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 EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN) is the civilian intelligence function of the EU. Its mission is to provide on time intelligence analyses, early warning and situational awareness to the High Representative and to the EEAS. The EU INTCEN does this by monitoring and assessing international events, focusing particularly on sensitive geographical areas, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, hybrid and other global threats. Its analytical products are based on intelligence provided by EU Member States' intelligence and security services as well as on open source information and satellite imagery from SatCen.The EU INTCEN also offers its services to the various EU decision making bodies in the fields of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and Counter Terrorism, as well as to the Member States.

We propose

The position of Document Management and Production Secretary/Clerk at the Intelligence analysis Division (INTCEN.1) - contract agent FGII 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:  16 November 2023

We look for

A highly motivated, experienced, and dynamic colleague to work in a small team of assistants to provide administrative, document management and organisational/technical support to a Section.

Candidates should:

• be able to work well in a team;
• be able to work autonomously and take initiatives whenever appropriate;
• be dynamic and have a strong sense of responsibility;.
• show a certain degree of flexibility regarding organising their working hours.

Tasks will include:

• finalizing classified and non-classified intelligence notes according to applicable workflow and quality/security rules;
• registering, filing, storing classified and non-classified documents on any support in the appropriate systems, under supervision of the Production Coordinator or Section Coordinator/Senior responsible analyst;
• preparing and ensuring the internal and external distribution of these documents;
• using a variety of secure communication systems and ensuring the correct use of them;
• maintaining contacts with the EEAS services, Council Secretariat services, Commission Services, Member States and other international organizations, as necessary to the performance of duties;
• completing tasks to permit good functioning of the Sections (management of the agenda,  preparation of missions, organization and participation to meetings, management of invitations, access requests for visitors, check of security clearances);
• undertaking occasionally other ad-hoc tasks mainly within the Division;
• coaching less experienced staff on EEAS organizational structure, procedures and processes, as well as on specific EU INTCEN tools.

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 passes the CAST exam, the successful candidate will be offered a contract agent position (Function group II), 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 II post should:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in a valid FG for this post

Or

• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent CAST in a valid FG for this post (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 a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education and appropriate professional experience of three years;
• 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;
• hold a valid personal security clearance to access EU classified information up to level EU Secret.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Candidates should:

• be pro-active and have a strong sense of responsibility;
• be well-organised and have a sound judgement;
• be able to work well in a team as well as individually;
• have a good knowledge of the functioning of EU institutions;
• have a very sound grasp of IT tools, including tools such as ARES and MIPS;
• be able to use tools for communicating/exchanging classified information;

Furthermore:

• previous experience working in the field of CSDP/crisis management;
• knowledge EU languages other than CFSP languages

would be considered as 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].

Given the specific role of the INTCEN and the sensitive nature of the tasks pertaining to the offered position which requires candidates to have already gained an experience in handling EUCI documents, a valid Personnel Security Clearance (PSC)^[3] issued by the competent authority of their Member State in accordance with national laws and regulations is mandatory at the moment of application in order to enter the selection process.

The selected candidate may still be required to obtain a new PSC for the present post in accordance with national laws and regulations of his or her Member State 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 new PSC is issued, the selected candidate may 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 French via email, with reference to the Vacancy Number in the Subject field, to

EEAS-EU-INTCEN-ADMINISTRATION@eeas.europa.eu

Deadline for sending application: 13/11/2023 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 also 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 then 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). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20140501&from=EN

[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).