Senior Agent - Software Developer - Full Stack Java (m/w/d)

Europol is the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, it supports the law enforcement authorities of the EU Member States in preventing and combating serious and organised crime, cybercrime and terrorism. Europol acts as a central hub for criminal information exchange and provides operational and analytical support to investigations across Europe, working closely with the Member States and with a wide network of partner countries and international organisations. Through this work, Europol helps to make Europe safer for the benefit of all EU citizens.

The post of Senior Agent - Software Developer - Java (FGIV) is located in the Solution Delivery Unit, ICT Department Capabilities Directorate.

The C1 ICT Department has the responsibility for devising, delivering and operating critical technology capabilities and solutions supporting the core mission and support processes of Europol. Over 150 internal staff members and a significant number of domain-specific consultants are responsible for the Information and Communication Technologies and Systems that ensure enhanced criminal information analysis and exchange among Europol, Member States and third parties.

The Solution Delivery Unit is responsible for the development and quality assurance of ICT solutions. This includes Application Delivery, Quality Assurance (requirements management, testing), and Law-Enforcement Accelerated Provisioning services that provide technology support to fast-moving operational activities.

The holder of the position is a member of the Solution Delivery Unit and mainly responsible for designing and developing software and database components. The jobholder also works in the development of web-based applications using modern UX techniques and following a micro-service oriented approach. In this context he/she also interacts on a daily basis with Europol Operations staff to continuously tune processing tools in line with business directions and actively support Law Enforcement Operations needs.

This role may also be performed in the framework of projects funded by external assigned revenue.

The incumbent reports to the Head of Team in the Solution Delivery Unit.

This position may require participation in a 24/7 shift system, non-standard working hours including weekends and nights, and/or on-call duty.

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

• Participate in the design and development of software and database components following the Scrum methodology;

• Develop (micro)services exposing REST APIs, as well as web components and other elements of distributed software solutions;

• Create and perform unit tests, integration tests and performance tests, as needed;

• Participate in R&D activities in the area of Law Enforcement Data processing and supporting infrastructure;

• Create and maintain technical documentation, including design and deployment documentation, in cooperation with relevant ICT teams;

• Any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by line management.

The functions and duties may also be associated with a project funded by external assigned revenue. In the case of a project funded by external assigned revenue, the duties would be of a limited duration in time.

Eligibility/Candidates must:

• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen;

• 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 position (medical examination prior to appointment);

• Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one EU language and a satisfactory knowledge of another, to the extent necessary for the duties.

Education:

completed university studies attested by a diploma (normal period of study 3 years or more);

OR

equivalent professional training plus relevant professional experience (training of more than 6 months and up to 1 year = 3 years; 1–2 years = 2 years; more than 2 years = 1 year).

Professional experience and knowledge (essential):

• Extensive experience (preferably at least 3-5 years) in Agile software development projects, including Scrum and Kanban, with a strong understanding of Scrum roles, artefacts and ceremonies, contributing to the design and implementation of scalable and maintainable applications;

• Sound knowledge of and experience with Java 11 or later and enterprise frameworks (e.g. Spring/Spring Boot), with expertise in implementing RESTful APIs and building service-oriented and microservices architectures;

• Server-side development, including RESTful API services, relational databases (e.g. SQL Server) and NoSQL datastores such as Elasticsearch;

• Front-end development using JavaScript and/or TypeScript, with familiarity in popular frameworks such as Vue.js or React;

• Knowledge of secure coding concepts, high availability/scalability and distributed, message-based and micro services-based architectures;

• DevOps practices, including source code management, continuous integration and automated deployment using tools such as Azure DevOps;

• Experience with containerized deployments and orchestration platforms like Docker and Kubernetes, enabling cloud-native application development.

Desirable:

• Experience with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence concepts, methods and tools/frameworks/processes;

• Experience in a highly regulated environment with an articulated governance model;

• Experience developing custom Liferay DXP plugins and portlets, including site structure setup and user management, and Liferay DXP 7.4 Back-End Developer Certification (or equivalent valid certification for 7.x).

General competencies (essential):

• Communicating: Very good communication skills in English, both orally and in writing. Very good drafting skills and attention to detail.

• Analysing & problem solving: Keen eye for detail with the ability to maintain standards of accuracy under pressure of tight deadlines. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills including the ability to anticipate potential problems, determine and implement solutions. Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint 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: Ability to work well under pressure, both independently and in a team. Very good interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively liaise with other departments, groups and teams as well as with external partners.

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

The AACC shall classify contract staff in their function group taking into consideration their qualifications and professional experience at the time of entry into service.

For FGIV, the basic monthly salary is: grade 13 (EUR 4,449.31), grade 14 (EUR 5,034.18) or grade 16 (EUR 6,444.59). Classification: grade 13 = less than 5 years; grade 14 = between 5 and 17 years; grade 16 = more than 17 years.

Staff pay EU tax at source but salaries are exempt from national taxes. Compulsory deductions are made for medical insurance, pension and unemployment insurance. Subject to the applicable conditions being met, 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.

Staff enjoy worldwide insurance coverage by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) and are insured against sickness, the risk of occupational disease and accident.

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

The successful candidate will be recruited as Contract Agent FGIV pursuant to Article 3(a) of the CEOS. The initial contract will be concluded for a fixed period of 4 years (full-time – 40 hours a week). The contract may be renewed, in principle, for a fixed period of 2 years. Any further renewal shall be for an indefinite duration.

Before a successful candidate can be engaged on a contract of employment for an indefinite duration in function group IV, s/he will have to prove the ability to work in a third language (one of the official European languages), holding an EPSO validated language certificate or diploma of at least level B2 as referred to in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

The place of employment will be The Hague, The Netherlands. Engagement is subject to the successful completion of a probationary period of 9 months.

Security screening: candidates recruited to a post at Europol are required to furnish a valid certificate of good conduct before the start of their employment, issued by the relevant authorities of the country of nationality and not older than three months at the time of submission. The requested level of security clearance for this post is CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance may be cause for termination of the employment contract.

Europol is an equal opportunity employer. Europol accepts applications without distinction on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, national, ethnic or social origin, religion or beliefs, family situation, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications, experience and skills.

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