EEAS – Vacancy Notice: CONTRACT AGENT FG III – Regional IT Officer (RITO) AT THE EU DELEGATION TO KENYA – Administration section – EUROPEAN EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE (EEAS)

WE ARE

The European External Action Service (EEAS) is the EU’s diplomatic service. It helps the EU’s foreign affairs chief – the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – carry out the Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The European Union (EU) currently has 143 Delegations, eight of which are to international organisations. In all, 6200 staff are currently serving in these Union Delegations. The EU Delegations are placed under the authority of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who is also Vice President of the European Commission. The work of a Delegation varies from country to country but, in general, covers political matters, press and information, trade, aid management and the external aspects of internal EU policies.

WE PROPOSE

A position as Regional IT Officer in Kenya

We will offer to the successful candidate a contract corresponding to a Contract Agent FG III, as per Article 3a of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS) for an initial period of 3 years, with possibility of renewal.

WE LOOK FOR

The Regional IT Officer will be responsible, under the authority of the Head of Delegation (HOD) and under the direct responsibility of the Head of Administration (HOA), and the guidance of the division EEAS.BA.BS3, for the day-to-day running of the IT infrastructure and the support to the users of the Delegations under the remit of the regional center.

The main tasks to be executed are: (non-exhaustive list)

ICT infrastructure management

• Ensure the implementation and perform daily operations of the server infrastructure, their maintenance, upgrades, updates, backups, restores, capacity planning, security and audit, incident and problem management.
• Manage shared resources (disks, printers); assign rights to users; create and maintain necessary automation scripts.
• Manage the internal LAN, the IP address allocation and other network equipment.
• In general, take the necessary measures to ensure a high level of quality and availability in the ICT infrastructure.
• Ensure the proper registration, by using the ticketing tool, all IT incidents and service requests reported to him and, whenever unable to provide a solution, escalate to the appropriate higher level of support.
• Ensure, follow-up, implement solutions, and in general, participate in the Incident and Request Fulfillment processes actively.
• Supervise and support the activities of the Level1 IT support staff in the assigned Delegations. Ensure defined processes are well followed by the IT staff (proper use of ITSM tools)
• Monitor closely the status of the IT infrastructure and react properly to incidents and outages.
• Install and manage the Wifi infrastructure of the Delegations.

ICT equipment management

• Deploy the new PC/Laptops Reference configurations, software updates, etc. via the provided tools and procedures (Ivanti and SCCM) in coordination with HQ support and local ITSUP.

ICT security management

• Apply the security policies decided by the HQ and propose additional measures if necessary.
• Manage whenever necessary the accounts, keeping updated the different directories.
• Ensure that all precautions are taken concerning sensitive information.
• In general, implement the necessary measures to keep a high level of IT security in the office.

ICT advice and management

• Organize and/or attend meetings on day-to-day matters related with the IT operation, participate in discussions, assessing the impact of changes and make recommendations.
• Assist the Head of Administration with budget related expenditure estimates, in the preparation, maintaining of office budgets and servicing costs.
• Assist in the negotiation with suppliers, associated agencies with regard to equipment, cabling, access to Internet etc.
• Maintain necessary budgetary control records.
• Prepare a quarterly activity report.
• Ensure business continuity by remotely managing the ICT infrastructure during absences or missions of other RITOs for the Delegations in the same regional group.
• Perform regular and frequent missions to the Delegations within the same region or exceptionally on demand to other regions.
• Participate in one or more “Centres of Expertise” (COE), according to his expertise on specific IT fields, and provide effective 2nd/3rd level of IT support to all Delegations. In parallel, participate in global IT projects, related to his expertise, as requested by EEAS/BA.BS.3.
• Optionally and when requested by EEAS/ BA.BS.3, act as “Service Owner” i.e. responsible for the delivery of specific IT services, at global scale.

