Trainee Security

EDA - European Defence Agency

Brussels, Belgium

THE TRAINEESHIP

The aim of this traineeship is to assist with security policies, procedures and security awareness tasks, standard horizontal/coordination tasks of the EDA Security Unit, as well as to contribute to the completion of punctual administrative tasks related to EDA’s new building project.

TASKS AND DUTIES

Under the supervision of a traineeship advisor, the trainee will work with colleagues in the area of Security and will contribute to the following activities:

the development of security rules, policies, and guidelines, following the principles, requirements and implementing provisions laid down in Council Decision 2013/488/EU on the security rules for protecting EU Classified Information;
the production, among others, of practical security related instructions for staff handling EU Classified Information (EUCI), best practices, and operating procedures;
the promotion of a security culture in EDA;
specific security awareness campaigns developed and executed by the Security Unit;
tasks related to the compliance and implementation of industrial security rules concerning classified EDA projects and initiatives;
take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

A typical day at work may involve the following activities:

supporting the drafting and implementation of security policies and procedures;
supporting the identification of gaps in existing policies;
supporting the security team in the development and implementation of security awareness campaigns;
compliance and accreditation check of the security requirements of the classified projects (checking contract provisions and preparing forms for clearance verification);
creating and keeping up to date records on security projects and files;
supporting the drafting of provisions for the security related contracts;
supporting the security team in ad hoc tasks related to the implementation of security measures for the new building;
contributing to the preparation of security training materials and presentations;
assisting in checking security contracts’ invoices (back-up);
archiving of electronic and physical files;
updating the Unit’s SharePoint page;
assisting in the daily security business such as support for the physical security and personnel security related tasks;
handling incoming and outgoing mails;
participating in Unit meetings, attending meetings with internal (Legal, Procurement, operational staff) and external stakeholders (mainly from other EU institutions).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Project outputs & learning outcomes:

The selected trainee will be involved in security policies, procedures as well as implementing processes and will gain knowledge in drafting documents, record management and administration. The trainee will also become familiar with basic physical and information security principles, security awareness, as well as the processes of procurement and invoicing involving security contracts. In addition, we offer the trainees a very diverse work experience covering the whole range of security in an international environment and in a multicultural and fast-paced environment.

Technical/Soft skills to be acquired:

From this experience the trainee will gain:

ability to work effectively in a multinational/multicultural and complex environment;
ability to work effectively in an EU environment;
understanding of Security Management;
drafting policy papers;
very good organisational and communication skills;
ability to work in a small team and independently in his/her/their area of responsibility;
flexibility and ability to communicate with different counterparts (EU Institutions’ representatives, governments and third parties);
report preparation and writing skills.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be considered eligible to take part in this selection procedure, on the closing date for the submission of applications candidates must satisfy all the eligibility criteria as specified below:

be a national of a Member State participating in the Agency;
be entitled to their full rights as citizens;
produce the appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of their duties (extract from the “judicial record” or certificate of good conduct will be requested prior to recruitment);
be physically fit to perform their duties;
have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1 oral and written) of one of the languages of the participating Member States and a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2 oral and written) of another of these languages to the extent necessary to discharge their duties;
have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of their duties within the Agency;
hold, or be in a position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (national or EU PSC at SECRET UE/EU SECRET level);
have completed at least the first (minimum three-year) cycle of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent by the closing date for applications;
have not previously undertaken for more than six weeks a paid or unpaid traineeship or any kind of employment in another EU institution, Agency, or body.

Please note the following:

Age limit:

No age limit is imposed on the candidates for traineeships; however, as a matter of priority, traineeships are offered to recent university graduates.

UK nationality:

Due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of another participating EU Member State, are not eligible.

Languages:

For native English speakers, the ability to communicate in another EU language will be tested during the selection process.

Personnel Security Clearance (PSC):

This is a certificate issued by a competent authority establishing that an individual is security cleared and holds a valid national or EU PSC, and which shows the level of EUCI to which that individual may be granted access (CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above), the date of validity of the relevant PSC and the date of expiry of the certificate itself. Please note that the procedure for obtaining a PSCC can only be initiated by EDA on behalf of the selected candidate.

Non-EU diplomas:

Only diplomas that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration. In the latter case, the authority authorised to conclude contracts of employment reserves the right to request proof of such equivalence. For diplomas awarded in non-EU countries, a NARIC recognition is required.

UK diplomas:

Qualifications/diplomas awarded until 31/12/2020 in the United Kingdom are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

The pre-selection of candidates to be invited to an interview is based on a comparative assessment of all applications against the selection criteria and additional assets.

It should be highlighted that the selection criteria constitute a minimum threshold and that only candidates considered as most suitable are invited to an interview.

Essential:

On the closing date for the submission of applications candidates must satisfy all the essential criteria as specified below:

a University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in Security Studies, Business/public Administration, Law, International Relations, or similar;
advanced IT skills, particularly in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook);
a very good command of written and spoken English (minimum level C1).