Service Manager - Deadline 17/06/25

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

•        Communication and Interpersonal

o     Excellent communication skills in English (spoken and written), with the ability to adapt to both technical and non-technical audiences. Additional EU languages are an asset.

o   Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and facilitation skills, including the ability to participate in and lead large, multilingual meetings and workshops.

o   Proven ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a multicultural and multilingual environment.

•        Analytical and Organisational o Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to synthesise complex information and produce clear, structured deliverables.

o   Ability to manage multiple priorities, work under pressure, and deliver results independently.

o   Rapid self-starting capacity in new environments and with new tools.

•        Documentation and Reporting o Skilled in drafting and reviewing technical and business documentation (e.g., reports, meeting notes).

o   Ability to apply high quality standards in all deliverables o         

•        Project Management o     Proficiency with standard project management methodologies (e.g. Agile/Scrum) and tools (e.g. JIRA, Confluence, HP Service Manager). A certification will be considered as an asset.

o   Strong problem-solving and conflict resolution capabilities.

The consultant must have:

•        Domain Expertise

o         Proven experience supporting large-scale digital projects involving international or crossborder information exchange.

o   Experience in the field of taxation, including direct and indirect tax systems, excise duties, and compliance with EU tax directives (e.g. VAT in the field of Indirect Taxation), DAC in the field of Direct Taxation).

o   Demonstrated knowledge of service continuity, IT operations, and deployment of complex multi-layer platforms, preferably across multiple jurisdictions.

o   Knowledge of ITIL and service management practices; a certification (e.g. ITIL V4) will be considered an asset.

o   Proven knowledge of project management methodologies (e.g. Agile/Scrum/Prince2); a certification will be considered an asset.

o   Solid understanding of business continuity, incident escalation protocols, and disaster recovery practices.

•        Stakeholder and Institutional Experience

o     Experience working with or for EU institutions, international organisations (e.g. OECD), or public administrations.

o   Knowledge of national-level IT implementation challenges and the institutional/political context across EU Member States.

o   Experience participating in EU-funded, public sector, or intergovernmental IT environments.

o   Familiarity with cross-border coordination and data governance frameworks, including privacy, security, and legal compliance in an international context.

•        Technical and Systems Knowledge

o        Expertise in reviewing technical and functional deliverables (e.g. system specifications, architectural models, interface requirements). o Familiarity with Trans-European Systems (TES) or similarly complex distributed architectures deployed internationally.

o   Knowledgeable in specific technologies like CCN/CCN2 (CSI stack, HTTP2CSI protocols), Oracle products especially Weblogic, Java, MySQL. 

o   Familiarity with large-scale distributed digital systems (TES), and their integration and deployment across EU Member States and with international stakeholders.

o   Knowledge of tax data standards and protocols ((e.g. VIES), secure exchange protocol cryptography protocols and techniques (AES/CBC).

o   Experience supporting and monitoring national system implementation and conformance testing.

•        Tools  o Proficiency with collaboration and project tools such as JIRA and Confluence. o Awareness of European Commission standard IT products and technical frameworks.

o   Experience using Service Management platforms (e.g. ServiceNow).

o   Proficiency with Service Management Tools.

•        Analytical and Organisational

o Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with experience in synthesising input from diverse technical and policy sources.

o   Ability to coordinate international deployments, manage parallel stakeholder tracks, and ensure consistency with EU objectives.

•        Documentation and Reporting o Skilled in preparing structured documentation, including reports, status dashboards, and service-level summaries for internal and external stakeholders.

o   Familiarity with Total Quality Management (TQM) and high-standard reporting practices.

•        Project and Service Management

o         Hands-on experience managing complex projects or services across multiple countries or agencies.

o   Capacity to lead project coordination, escalate risks, and manage service compliance under SLAs and OLAs.

o   Familiarity with Agile, DevSecOps principles, and lifecycle management practices in a regulated IT environment.

Level : 10

Delivery mode : Near Site (Brussels)