Call for expressions of interest for Contact Agents in the European
Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Helsinki
Information Technology Officer – Remote access
infrastructure specialist
(M/F) - Function Group IV
Ref: ECHA/CA/IV/2012/001
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is launching this call for expressions of interest with a view to establishing reserve list for the following profile:
Reference Title Function
Group
Indicative N° on reserve list
ECHA/CA/IV/2012/001
Information Technology Officer – Remote Access Infrastructure
Specialist
IV 3
The closing date for submission of applications is Monday, 12 March 2012 at noon 12:00 Helsinki time (11:00 Central European Time).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TASKS AND ROLE OF ECHA
The REACH Regulation1, which entered into force on 1 June 2007, establishes a new
regulatory framework for chemical substances in the European Union. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), located in Helsinki, Finland, is at the centre of REACH, which stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals.
REACH aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment while maintaining the competitiveness and enhancing the innovative capability of the EU chemicals industry. REACH gives greater responsibility to industry for managing the risks relating to chemicals and for providing safety information on them. This information must be passed down the supply chain from manufacturers or importers to users.
ECHA is responsible for managing, and in some cases carrying out, the technical, scientific and administrative aspects of REACH, and ensuring consistency at Community level in its application. It provides the Member States and the EU institutions with the best possible scientific and technical advice on issues relating to the chemicals under its remit. You will find more information on ECHA and REACH on the ECHA website at: www.echa.europa.eu.
1
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) (OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1)
1.
THE JOB
The Information Technology Officer – Remote access infrastructure will contribute to the analysis, design, implementation and roll-out of an organisation wide remote application access platform. The key components of this platform will be:
• Delivery of applications, desktop computing and services to external users Europe-wide on a consolidated platform (e.g. SSL-VPN);
• Two-way collaboration platform delivery (e.g. Documentum Center Stage, Microsoft Lync);
• Delivery of electronic messaging platforms (e.g. IRC, Jabber, MS Messenger); • Secure two-factor authentication for services delivered (e.g. based on RSA
technology);
• Single sign-on to services defined in the platform;
• Support for mobile devices (e.g. Apple iPhone and iPad2).
Currently, ECHA uses several different mechanisms for delivering remote connectivity and services. A key objective for the successful candidate will be to significantly contribute to gather requirements for all current implementations and to analyse these requirements, in order to engineer a common solution replacing the current systems. This will be done in cooperation with a multi-disciplinary team of colleagues and consultants.
The scope of the requirements will be at least:
• Required services and their technical constraints (e.g. HTTP, RDP, IPSec, etc.); • User and token management procedures and processes;
• Federation between services delivered (where applicable);
• Categorization of different security levels for applications (e.g. remote external users, remote ECHA users).
The successful candidate will be expected to work independently and coordinate with different parts of the organization to gather requirements and to propose solutions to his/her supervisor. Close collaboration with software development projects, operational ICT staff and stakeholders are key components of the job.
The job includes the following tasks:
Key tasks:
• Coordination and contribution to analysis, design and implementation of remote connectivity solutions utilising encryption, directory services and strong two-factor authentication;
• Solution engineering of single sign-on solutions for remote delivery of web and other applications;
• Solution engineering for delivery of applications remotely via a consolidated collaboration platform (Juniper Secure Access, Documentum collaboration module).
Additional foreseen tasks:
• Coordination and contribution to implementation of local area network authentication mechanisms (e.g. Cisco NAC, 802.1x);
• Integration of remote access solutions and user management with an Identity Management Platform (e.g. Microsoft FIM 2010) and directory services;
• Solution engineering for remote desktop solutions and access systems (VMware View, RDP, X-windows, Citrix);
• Contribution to present and discuss technical solutions within the Network of Security Officers appointed by the Competent Authorities who represent the main external users of ECHA’s Scientific IT tools;
• Perform other duties as required.
2.
FORMAL REQUIREMENTS
You must fulfil the requirements set out below.
2.1.
General conditions
• Be a national of a Member State of the European Union2 or a national of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway);
• Enjoy your full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service; • Produce the appropriate character references as to your suitability for the
performance of your duties3;
• Be physically fit to perform your duties4;
• Have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union5 and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of your duties.
As the predominant language of internal communication in the Agency is English, ability to communicate in that language is an assessment criterion in all profiles.
2
The Member States of the European Union are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
3
Before appointment, successful applicants will be required to produce an official document showing that they do not have a criminal record.
4
Before the appointment, successful applicants will be required to undergo a medical examination to ensure that they fulfil the requirements of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulations of the Officials of the European Communities.
5
Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Irish, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish.
2.2.
Qualifications and professional experience
a) Successful completion of a full course of university studies attested by a degree in a field relevant to the areas of work listed in section 1, where the normal duration of university education is at least three (3) years;
And
b) Appropriate professional experience6 of at least three (3) years in posts related to the
tasks listed in the section 1.
