Functional area: Administration

Reference: 2015-082-EXT

The Security and Safety Division of the European Central Bank (ECB) operates a physical security and safety programme for the members of the ECB’s decision-making bodies, staff and visitors, as well as for valuables and the ECB’s premises. As such, it is responsible for taking all necessary measures to prevent harm to assets and staff stemming from fire and smoke. The Division also actively supports the efforts of ECB to ensure business continuity and plays an active role in the ECB’s Crisis Management Team and in the Assessment Team which provides with advice. It comprises two units: Premises Security & Protective Service.
The Division is seeking applications for the position of Security Expert in the Premises Security unit; the focus of which is all matters related to fire prevention and safety in general.
The successful applicant will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• providing expert advice on matters related to fire prevention and safety to ensure a safe working environment for ECB staff;
• ensuring that the Division meets its legal obligations in matters related to fire prevention and safety;
• defining rules, policies and procedures as regards fire prevention and safety;
• monitoring and reporting on the implementation of such rules, policies and procedures, and drafting documents needed to ensure implementation;
• implementing and executing technical and organisational fire prevention and safety measures for ECB premises;
• organising and conducting regular fire safety inspections of ECB premises;
• developing, implementing and maintaining the Division’s security and safety awareness programme;
• liaising with the security experts in charge of the Facility Protection teams for the ECB’s premises;
• liaising with the other teams in the Division, in particular the Security Engineering Team, with a view to fostering the integration of all operational, technical and administrative security and safety measures for all of the ECB’s premises;
• liaising with other divisions and external counterparts (e.g. fire safety authorities) and acting as an interface in all matters related to fire prevention and safety;
• dealing with crisis management issues related to fire prevention and safety, for example as a member of the Assessment Team;
• representing the divisional management in internal and external fora on matters of relevance.

Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies:

• ideally a master’s degree in fire prevention and safety or construction, electrical or chemical engineering or other relevant field, or (i) a bachelor’s degree combined with relevant professional qualifications or four years of relevant experience in the field of fire prevention and safety or (ii) a relevant professional qualification (such as the successful completion of training to become a senior fire brigade officer (upper-level civil servant)) combined with eight years of relevant experience in fire prevention and safety;
• in addition, at least three years of experience as a fire prevention/safety expert, ideally including the provision of expert advice on fire prevention, preferably related to the design of fire prevention concepts for larger (e.g. high-rise) building construction projects;
• a qualification as a certified occupational safety and health expert would be a distinct advantage;
• experience in drafting briefings, policies and notes and/or in developing standard operating procedures;
• ideally, knowledge and understanding of the key physical security systems and their interfaces with fire prevention systems (e.g. access control, intrusion detection and security management systems);

• good language skills in both English and German (the successful candidate must have an advanced-level command of German, i.e. equivalent to level C1 under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and at least an intermediate-level command of English, i.e. equivalent to level B1); advanced language skills in both languages would be considered a strong asset;
• a working knowledge of MS Office, in particular Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access;
• ideally, user knowledge of MS Visio.

The successful applicant will have the following behavioural competencies:

• assesses current solutions and recommends superior alternatives;

• communicates ideas in an effective manner and ensures mutual comprehension, being able to make complex technical matters easily understandable to non-specialists;
• exerts influence both directly and indirectly in order to communicate ideas and implement the most suitable approach;
• establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with staff and management at all levels, both inside and outside the organisation;

• understands who his/her clients are and what their expectations are;
• gives all ideas due consideration before taking decisions;
• shows commitment to the achievement of organisational goals and pursues projects with energy and drive;
• is comfortable working without close supervision, but knows when to involve others;
• prioritises tasks and pays attention to detail, even when under time pressure.

To further enhance the diversity of its workforce, the ECB particularly encourages applications from female candidates.
Three-year fixed-term contract, with possible conversion to a contract of indefinite duration subject to individual performance and organisational needs.
To enable the Division to maintain its business continuity capability, the successful applicant will occasionally be expected to perform duties during non-standard working hours.
German language skills are a requirement for this position. The position holder will be required to interact with German authorities (for example, to understand/apply German building standards) and local suppliers as well as to deal with documents related to the ECB’s premises that are drafted in German.
English language skills are also required for this position as English is the common vehicle language of the ECB.
The language abilities of candidates will be tested as part of the recruitment process.
A successful candidate who has only an intermediate command of either German or English will be expected to take language tuition to bring this level to at least a higher intermediate command (equivalent to level B2) of the language. Tuition will be organised by the ECB, will be paid for in full by the ECB and lessons will take place during working hours, unless otherwise agreed.
If the above applies, the language abilities of the successful candidate will also be tested at the end of the probation period to assess the level of progress, which is a pre-condition for the successful completion of the probationary period. Should progress be slower than expected, the ECB may consider extending the probationary period.

Applications are to be made in English and submitted using our online application form. An "Applicants' Guide" can be downloaded from our recruitment pages.

The recruitment process may include a pre-screening exercise, a written exercise, a presentation and interviews.

Applications are accepted from nationals of Member States of the European Union.

The requirements laid down in the vacancy notice must be met by the closing date for applications.

This vacancy notice may be used to fill the same position again, or similar positions, within 12 months of the selection decision.

The selection committee may place suitable candidates on a reserve list, from which candidates may be appointed to similar positions in the same or another business area. It may also be decided to fill the position advertised in this vacancy notice with a suitable candidate from the reserve list resulting from a recruitment procedure for a similar position. Candidates will be informed accordingly if this happens.

Closing Date for Applications: Mon, 27 Apr 2015

This position has been allocated to salary band: F/G

 Apply on the ECB e-recruitment portal