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 main mission of EEAS Digital Solutions division is to assist the European External Action Service and EU’s Delegation worldwide network in achieving its strategic objectives by supporting administrative and core business processes with modern Information and Communication Technology tools. The unit is composed of 55 officials and more than 200 experts and is organized in four sections: Management, IT Operations, Services and Security.  

We propose

The position of IT Service Officer – IT Infrastructure in the IT Operations section - Contract Agent Function Group IV 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

We look for a dynamic, proactive and highly motivated colleague with very good communication and organisational skills, a developed sense of service, as well as several years of experience in the field of system administration and operations. A colleague who wants to take a next step in her/his career and use her/his technical background to participate in the design, contracting, implementation and hand-over to operations of ICT infrastructure components. In addition, she/he should prove hands-on experience in the management of ICT infrastructure (system engineer, system administrator, network administrator).  

The job is a key position for an experienced technical IT Service Officer looking for a dynamic working environment and challenging projects within a friendly, motivated and supportive team.  We offer easy access to training facilities to improve skills and to keep staff at the top of technology and methodology evolutions. Main working language is English. 

The IT Service Officer will be entrusted with the following main tasks:  

• Act as a service owner on a list of IT Services; lead on resolutions and further development 
• Act as manager for different IT teams, provide technical guidance and enable knowledge transfer 
• Identify and delegate tasks to different actors in the context of a project (architects, engineers, technicians etc.) 
• Interact with partners and external service providers (organise and attend meetings, represent the sector) 
• Work together with other service owners and operations to guarantee the best possible service towards our end-users 
• Align the EEAS ICT infrastructure with the EEAS business requirements 
• Initiate and follow projects in IT infrastructure 
• Proactively manage the lifecycle and drive the direction of the services that he/she is responsible for 
• Participate in defining and testing of BCP and DR procedures 
• Participate in the decision making process regarding the operational strategy for IT services, operational projects, and use of technology 
• Supervise the operational activities of the external contractors, mainly the project team 
• Act as stakeholder in various projects and see them through until the delivery in production 
• Participate in the drafting of business cases facilitating the decision making process for head of Unit/section 
• Manage and document the services that he/she will be responsible of (description, policies etc.) 
• Contract management, negotiating, ordering, follow-up 

A proven ability to manage and co-ordinate several services simultaneously are important. 

Excellent oral and written command of English is essential.

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 Function Group 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 FGIV (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.

The CAST is the Contract Agents Selection Tool, administered by the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). The candidates interested in the post are asked to create an EPSO account and register for a permanent CAST in Function Group IV in the respective field (e.g. Information and Communication Technology or Project/Programme Management) if they have not yet successfully passed a CAST exam in FGIV. 

Candidates are kindly asked to share the ID number of their CAST application when submitting their documents. 

• have completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
• have the capacity to work in languages of CFSP (English/French) 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:

Applicants should ideally have the following soft skills required for the job: 

• Ability to work in group; 
• Have ability to maintain diplomatic relations and to ensure representation and communication in a complex, multicultural environment; 
• have strong drafting and analytical skills combined with sound judgement; 
• have the ability to communicate clearly on complex issues and the capacity to perform with accuracy and in a flexible manner a diversity of tasks in a complex institutional environment; 
• have strong service attitude; 
• be fluent in English (C1 level, both orally and in writing); 
• be a flexible team player.  

Candidates should have the following technical skills: 

• Education and domain of expertise relevant to the job; 
• Professional experience in at least four or more of the following domains: 

• Virtualization (Hyper-V, VMware)  
• Hyperconverge technology (VMware vSAN, Nutanix) 
• Storage (SAN, NAS, CIFS) 
• OS management (Windows 2012/2016/2019, Linux, Redhat, CentOs) 
• Active Directory, GPO's, Identity and Access Management  
• Databases & reporting (MS-SQL, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL) 
• Microsoft Exchange 
• SCCM, SCOM 
• Datacenter Management (HVAC, etc.) 
• Scripting (PowerShell, Python, Perl, other) 
• (Mobile) telephony and smartphones 
• Cisco Unified Communications products (Cisco Jabber, Webex, Cisco UCM, etc.) 
• VDI technology 
• Containerization technology (Kubernetes, VMware Tanzu) 
• Automation (VMware Aria) 

Furthermore:   

• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment; 
• experience in working with or within other EU institutions; 
• Fluent in French or other EU language  

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 EEAS[2].

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 EEAS[4]. 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 procedure[5]

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:

RM-SCS-5-HR@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 06/12/2023 at 12.00 noon (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.

[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)