JOB DESCRIPTION

1. EUSPA AND THE HIRING DEPARTMENT
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) provides safe, secure, and innovative satellite navigation and communication services for Europe. We advance the commercialisation of Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), and Copernicus data and services, while engaging in secure SATCOM (GOVSATCOM & IRIS²), and operating the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front-Desk. Our work strengthens European autonomy in space technologies, fosters innovation, and supports critical sectors such as transport, agriculture, and economic development across the EU. For more information on the EUSPA and the EU Space Programme, click here.

At EUSPA, we aim for our workforce to be representative of European society and strongly welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We actively seek to create a workplace where each staff member feels valued and respected, can give their best and can develop to their full potential. We believe that diversity drives excellence, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to our shared mission.

To promote diversity and establish a geographically balanced pool of candidates, we strongly encourage applicants from Member States which are underrepresented in the Agency workforce to apply. These Member States are currently Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden. Recruitment will however remain strictly based on the merits of all applicants and no advantage will be given and no positions will be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.

The current vacancy offers an excellent opportunity to work in the Engineering Department which ensures the Agency’s technical leadership on all matters related to EU Space system infrastructure, service, and security engineering, and acts as the Engineering Centre of Competence. The Department is responsible for ensuring the robustness and security of the systems in operations, for developing the infrastructure of the EUSPA service facilities, for providing the operations and service requirements to new system developments, and for engineering new services and their receivers that ensure the wide usage of EU Space data. The Department interfaces with the European Space Agency as design authority of EGNOS and Galileo, and with the industry in charge of the evolution of the systems in operation and of the service facilities.

The Engineering staff are located in several sites and offices (Prague/Czech Republic, Saint-Germain-en-Laye/France, Toulouse/France, Noordwijk/the Netherlands, and Torrejon de Ardoz/Spain). This position requires permanent relocation to the place of employment, Saint-Germain-en-Laye/France – one of the more affluent suburbs of Paris.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
We are looking for a knowledgeable and reliable System Engineer who will contribute to the design, implementation, and optimisation of cutting-edge SOC infrastructure for the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC). This role will shape the design of the next-generation cyber security monitoring solutions to secure the provision of cyber security operations for the services (civil and governmental) of the different EU Space Programme components, with an initial focus on GOVSATCOM and IRIS².

The job holder will interact and coordinate with the SOC manager and report to the Head of Engineering Department or one of the department’s Team Leaders and will be entrusted with the following main tasks and responsibilities:

Contribute to EUSPA’s expanding role in EU Space security;
Lead the technical evolution of SOC capabilities supporting GOVSATCOM and IRIS² secure communications;
Participate in the engineering of custom security solutions addressing unique challenges in multi-orbital satellite communications and ground segment protection;
Collaborate on cyber security frameworks for emerging space technologies and commercial space sector integration;
Manage the industrial development and evolution of state-of-the-art cyber security monitoring systems procured by the Agency, from specification to qualification, including related definition studies and trade-offs;
Coordinate tasks concerning deployment, system handover from development to operations and commissioning of cyber security operations systems;
Identify and implement evolutions within the scope of a continuous improvement scheme;
Support resolution of anomalies and treatment of obsolescence;
Ensure that the compliance of the infrastructure with the requirements and the mission/service baseline is maintained as the systems evolve;
Perform risk management activities, e.g., to assess the impact of requests for deviation and waivers and identify suitable mitigation;
Coordinate the work of industry supporting the above activities;
Keep abreast of the latest cybersecurity technologies used in the market;
Contribute to the decision-making process, including Service/System/Projects Reviews and Boards;
Contribute to procurements, contracts, and grants (e.g. studies, developments, industrial expertise) in support of the above activities;
Liaise with other department, in the areas of Administration and Operations, to ensure execution of related corporate tasks, such as planning, reporting, administration, financial & budget management and risk management.
3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
We welcome applications from all candidates who meet the following eligibility criteria, on the closing date for application:

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies5 attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more
OR
A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and at least one year of appropriate professional experience when the normal period of university education is three years
In addition to the above, appropriate professional experience6 of at least six years after obtaining the required diploma
Be a national of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland or Norway
Be entitled to their full rights as a citizen
Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service
Meet the character requirements for the duties involved7
Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of one of the languages of the European Union8 and a satisfactory knowledge (minimum B2 level) of another language of the European Union8
Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post9
Temporary agents (2f) 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/2024-04/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.pdf. The grade bracket applicable for internal and inter-agency mobility is AD7 – AD8.

[5] 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/.
[6] Only appropriate professional experience acquired after achieving the minimum qualification stated in point.1 shall be considered. Where additional periods of training and study are accompanied by periods of professional activity, only the latter shall be considered as professional experience. Compulsory military service or equivalent civilian service accomplished after achieving the minimum qualification stated in point.1 shall be taken into consideration. Internships will be taken into consideration, if they are paid. Professional activities pursued part-time shall be calculated pro rata, on the basis of the percentage of full-time hours worked. A given period may be counted only once.
[7] 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. The level shall be determined according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
[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 fulfill the requirement of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulation of Officials of the European Union.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA
All eligible applications that meet the criteria outlined above will be fairly and objectively assessed against the selection criteria based solely on the information candidates provide in their applications. 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.

The selection is based on a comparative assessment of eligible candidates against all the selection criteria. Even candidates who do not excel in every single criterion may still be successful in the overall assessment and are therefore encouraged to apply.

When completing the online application, please clearly highlight your relevant skills and experiences that demonstrate how your profile aligns with the requirements below.

Professional experience and expertise

Experience in design and development of cyber security operations systems, including enterprise SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) platforms;
Experience in structured testing and validation of IT systems;
Experience in working in a complex environment with private and/or public sectors stakeholders;
Experience in procurement and management of complex contracts and/or subcontractor activities;
Excellent command of both written and spoken English;
Required competencies

Motivation for the post;
Effective communication;
Transversal collaboration and working in teams;
Result orientation, prioritising and organising;
Customer focus and service orientation.
We warmly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, experiences, and identities to apply. Your unique perspective and talents are valued and essential to our success.