University degree related to the areas of work listed in section 1 includes primarily: • Computer science;
• Informatics;
• Electrical/Electronic engineering; • Network engineering;
• Physical Sciences/Mathematics/Engineering.
Other university degrees will be considered only if they are relevant to the areas of work listed in section 1.
Only qualifications issued by EU Member State authorities or EEA authorities and qualifications recognized as equivalent by the relevant EU or EEA Member State authorities will be accepted.
3.
SELECTION
If you meet the formal requirements set out in section 2, you will be assessed on the basis of the following selection criteria. The candidates who are judged to be the most suitable on the basis of the selection criteria will be invited to an interview.
• Your academic and professional qualifications and their relevance to the main areas of work listed in section 1;
• Your professional experience: the range of fields covered; the type and level of work done and its relevance to the areas of work listed in section 1.
6
Only relevant professional experience acquired after achieving the minimum qualification stated in 2.2 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 2.2. shall be taken into consideration. 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.
The following will be considered as assets:
• Professional experience in identity and access management (IDM / IAM) implementation projects;
• Professional experience in deploying identity federation solutions between business partners;
• Professional experience with Juniper SA 6500 devices; • Experience in implementing Cisco NAC and/or 802.1x; • Experience with VMware View architecture;
• Experience with X-Windows architecture; • Certifications related to the technologies above.
4.
INTERVIEW AND WRITTEN TESTS
If you are invited to attend an interview, details of the time, date and address of the interview will be communicated to you by e-mail, via an invitation letter.
You will be required to bring with you originals and copies or officially certified copies of the documents listed in the invitation letter.
If, at any stage in the procedure, it is established that the information on your application form is incorrect, you will be disqualified from the selection.
Candidates will be required to undergo written tests at the time of the interview, in accordance with the level and profile of the position advertised. The written tests shall consist of the following components:
• Language abilities to the extent necessary for the performance of duties; • Specific competencies with reference to the profile;
• Ability to produce well-structured project plans for the deployment of solutions like those in scope of the tasks in section 1.
The previous-mentioned components can be combined.
In the interview, in addition to the requirements under Section 3, you will be assessed on the basis of the following core skills:
• Basic understanding of the role and aims of ECHA; • Knowledge of the various tasks listed in section 1; • Capacity for team work in a multicultural environment;
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and spoken English;
• Ability to grasp large concepts and produce high-level designs and solutions for the tasks listed in section 1.
5.
APPOINTMENT AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Successful candidates will be placed on the Reserve List adopted by the Executive Director. Candidates placed on Reserve List may be recruited as Contract Agents, pursuant to Article 3 a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, subject to availability of posts and budgetary resources.
Candidates should note that inclusion in the Reserve List does not guarantee recruitment. The Reserve List may be used for future recruitment, should similar vacancies arise.
Following attainment of the qualifications and professional experience in part 2.2 above, the successful candidates may be recruited in function group IV:
• in grade 13, step 1 if the person has professional experience of up to seven (7) years;
• in grade 14, step 1 if the person has professional experience of more than seven (7) years;
• in grade 16, step 1 if the person has professional experience of more than twenty (20) years;
Contract agents 3 a) may be engaged under their first contract for a fixed period of three (3) years that may be renewed.
The basic salary of Contract Agents in the relevant grades is as follows: GRADE BASIC SALARY (€)
16 4.555,99
14 3.558,90
13 3.145,45
In addition to the basic salary, Contract Agents could be entitled, depending on their personal situation and upon presentation of supporting documents, to family allowances, expatriation allowance or foreign residence allowance and other benefits in accordance with the Staff Regulations and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities. Their salary will be weighted according to the cost-of-living co-efficient for Finland (currently 19.4%). Contract Agent salaries are subject to Community tax and pension and social security deductions, but not to national tax. ECHA also offers a comprehensive welfare package including a pension scheme and insurance to cover illness, accident, invalidity and unemployment.
The place of employment will be Helsinki, Finland, where ECHA has its offices. The candidate may be requested to be available at short notice.
For any further information on contract agents’ selection process and on the contractual and working conditions, please, refer to the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of
the European Communities 7 as well as to the Implementing Rules concerning the
Contract Agents8 adopted by European Chemicals Agency on 26 February 2009.
6.
HOW TO APPLY
All interested candidates are invited to apply, by filling in the Application Form which you
can find at the following web address:
https://comments.echa.europa.eu/comments_cms/echa-ca-2012-001.aspx
Candidates are required to attach the ECHA CV
http://echa.europa.eu/doc/opportunities/jobs/echa_cv.doc to their application form.
NB: FAILURE TO USE THE ECHA CV WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION WILL LEAD TO EXCLUSION FROM THE PROCEDURE.
In order to be considered, applications must:
• Be submitted online;
• Be received by the closing date for submission; • Include the ECHA CV.
