WE ARE

The European External Action Service (EEAS) supports the High Representative in the exercise of his/her mandate to conduct and implement an effective and coherent Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), to represent the EU and to chair 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 EU's external action. The EEAS works in close cooperation with the EU Member States, the General Secretariat of the Council, the services of the Commission and the Secretariat General of the European Parliament.

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 the IT Service Officer – IT Infrastructure in the IT Operations section - contract agent FGIV as per article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (hereafter, the “CEOS”)^[1].

PLACE and DATE OF EMPLOYMENT

‎EEAS Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium

Post available:  Immediately

LEGAL BASIS

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the CEOS, in particular Article 82 thereof. In case of recruitment, 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 six years^[2], subject to the maximum duration of engagement by the EEAS allowed under successive limited duration contracts of different types ^[3].

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 IT 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; Proactively manage the lifecycle and drive the direction of the services;
• Align the EEAS ICT infrastructure with the EEAS business requirements; Act as stakeholder in various projects and see them through until the delivery in production;
• Manage and maintain IT systems and infrastructure ensuring optimal performance and reliability;
• Assist with the distribution and staging of IT equipment, ensuring timely provision of resources to support organizational needs;
• Provide ad-hoc assistance, offering technical support and troubleshooting guidance to resolve issues in a timely manner and minimize disruption to operations;
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify and address IT-related challenges and requirements; Initiate and follow projects;
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices in IT communication technologies, recommending improvements and enhancements as necessary;
• Document processes, procedures, and system configurations to ensure comprehensive knowledge transfer and maintain system integrity; Draft operational procedures, work instructions;
• Act as manager for different IT teams, provide technical guidance and enable knowledge transfer; Supervise the operational activities of the external contractors, mainly the project team; 
• 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 
• 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.

Eligibility criteria:^[4]

Further to the conditions set out in Article 82 of the CEOS, candidates must:

• (i) have passed a valid EPSO CAST in FG IV; OR

• (ii) be registered in the EPSO Permanent 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 the languages of the CFSP and external relations (English and French) necessary for the performance of their duties.

• 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; 
• Proven experience in IT operations, with a focus on security and restricted communication systems;
• Strong knowledge of networking principles, protocols, and technologies;
• Overall understanding of IT infrastructure design principles;
• Good level of understanding of IT Security standards, rules, procedures;

• 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) 
• Splunk
• 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.  

CONDITIONS OF RECRUITMENT AND 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 Annex A of the Decision ADMIN(2023) 18 on the security rules of the EEAS^[5].

The selected candidate should hold, or be in the position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance (hereafter, the “PSC”)^[6] 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(2023) 18 on the security rules of the EEAS. 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 [email protected] 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 1(d)(4) of the Staff Regulations.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCEDURE ^[7]

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

[email protected]

Deadline for sending application: 26/11/2024 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, subsequent to the interview, to organise written tests, either for all pre-selected candidates or to the best ranked ones. 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 without a valid CAST shall be invited to sit the CAST exam before or after the interview stage (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 (hereafter, the “AACC”). The AACC may decide to interview the candidates on the final shortlist before taking this decision.

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 fits the requirements 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 with 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]      Article 8 of the Commission Decision C(2017) 6760 of 16.10.2017 on the general provisions for implementing Article 79(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, governing the conditions of employment of contract staff employed by the Commission under the terms of Articles 3a and 3b thereof.

[3]     Decision ADMIN(2023) 24 on the maximum duration of engagement by the European External Action Service of non-permanent staff under successive limited duration contracts of different types, and on the minimum lapse of time between successive contracts under Article 2(e) of the CEOS.

[4]     All the eligibility criteria must be met on the closing date for applications to this post.

[5]     OJ C 263, 26 July 2023, p.16. 

[6]     The ‘Personnel Security Clearance’ is defined under point 2 of Annex A I of the Decision ADMIN(2023) 18 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’.”

[7] 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).