Legal and Procurement Officer

Legal and Procurement Officer

EUSPA – European Union Agency for the Space Programme

Prague, Czech Republic

Vacancy details

Type of contract: Temporary Agent
Reference number: EUSPA/2024/AD/008
Grade/Function group: AD5
Place of employment¹: Prague/Czech Republic
Deadline for applications: 11.06.2024 11:59 AM (GMT+2)
Contract duration (Y): 5
Possibility of renewal²: yes
Desired start date: 2024/2025
Possible reserve list valid until: 31.12.2024
Organisational department: Legal & Procurement
Reporting to³: Head of Department or their assignee
Level of security clearance⁴: SECRET UE/EU SECRET

1. EUSPA AND THE HIRING DEPARTMENT

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, and 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 economic growth and health 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 EU Space Programme, click here.

The Legal and Procurement Department steers the legal dimension and ensures the overall follow-up of all EUSPA legal activities and provides legal advice on all EUSPA policies. The department assists all other departments in contract preparation, negotiation and interpretation and manages all procurements, contracts, grants and other agreements. It also oversees the protection of personal data and ensures compliance with relevant legislation.

The position requires permanent relocation to the Agency’s headquarters in the heart of Europe, Prague, a location with excellent connections to numerous major European cities. The capital of the Czech Republic, located on the banks of the Vltava River, is famous for its cultural life, renowned musical life, historic buildings, magical bridges, and recognised museums and monuments.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

We are looking looking for a Legal and Procurement Officer who will support the Agency in implementation of a broad range of legal tasks pertaining to both administrative and operational activities. The jobholder will, among other tasks, handle the entire life-cycle of procurements and contract management.

The tasks and responsibilities will in principle include the following areas:

1. Legal advice:
   • Provide legal advice on operations, administration and regulatory framework of the Agency;
   • Provide advice on procurement;
   • Advise on staff matters, interpretation/drafting of legal instruments.
2. Procurement:
   • Draft and help coordinating calls for tenders in line with standard best practices;
   • Manage calls for tenders/(e.g. publication, organisation of and assistance to evaluation boards, selection process, contract award and signature);
   • Interface with relevant stakeholders, including finance department, project officers, economic operators and auditors.
3. Contract drafting and management:
   • Draft and support negotiating contracts;
   • Follow up on contract interpretation, implementation, performance and enforcement, and assist project officers with issues in contract lifecycle;
   • Support in building and maintaining of an up-to date tender, contractual and other legal commitments database.
4. Provide support for the implementation of any other tasks falling under responsibility of the Legal and Procurement Department, as well as liaise with other departments, notably in the area of Administration, to ensure the execution of related corporate tasks, such as planning, reporting, administration, financial and budget management, risk management.

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

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 studies⁵ 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 involved⁶;
6. Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union⁷ 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 post⁸.

Temporary agents (2f) from EUSPA and other EU agencies, in grade AD5 or AD6, are also invited to apply in accordance with the following EUSPA rules: https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.pdf. The grade bracket applicable for internal and inter-agency mobility is AD5 – AD6.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

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. University degree in law;
2. Experience in legal practice and/or public procurement practice, in particular experience in drafting and negotiating contracts, producing opinions related to procurement and contracts;
3. Good knowledge (by training or experience) of the EU institutional and regulatory framework, including in particular Financial Regulation and Staff Regulations;
4. Excellent command of both written and spoken English.

Required competencies:

5. Motivation for the post;
6. Effective communication;
7. Sense of confidentiality, professional integrity and service mindset;
8. Ability to collaborate within transversal teams;
9. Ability to prioritise and organise workload to effectively deliver assigned work under tight deadlines;
10. Sense of accountability and attention to detail.

5. SELECTION PROCEDURE

The current vacancy aims to establish a reserve list.

A comprehensive description of the selection process is available here.

Indicative date for the interview and written test: September 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.

6. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

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 to facilitate the selection procedure.

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 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.

7. APPEAL PROCEDURE

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.

8. SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS:

The remuneration consists of a basic salary⁹ and, where applicable, additional allowances¹⁰, paid on a monthly basis and reimbursements¹¹, paid upon their evidenced occurrence.

The sum of the basic salary and the applicable additional allowances is weighted by the correction coefficient applicable for the location of the post¹². The sum of usual social deductions from salary at source is subtracted from the weighted amount¹³. The full pay is exempted from the national income tax, but is subject to the internal income tax and the solidarity levy¹⁴.