To apply online, follow the instructions below:
• Identify the open post in the Job Opportunities page and click on "Vacancy Notice" to see the post description;
• Make sure you comply with the eligibility and the selection criteria required for the post;
• Fill in and save the ECHA CV under the title “Your Family Name _ Your First Name”, either as .doc or as .PDF file (e.g.: Doe_John.doc or Doe_John.PDF). You should indicate in the ECHA CV the reference number and the title of the Vacancy Notice, as mentioned in page no. 1 of the current document;
• Click on the link "Application Form" that appears below the Vacancy Notice and fill in all the required fields;
• Then use the Browse button to locate the ECHA CV (saved under the title “Your Family Name _ Your First Name”, - either as .doc or as .PDF file) and to upload the attachment;
• Press the button "Submit to ECHA" at the bottom of the page to finalize your application.
After successfully submitting your application, a confirmation message will appear on your screen and you will receive an automatically generated email as an acknowledgement of receipt, sent to the email address that you provided in the form.
Please contact us at [email protected] if you are not able to successfully submit your application.
7
The text can be downloaded from the European Commission’s website at the following address: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/consleg/1962/R/01962R0031-20060701-en.pdf
8
NB: Applications that are sent after the closing date for submission, that are incomplete or do not fulfil the criteria set out above will be excluded from the selection.
7.
OTHER INFORMATION
7.1.
Communication
This Vacancy Notice contains all the information required. If you nevertheless have a question, you may send an e-mail to [email protected].
You will receive all communications and notices concerning this selection procedure by e-mail. You are responsible for checking your e-mail regularly to see whether you have received any communication or notice. The European Chemicals Agency declines all responsibility for failure on the part of applicants to respond to notices posted into your e-mail. (For practical reasons we advice you to check also SPAM folder in your e-mail).You are also responsible for notifying ECHA in the event of any change in your postal or e-mail address.
You are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the Selection Board appointed to evaluate the applications either directly or indirectly. It is up to the Selection Board to decide whether applicants infringing this rule are to be disqualified.
7.2.
Approximate timetable
Depending on the total number of applicants, the selection procedure may take approximately six months from the closing date for applications to the adoption of the reserve lists.
7.3.
Equal opportunities
The European Union institutions and other bodies apply a policy of equal opportunities and accept applications without distinction on the grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation.
7.4.
Requests for Review and Appeal Procedures
Applicants who consider that their interests have been prejudiced by any decision related to the selection procedure can take the following actions:
Requests for review
• Within 10 days of the date written on the notification of the decision, the applicant may submit a request for review in writing to the Chairman of the Selection Board at the below address, stating the reasons for their request:
Chairman of the Selection Board
[title and reference number of the selection] European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
P.O. Box 400
The envelope should be clearly marked “PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL – NOT TO BE OPENED BY THE MAIL SERVICE”. Requests for review should be submitted in writing. The date of the postmark will be evidence of timely submission. Please indicate the name used in your application clearly in all correspondence.
Appeal procedure
• Within 3 months of the date written on the notification of the decision, the applicant may lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European
Community (
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/consleg/1962/R/01962R0031-20060701-en.pdf) at the following address by registered mail:
Human Resources Unit
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) P.O. Box 400
(FI)-00121 HELSINKI, Finland
• Within 3 months of the date written on the notification of the decision, the applicant may submit an appeal to the European Union Civil Service Tribunal, Boulevard Konrad Adenauer, L-2925 Luxembourg.
The time limits for initiating these two types of procedure (see Staff Regulations as amended by Council Regulation (EC)N 723/2004 (OJ L 124 27.4.2004, p.l) – http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex start to run from the time you are notified of the act allegedly prejudicing your interests.
Complaints to the European Ombudsman
Like all citizens of the European Union, an applicant can make a complaint to the: European Ombudsman
1 Avenue du President Robert Schuman – BP 403 F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex
7.5.
Protection of personal data
The information submitted during the selection process will be used solely for that purpose. The legal basis for the processing is found in the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS), and in particular in Articles 12-15 and 82-84 of CEOS.
The European Chemicals Agency will ensure on its part that applicants' personal data is processed as required by Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. Only ECHA staff directly involved in the selection procedure in question shall have access to this data. In some cases an external contractor, equally bound by the same data protection principles, might assist the Agency in the pre-selection of candidates.
When an applicant is selected for inclusion on the reserve list, his/her personal data will be stored for the duration of the validity of the reserve list, while for non-recruited candidates the information will be stored for a maximum period of two years. Documents related to recruited candidates are kept in the agent’s personal file, which are kept until 10 years after the jobholder has terminated employment at the Agency, provided there are no pending claims or any other open issues.
Any party submitting personal data to ECHA is entitled to access and rectify that data (after the closing date of the application deadline, rectification is limited to identification data however). To exercise these rights, contact the data controller at [email protected]. Furthermore, you also have the right to recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor.
Applications:
For the Guide for applicants and the Application form go to the Open Positions section of the ECHA’s website at the following URL: http://echa.europa.eu/opportunities/positions_en.asp
