Security Operations Centre (SOC) Operator

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is an EU Agency that provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services and supports other European projects, such as Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Copernicus, the Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) data and services, and the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST). Through these projects, EUSPA enhances European autonomy in space technologies, fosters innovation and creativity, supports European transport net and agriculture, all while contributing to the sustainable growth as well as the security and safety of the European Union.

EUSPA offers a diverse multicultural workplace that welcomes all applicants without distinction on any grounds of gender, race, ethnic or social origin, nationality, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, birth, gender identity, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or other family situation. EUSPA wishes to employ competent talents and be representative of the diversity of the EU citizens and is committed to provide the best working conditions and benefits to its staff. For more information on the EUSPA and the Union Space Program, click here.

The Security Operations and Monitoring Department (SOM) undertakes security operations (incl. security monitoring and cyber-defence by the EU Space Security Operations Centre and Public Regulated Services (PRS)) and monitoring (incl. performance assessment) of all ground and space elements of the Union Space Programme component. It will ensure the readiness of the corresponding operational teams and infrastructure through the continuous operations of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) and the Galileo Reference Centre (GRC) facilities, with the support of teams from other departments, to ensure the daily effective implementation of the Security Operations and Monitoring functions.

The job holder is expected to relocate to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, one of the more affluent suburbs of Paris. However, frequent missions and possible temporary detachment to GSMC Backup site (Madrid, Spain) or GRC (Noordwijk, The Netherlands), and occasional travel to Brussels (Belgium) and Prague (Czech Republic) and other locations are foreseen for this post.

We are looking for a Security Operations Centre (SOC) Operator, who will work in 24/7 shift duty roster to primarily ensure the duties in line with the Council decision (CFSP) 2021/698⁵ for:

• Security monitoring and detection in the Security Operations Centre (SOC) of the GSMC (Level 1 security analyst);
• Security incident response in the Security Operations Centre (SOC) of the GSMC (Level 2 security analyst);

In addition, the jobholder will also contribute to ensuring the provision of governmental services (including Public Regulated Service (PRS)).

They will be required to undergo training and certification for their operational role and to maintain their technical competencies and certification (internal and external) as part of the ongoing duties.

The jobholder will be entrusted with the following main tasks and responsibilities:

• Monitor the security and system status of the Components of the Union Space Programme included in the GSMC SOC perimeter (primarily for Level 1 security analysts), handle incidents and security alerts, operate the GSMC Ticketing System to log and trace the full incident handling process, in line with the operational procedure (primarily for Level 2 security analysts);
• Contribute to official recommendations provided to the EU decision-making bodies on the continuity of services, including actions required to maintain it, supporting the Crisis Management and implementing the instructions issued by the relevant authorities;
• Participate and contribute to the review and update of incident handling, lessons learnt, continuous improvement and risk and vulnerability management;
• Contribute to ensuring the timely execution of Governmental services procedures, delivery of access and deconfliction management (PRS being currently the main service to be provided), and supervision of the health status of Galileo system PRS Signal in Space;
• Investigate any degradation of the SOC and governmental services and process the system anomalies and notifications to Competent PRS Authorities when required;
• Support the improvement and evolution of the Security Operation Centre, PRS access and Council Decision 698 operational procedures development;
• Support the validation of the new releases of operational equipment and new service milestones;
• Liaise with other EUSPA departments, notably in the area of Administration, to ensure the execution of related corporate tasks, such as planning, reporting, administration, financial & budget management, risk management, when needed.

The jobholder will be required to work on systems deployed at GSMC as part of a 24/7 shift working and stand-by duty roster in line with the EUSPA’s applicable rules.

Prior to certification and shift operations, the role will be primarily a normal ‘day-time’ job contributing to the development of operations.

[5] Council decision (CFSP) 2021/698 of 30 April 2021 on the security of systems and services deployed, operated and used under the Union Space Programme which may affect the security of the Union.

