The European Defence Agency (EDA) was established on 12 July 2004, and is governed by Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835 defining the statute, seat and operational rules of the European Defence Agency. The Agency has its headquarters in Brussels.
The main task of EDA is to support the Council and the Member States in their effort to improve the Union's defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) as it currently stands and as it develops in the future.
The Agency is structured into four directorates. The Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) and three operational directorates: Industry, Synergies and Enablers (ISE); Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP); Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI).
The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating Member States, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in an integrated way, with multi-disciplinary teams representing all of the Agency’s functional areas, to realise its objectives. Its business processes are flexible and oriented towards achieving results. Staff at all levels need to demonstrate the corresponding qualities of commitment, flexibility, innovation, and team-working; to work effectively with shareholders and stakeholder groups, formal and informal; and to operate without the need for detailed direction.
The Capability, Armament & Planning Directorate (CAP) supports EU Member States in identifying and preparing possible cooperation projects and programmes ranging from long term military capability development to short term armament procurement. This includes obtaining agreement on shared needs and related priorities, harmonising capability requirements and conducting capability development preparatory activities, and also aggregating demand towards joint procurement.
The Directorate is operating several EU tools related to capability development and planning, in cooperation with other competent EU institutions and bodies. The Capability Development Plan (CDP), managed together with the EU Military Staff (EUMS) leads to identification of Capability Development Priorities agreed at EU level as a reference for all EU initiatives on Defence. The Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), ran together with the EUMS, enables to characterise the “State of the Union on Defence” and to identify opportunities for cooperation. The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), conducted together with the European External Action Service (EEAS), including EUMS, coordinates the analysis of the annual PESCO National Implementation Plans to assess the participating Member States’ fulfilment of the PESCO commitments, assesses Member States’ PESCO project proposals and monitors their progress. These tools are operated with Member States throughout a structured EU Capability Development Planning System (EU-CDPS).
Within EU CDPS, the Directorate engages with Member States’ Capability planners and experts to implement the EU Capability Development Priorities based on agreed collaborative Roadmaps. When preparatory activities enable to identify a possible cooperation project, the Directorate support Member States interested in the project by elaborating with them a Business Case.
The CAP Directorate comprises six Units; four are addressing capability development and armament procurement activities of operational domains associated to EU agreed priorities and two are operating EU related processes and tools:
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Air Domain Unit: Air Combat, Airborne Command and Inform Capabilities, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Air Transport
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Land and Logistics Unit: Ground Combat Capabilities, Land-Based Precision Engagement, Future Soldier Systems, Logistics, Military Mobility, CBRN Defence, C-IED
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Information Superiority Unit: Communication & Information Systems, Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Space, Cyber Defence
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Maritime Unit: Naval Combat and Maritime Interdiction, Underwater and Seabed Warfare, Maritime Domain Awareness
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Cooperation Planning Unit: Capability Development Priorities, CARD, Defence Data
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PESCO Unit: PESCO secretariat, assessment of fulfilment of commitments as well as new PESCO project proposals, support to PESCO projects
Under the supervision of the Head of Unit Information Superiority, and in relation to the jobholder’s area of responsibility, the jobholder will be responsible for the following activities:
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prepare, review and implement the EU Capability Development priorities by identifying shared needs, collecting, analysing and harmonizing capability requirements, aggregating demand towards joint procurement, promoting and proposing collaborative projects within the jobholder’s area of responsibility, as well as interfacing with EU civilian and defence policies;
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update when required the Priority Implementation Roadmaps upon recommendation of the Capability Planners Group, in conjunction with Member States’ representatives, and develop related activities and projects as outlined in these Roadmaps;
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coordinate relevant aspects of work related to the Agency’s Three-Year Planning Framework;
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provide support to EDA management by contributing to relevant strategies and policies developed within, or addressed to, the Agency, and by providing strategic-level analysis and advice on documents when requested; contribute to the preparation and conduct of meetings with Member States’ representatives and other institutions.
In the area of Space Operations:
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manage and chair the Capability Expert Group Access to Space, as well as the Capability Expert Group Protection of Space Systems and any associated working group collect requirements, analyse and develop project proposals;
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develop the future orientation of Access to Space activities and Protection of Space Assets activities from a capability development prospect, operating with a cross-unit and cross-directorate approach and providing regular reports when required to inform the Agency’s management;
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liaise, and contribute where relevant, with stakeholders regarding Access to Space activities and Protection of Space Assets activities including with the European Commission, the EU SATCEN, and where appropriate, other relevant institutions and bodies;
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gain/maintain a technical, legal and operational knowledge of the military and civilian Access to Space activities and Protection of Space Assets matters;
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initiate and manage contracting processes for outsourced activities;
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develop, manage and animate collaboration opportunities on Access to Space activities and Protection of Space Assets and their implementation;
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maintain a high-level of operational knowledge of the evolution of the EU activities related to Access to Space activities and Protection of Space Assets (Priority Capability Areas, EU Space Programme, European Defence Fund, PESCO projects, Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, etc.);
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participate in relevant conferences, seminars, and other similar activities within the jobholder’s subject matter area.
Duties may evolve according to the development of EDA’s structure and activities, and the decisions of EDA management.