LEGAL BASIS

The vacancy is to be filled in accordance with the conditions stipulated under the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). ¹

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Further to the conditions set out in Article 82 CEOS, in order to be eligible for the post of contract agent FG III, candidates must:

• (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/apply/job-offers_en?keyword=&contract=37&grade=Al…

Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications for engagement as contract agent FG III:

• Have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma; or
• (ii) a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years; or
• (iii) in exceptional circumstances and where justified in the interest of the service, professional training or professional experience of an equivalent level (related to the nature of the tasks and qualifications indicated in the Job Description);
• have the capacity to work in languages of CFSP 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

Proven pertinent experience in at least 3 of the following areas:

• Installation and maintenance of Datacentre infrastructure. This includes hardware-racking-cabling-configuration-monitoring-patching-upgrading-power and cooling-UPS.
• Knowledge of Microsoft OS for servers, virtualization and storage (VMWARE and/or HyperV).
• Installation and maintenance of enterprise networks. (lan – router – firewalls – wifi – fiber and coper cabling- VOIP technologies- Videoconferencing…).
• Configuration, maintenance, patching and support of workplace equipment (laptops – desktops – printers – smartphone – tablets) in a large environment including software distribution and remote support.
• End-user support in front and back office – including ITIL processes.

General skills and competencies

Candidates should demonstrate (and will be evaluated on):

• proven knowledge of and/or certification in:
  • Physical infrastructure of a DC ( racking / KVM / PDU / power / Cooling)
  • Servers and storage Management
  • Virtualization management (Vmware / Hyper V / Sina)
  • End point management (staging-patching-debugging-Ivanti-SCCM)
  • LAN management (switches/cabling)
• being “service minded” with experience in end-user support (remotely and onsite) and ITIL processes;
• strong communication skills – capacity to translate complex technical matters into “user language”;
• a sense of initiative, autonomy and pragmatic approach;
• very good organisational skills and a service minded attitude;
• a capacity to assure quality, speed and accuracy in performing complex tasks in a multicultural environment.

Furthermore

• experience in handling secure communications and classified information;
• knowledge of IT tools used in EU institutions (ARES, MIPS, Sysper2, Syslog, RUE, etc.);
• experience of working in a team in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment;
• experience in managing large infrastructure projects;
• previous experience in EU institutions and/or EU Delegations, notably from the administrative section;
• Knowledge of EU languages (other than EN and FR).

will be considered as assets.

SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

The signature of the contract will be subject to prior favourable opinion of the Medical Service. On that occasion, the candidate should indicate any serious health problems or requirements for specialised medical treatment for themselves and/or for the individuals who will accompany them. If staff members withhold such information they will not benefit from a reimbursement by the institution of certain costs, e.g. expenses relating to medical evacuation, or to a return to Headquarters in the case of early rotation. Please note that vaccination against Covid-19 is highly recommended.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting if she or he does not hold already a Personal Security Clearance (PSC) to an appropriate level (EU SECRET), in accordance with relevant security provisions.

As a matter of policy, applications of individuals who have the dual nationality of the host country or the partner of whom has the nationality of the host country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The EEAS examines if there could be a conflict of interest and the consequence of a possible refusal by the host country to grant diplomatic immunity to the staff member and or his/her partner and family, as well as possible security risks. The HR Department may ask for additional information from the applicant in this context.

The “Hostile Environment Awareness Training” (HEAT) is compulsory before taking up duty/going on mission in some countries. The EEAS will provide the selected candidate with that possibility in case she or he has not yet followed the training.

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 the Functional mailbox CONTRACTAGENTS-DELEGATIONS@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 PROCEDURE²

Candidates are deemed to be fully aware of the local living conditions, including information concerning the accommodation, before applying. Individual post reports are available from EEAS.BA.HR.3, Rights and Obligations (RIGHTS-AND-OBLIGATIONS@eeas.europa.eu).

Candidates should ensure that they are also fully aware of the provisions of Annex X of the Staff Regulations.

Candidates are invited to draft their CV following the European CV format which can be found at the following Internet address: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae and indicating clearly the EPSO application ID number.

Applications (CV and motivation letters) shall be sent to the functional mailbox of Division BA.BS.3.ICT:

RM-BS-3@eeas.europa.eu

IT-OPERATIONS@eeas.europa.eu

with a copy to contractagents-delegations@eeas.europa.eu

DEADLINE : The closing date for the submission of applications is 09/02/2022 at noon (CET).

Late applications will not be accepted.

Place of employment: Nairobi, Kenya

LCA (living conditions allowance): 25%

Post Available: immediately

 

¹ Staff Regulations of Officials (SR) and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). For reference, see https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1570023902133&uri=CE…

² 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: (http://eeas.europa.eu/data_protection/rights/index_en.htm) and on the EEAS Intranet: (https://intranet.eeas.europa.eu/page/eeas-work/data-protection/privacy-s…).