Specialist – Counter-Terrorism Operations, ECTC Operational Coordination Team (AP Travellers), Counter-Terrorism Operations Unit (AD6)

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT

This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the MS.

A support office for the ATLAS network (Special Interventions Units) is also set up within ECTC.

The CT Operations Unit strives to add value for EU MS and third-party CT investigations by providing an operational data hub for CT with profound analysis capability, pragmatic operational support by means of rapid field deployment and high specialized expertise by detecting and ensuring bi- and multilateral connectivity of relevant CT services.

This team facilitates the coordination of intelligence at EU level, which enhances the capacity to conduct thorough and effective investigations into the activities of these perpetrators, ensuring that all involved entities are equipped with accurate and actionable intelligence to counteract the associated threats.

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES

The Specialist Counter-Terrorism supports criminal investigations and helps develop security strategies and policies. The Specialist’s expertise is centred on gathering intelligence within the realm of counter-terrorism, with a focus on monitoring of foreign terrorist fighters and threats to the EU.

The Specialist Counter-Terrorism reports to the Head of Team of the ECTC Operational Coordination Team/Head of Unit CT Operations.

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

• Lead and participate in complex investigations related to terrorist activities within the EU and beyond;
• Analyse intelligence on terrorism threats, including identifying patterns, trends, and operational methods of terrorist networks;
• Facilitate the exchange of information and intelligence between EU MS and third parties;
• Represent the Unit in internal and external meetings, engaging with various stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, international organizations, and the private sector, to foster collaboration;
• Prepare and deliver presentations on subjects related to CT;
• Examine evidence from terrorist incidents using forensic techniques (exp. extraction’s devices analysis) and providing technical analysis to support investigations;
• Participate in stand-by duty if and when required;
• Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management.

REQUIREMENTS - ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION CRITERIA

1. Candidates must

• Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties;
• Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post as further specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
• Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

1. Candidates must have

• A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;

• Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g. Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below:

• In addition to the above at least 3 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

1. Professional experience

Essential:

• Experience in conducting CT investigations with an international dimension;
• Experience with investigating foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and the misuse of migration flows for terrorist purpose;
• Experience using battlefield evidence from conflict zones to support international investigations.

Desirable:

• Experience in drafting operational analysis reports and working with analytical tools (for example, I-base, Mercure, Analyst notebook);
• Experience in conducting investigations related to complex data sets associated with lists of foreign terrorist fighters;
• Experience conducting investigative interviews to detect CT suspects;
• Experience in working with the EU “interoperability” concept, and particularly of some of its databases, such as Eurodac, Visa Information System (VIS), and/or the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS);
• Experience in working with the CT international cooperation channels (Siena, SIRENE, PWGT) used to share intelligence/evidence in the CT domain.

1. Professional knowledge

Essential:

• Sound knowledge of terrorist organizations and their activities in the Sahel/Middle East region;
• Knowledge of illegal immigration routes and modus operandi utilized by serious organized crime organizations exploiting the phenomena for terrorism purposes;
• Knowledge of relevant European cooperation protocols for creating alerts in the Schengen Information System SIS II;
• Knowledge of interrogation techniques, with regards to FTFs returnees/asylum requesters.

1. General competencies

Communicating:

• Very good communication skills in English, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences.

Analysing & problem solving:

• Keen eye for detail with the ability to maintain standards of accuracy under pressure of tight deadlines.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook) and the internet.

Delivering quality and results:

• High degree of commitment and flexibility.
• High level of customer and service-orientation.

Prioritising and organising:

• Good administrative and organisational skills.

Resilience:

• Very good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well, both independently and in a team.
• Ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and demonstrate resistance to stress.

Living diversity:

• Ability to work effectively in an international and multi-cultural environment.

1. Additional conditions:

Fulfil the condition stipulated in Article 5 of the Decision of the Executive Director on the Duration of contracts of employment for Temporary Agents, on the start date of the possible contract of employment which may be offered.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

The Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (AACC) sets up a Selection Committee, composed of at least three members, consisting of one chair and at least one member from the administration and one member designated by the Staff Committee.

For restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts), the AACC designates up to two additional members of the Selection Committee if so requested by the Chairperson of the Management Board. The additional members shall consist of a representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union or one representative of the Presidency and one representative of another Member State.

