommodating and solution oriented attitude, whilst functioning within the limits of strict security policies;

Furthermore:

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience of negotiations;
• knowledge of English and French;
• experience with OS and hypervisors;
• experience in security baselines implementation;
• experience with PKI;
• experience in project management and IT service management

would be strong assets. International IT Security certifications would be an asset.

Specific conditions of employment

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

PERSONNEL SECURITY CLEARANCE (PSC):

The candidate may enter the selection process without a valid PSC but will be required to undergo security vetting

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:

EEAS RM SCS 4 - RM-SCS-4@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 15/08/2023 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 and that has successfully passed the CAST exam, 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.