Examples of net monthly salaries (as currently applicable in the Czech Republic) are presented below:

LEAVE ENTITLEMENTS:

Staff is entitled to annual leave of two working days per each complete calendar month of service plus additional days for the grade, age, home leaves for expatriates and an average of 16 EUSPA public holidays per year.

Special leave is granted for certain circumstances such as marriage, moving, elections, birth or adoption of a child, serious sickness of spouse, etc.

SOCIAL SECURITY:

The pension scheme provides a very competitive pension after a minimum of 10 years of service and reaching the pensionable age. Pension rights acquired in one or more national schemes before starting to work at EUSPA may be transferred into the EU pension system.

EUSPA’s benefits include an attractive Health insurance: staff is covered 24/7 and worldwide by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS). Staff is insured against sickness, accident and occupational disease, and could be entitled to unemployment and to invalidity allowances.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND BENEFITS CONTRIBUTING TO WORK-LIFE BALANCE:

EUSPA aims at creating and maintaining a supportive and healthy work environment that enables staff members to have balance between work and personal responsibilities, for example through flexible working time arrangements.

EUSPA also offers a wide range of training courses to develop staff members’ personal skills and keep in touch with the latest developments in their field. The training and professional development opportunities are attuned to the career plan and requirements of the departments.

INTERNAL AND INTERAGENCY MOBILITY:

In case of internal or interagency mobility, EUSPA and the selected candidate shall conclude a contract of employment in accordance with the EUSPA rules:
https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.pdf.

9. COMMITMENT

Declaration of commitment to serve the public interest independently:

The jobholders will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make a declaration in relation to any interest that might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

The jobholders will be required to carry out their duties and conduct themselves solely with the interests of the European Union in mind; they shall neither seek nor take instruction from any government, authority, organisation or person outside their institution. They shall carry out the duties assigned with objectivity, impartiality and loyalty to the European Union.

Commitment to promote equal opportunities:

The Agency is an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourages applications from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility and selection criteria without any distinction whatsoever on grounds of nationality, age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or other family situation.

10. DATA PROTECTION

The personal data requested from applicants will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) N° 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, officers and agencies and on the free movement of such data (repealing Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 and Decision N° 1247/2002/EC) and the applicable privacy statement which can be accessed here.

^[1] The place of employment is subject to changes in the interest of the service and always under due consideration of the Staff Member’s interests;
^[2] Possibility of renewal for a fixed period and a further renewal for an indefinite period on the conditions set out in the Staff Regulations and in the Conditions of Employment for Other Servants;
^[3] The organisational department and the hierarchical reporting line may change in line with the developments of the EUSPA and department’s organisation;
^[4] The successful candidate must hold a valid personnel security clearance at the level defined above or be able and willing to apply for it immediately after the contract signature. The procedure for obtaining a personnel security clearance shall be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate. Description of the EU classified information levels is available here;
^[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] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record;
^[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;
^[8] Before a successful candidate can be appointed, s/he 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;
^[9] As per Articles 92 and 93 CEOS;
^[10] Household allowance (e.g. if you have a dependent child or you are married and your spouse’s income is below a defined threshold); Dependent child allowance (e.g. if you have a child under the age of 18 or between 18 and 26, if in specified training programme); Education allowances (in very specific cases) or Payment of the education fees applicable to the educational institutions EUSPA has an agreement with (currently more than 18 international schools in the Czech Republic and Spain, and accredited European Schools in France and in the Netherlands); Expatriation allowance (16% of the sum of basic salary and other applicable allowances);
^[11] If the staff member is requested to change the residence in order to take up duties, they will be entitled to: reimbursement of the travel costs; temporary daily subsistence allowance (EUR 49.59 for up to 180 days, with dependents; or EUR 40.00 for up to 120 days, if no dependents); installation allowance (depending on personal situation, 1 or 2 months of the basic salary – paid upon successful completion of the nine-month probationary period);
^[12] Currently correction coefficients for the EUSPA duty locations are: 102,9% for CZ, 119,5% for FR, 114,6% for NL, 94,7% for ES. The coefficient is updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July;
^[13] Pension (11.10%); health insurance (1.70%); accident cover (0.10%); unemployment insurance (0.81%);
^[14] Currently: income tax: tax levied progressively at a rate of between 8% and 45% of the taxable portion of the salary; solidarity levy: 6%;
^[15] Kindly note that the numbers in examples b) and c) are indicative and net monthly remuneration varies depending on the personal, life and social situation of the incumbent. The various components of the remuneration are updated every year, with retroactive effect from 1 July.

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