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:
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be a national of a Member State participating in the Agency;
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be entitled to their full rights as citizens;
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have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws concerning military service;
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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);
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be physically fit to perform their duties;
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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;
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have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of their duties within the Agency;
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hold, or be in a position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (national or EU PSC at SECRET UE/EU SECRET level). Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC) means 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 (SECRET UE/EU SECRET), the date of validity of the relevant PSC and the date of expiry of the certificate itself. Note that the necessary procedure for obtaining a PSCC can be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate;
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have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years or be a graduate of a national or international Defence College; or where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.
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: https://www.enic-naric.net/
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.
For native English speakers, your ability to communicate in another EU language will be tested during the selection process. To assess your foreign language levels, see: https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills
A. ESSENTIAL
(1) Professional
The candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has:
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a University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in a field relevant to the post (e.g. engineering, space related disciplines);
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at least six (6) years of professional experience relevant to the duties, acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required as a condition of eligibility;
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knowledge of and familiarity with both current and future space, and space related EU programmes and EU policies/directives that have a bearing on defence activities in space;
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familiarity with the EU defence environment (especially CSDP) and with the European institutions;
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proven experience in the technical aspects of Access to Space and capabilities and/or proven experience in the technical aspects of Protection of Space Systems;
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a good understanding of EDA’s main tasks and functions as well as EDA’s role in Space Capability Development;
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a very good command of written and spoken English.
(2) Personal
All staff must be able to fit into the Agency's way of working (see par. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:
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ability to work in a team and independently in his/her area of responsibility;
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ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
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reliability and capacity to work under pressure with little supervision;
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good communication and organisational skills;
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strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
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excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
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results-orientation and strong motivation;
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flexibility and innovativeness;
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good coordination skills;
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genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.
B. DESIRABLE
The following will be considered an advantage:
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hold a (recognised) project management qualification;
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experience in armaments acquisition and international armaments collaboration;
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experience of contributing to process change.
EDA, whose staff are governed by its own Staff Regulations, offers specific conditions of employment with regards to contract duration and pension arrangements.
CONTRACT DURATION
Subject to budget availability, the Project Officer Space Operations will be appointed by the Chief Executive. Recruitment will be as a member of the temporary staff of the Agency for a 4-year period. Renewal is possible only once for an additional period of 4 years, within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Temporary Agent, grade AD8. In line with EDA's Staff Regulations, the Agency does not offer inter-Agency mobility.
FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS
The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 8.911,48€ supplemented with various allowances including, as applicable, expatriation or family allowances. Successful candidates are graded on entry into service according to the length of their professional experience. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead an Agency tax is deducted at source.
PENSION ARRANGEMENTS SPECIFIC TO EDA
Prospective staff members considering a career at the European Defence Agency (EDA) should be aware that EDA has its own pension provisions and is not part of the EU institutions' pension scheme (PSEUI).
In addition, EDA staff have several flexible options regarding their pension contributions at the end of their contract, under certain conditions, such as:
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transfer to a public pension scheme;
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transfer to a private pension scheme;
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direct payment as a severance grant.
For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer
The selected candidate will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the Agency’s interest and to make a declaration in relation to interests that might be considered prejudicial to their independence.
EDA is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, sex or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.
Applications are invited with a view to establish a reserve list for the post of Project Officer Space Operations at EDA. This list will be valid until 31/12/2027, and may be extended by decision of the Chief Executive. During the validity of the reserve list, successful candidates may be offered a post in EDA according to their competences in relation to the specific requirements of the vacant post. Inclusion on the reserve list does not imply any entitlement of employment in the Agency.
Candidates must submit their application electronically solely via the EDA website. Applications by any other means (hard copy or ordinary e-mail) will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted no later than midnight. Candidates are reminded that the on-line application system will not accept applications after midnight (Brussels time, GMT+1) on the date of the deadline. Please note that once you have created your EDA profile, any correspondence regarding your application must be sent or received via your EDA profile. For any prior enquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently asked questions) section, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
When applying, candidates from Ministries of Defence or other governmental entities are encouraged to inform their national administration.
A selection panel will be appointed. Please note that the selection panel's internal proceedings are strictly confidential and that any contact with its members is forbidden. Each application will be screened based on the requirements of the job profile stated in the vacancy notice. The most suitable applicants will be called for an interview and a written test. Candidates may also be requested to take part in an assessment centre, participating in a number of individual and group activities related to the competences required for the post.
EDA will not accept any phase of the selection & recruitment process prepared or assisted, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. EDA reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI tools may be rejected without further consideration at EDA’s sole discretion, and EDA reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.
If recruited, candidates will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements made in their application. They should not send any supporting or supplementary information until asked to do so by the Agency. Candidates are advised that part of the recruitment process includes medical analyses and physical check-up with the Agency’s Medical Adviser.
Staff members employed at EDA require a Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC). The process to obtain a PSCC can be initiated only by EDA on behalf of the staff member. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance certificate before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the contract.
Please note that EDA will not return applications to candidates. The personal information EDA requests from candidates will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) N° 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) 45/2001 and Decision No. 1247/2002/EC.
The purpose of processing personal data which candidates submit is to manage applications in view of possible pre-selection and recruitment at EDA. More information on personal data protection in relation to selection and recruitment can be found on the EDA website: http://www.eda.europa.eu/jobs/dataprotection