Certain selection criteria will be assessed only for shortlisted candidates during a written test and a competency-based interview.

In case of candidates shortlisted for restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts), who had indicated membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States, Europol will seek confirmation from the relevant Europol National Unit to ensure that those candidates indeed belong to a competent authority.

The Selection Committee will shortlist the 10 highest scoring candidates. All candidates having a score equal to the 10th highest scoring candidate will be invited to take part in the selection procedure. At shortlisting stage, the Selection Committee will establish the pass-mark for the selection procedure.

It is intended for the selection procedure to be conducted remotely. Should the Selection Committee consider it necessary to conduct the selection procedure on-site at Europol in the interest of the proceedings, and subject to budget availability, the candidates invited to participate in the selection procedure will be informed accordingly.

After the selection procedure has taken place, the Selection Committee will establish a list of successful candidates, i.e. those scoring above the pre-defined pass-mark, which is shared with the AACC, for establishment of a Reserve list. A Reserve list is valid for 24 months.

Candidates who participated in the interview will be informed of the outcome, i.e. whether they have been successful or not.

COMPENSATION, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All enquiries related to a selection procedure should be addressed to the Europol HR Operational Support Team at the following email address: C2-12@europol.europa.eu. Detailed information on the selection procedure- including enquiries, measures of redress and their applicable deadlines is available in the Europol Recruitment Guidelines, which can be found on Europol’s website www.europol.europa.eu.

Scale: AD6

Subject to the applicable conditions being met, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations (EUSR)/CEOS and further specified in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allowances such as expatriation allowance (16% of basic gross salary) or foreign residence allowance (4% of basic gross salary), household allowance, dependent child and / or education allowance may be granted.

Europol offers flexible working arrangements, a comprehensive provision for annual leave as well as parental leave supporting a healthy work-life balance.

1. Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 6674.05
2. Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 8677.35

The above information is indicative and for information purposes only. It is merely meant to give an indication of the possible net salary in light of the currently applicable amounts of the related allowances and the level of taxation. It has no legal value and no rights can be derived from it.

Contract of employment

The overall duration of the contracts on restricted posts of Europol staff members will be taken into account if they are successful in the selection procedure.

Before the employment contract is concluded by Europol, the successful candidate will have to:

• declare any conflict of interest;
• undergo a pre-employment medical examination to confirm that he/she is physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post or, alternatively, receive the confirmation from Europol that he/she fulfils the conditions laid down in the Decision of the Deputy Executive Director of the Capabilities Directorate on the pre-employment medical examination available on www.europol.europa.eu;
• in case of candidates for restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts) who had indicated membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States, provide confirmation of his/her membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation.

For further information on terms and conditions, please consult the EUSR/CEOS available on Europol’s website www.europol.europa.eu

Europol reserves the right to terminate the contract of employment during or at the end of the probation period in accordance with Article 14 CEOS.

Security screening and certificate of good conduct

The certificate of good conduct must be issued by the relevant authorities of the country of nationality of the candidate and must not be older than three months at the time of submission to Europol. Europol reserves the right not to proceed with the signature of the contract based on the content of the certificate or if the candidate fails to provide the certificate to Europol.

The certificate of good conduct does not substitute a valid security clearance required for all Europol staff at the level indicated in the vacancy notice. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the employment contract.

Europol may at any time terminate the employment contract if the result of the security screening is not positive and the necessary clearance level is not granted or extended.

The requested level of security clearance for this post is: CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Equal opportunity

All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications, experience and skills.

Europol lives diversity and provides an inclusive work environment to all. Europol strives to recruit, develop and retain a diverse and talented workforce through application of equal opportunity and impartiality.

Privacy Notice

Regulation (EU) 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, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC, applies to the processing of personal data carried out in the process of selection and recruitment of staff at Europol, following the application of this Regulation to all administrative personal data held by Europol in accordance with Article 46 of the Europol Regulation.

Selection procedure: November-December

For further details on the application process and the selection procedure, please consult our FAQs or refer to the EUROPOL RECRUITMENT GUIDELINES available on Europol’s website.

In case of further questions please call +31 (0) 70 353 1387 or +31 (0) 70 302 5276.