The selection procedure is open to applicants who satisfy the following eligibility criteria, on the closing date for application:

1. Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies⁶ of at least three years attested by a diploma
2. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland or Norway
3. Be entitled to their full rights as citizen
4. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service
5. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved⁷
6. Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union⁸ and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties
7. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post⁹

Contract agents from EUSPA and other EU agencies are also invited to apply in accordance with the following EUSPA rules: https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_contract_staff_ca.pdf

[6] Only study titles that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration. Qualifications/diplomas awarded in the United Kingdom until 31/12/2020 are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded in the United Kingdom after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/ 

[7] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record.

[8] The languages of the EU are: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish.

[9] Before a successful candidate can be appointed, they will be medically examined by a selected medical service so that the Agency will be satisfied that they fulfil the requirement of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulation of Officials of the European Communities.

All eligible applications, according to the afore-mentioned criteria, will be assessed against the requirements listed below solely based on the information provided by the candidates in their application.

The Selection Board responsible for this selection will determine the criteria to be assessed in the various phases of the selection procedure (assessment of the application forms, interview and written test) prior to being granted access to the names of the applicants.

When filling the online application, candidates are expected to clearly include elements that demonstrate how their profile matches the requirements below.

Professional experience and expertise

1. Previous experience in handling cyber security incidents in line with established operational procedures/processes, preferably gained in an international environment;
2. Experience in working on 24/7 shifts or on-call/stand-by;
3. Previous experience in working with classified information and preferably holding Personnel Security Clearance at or above EU SECRET level or equivalent;
4. Experience in financial, procurement and contract management will be considered as an advantage;
5. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Required competencies

6. Motivation for the post;
7. Excellent communication;
8. Transversal collaboration and working in teams;
9. Customer focus and service orientation, including ability to interact with stakeholders;
10. Ability to deliver accurate work under pressure, organise workload and prioritise tasks.

The current vacancy aims to fill 1 (one) post and establish a reserve list.

A comprehensive description of the selection process is available here.

Indicative date for the interview and written test: June/July 2024. The date might be modified depending on the availability of the Selection Board members.

Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the Selection Board members, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure.

Any questions regarding the selection procedure should be addressed only to: jobs@euspa.europa.eu

In addition, candidates having any personal relationship within the EUSPA shall declare such situation to jobs@euspa.europa.eu.

In order to apply for this position, candidates need to create an account by registering via the EUSPA e-recruitment tool.

Only applications submitted via the e-recruitment tool will be accepted. Applications sent via email or post will not be taken into consideration.

Multiple applications received for the same position via different accounts will lead to the exclusion of the applicant from the selection procedure.

Important: the information provided by candidates in their online application constitutes the solely basis for the assessment of the eligibility and selection criteria. Therefore, they are invited to carefully read the requirements and to provide the relevant information in such detail that would allow this assessment. Particular attention should be paid to information on the education and professional experience, in particular exact dates, description of responsibilities and duties carried out. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure accurate and elaborate completion of the application form and avoidance of unclarities and typos.

All sections of the application should be completed in English in order to facilitate the selection procedure.

In order to be considered, applications must be received by the closing date indicated in the vacancy notice.

Candidates are advised to submit the application well ahead of the deadline in order to avoid potential problems during the final days before the closing date of applications’ submissions. The Agency cannot be held responsible for any last-minute malfunctioning of the e-recruitment tool due to heavy traffic on the website.

Any request for technical support must be sent to: jobs@euspa.europa.eu minimum two working days before the vacancy notice deadline. Please note, that if you submit your request for technical support later, we may not be able to assist you.

Please consult the e-recruitment guideline for instructions on completing the application.

Any questions regarding the selection procedure should be addressed only to: jobs@euspa.europa.eu.

If a candidate considers that they have been adversely affected by a particular decision, they can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Union; submit a judicial appeal under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (ex Art. 236 of the EC Treaty) and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union; or make a complaint to the European Ombudsman.

Details on how to initiate these processes are available here.