Head of Procurement and Contract Unit

European Defense Agency; Brussel; Sur place; EUR 175 000 - 205 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

The European Defence Agency is seeking an experienced Head of Procurement and Contract Unit to lead strategic procurement and grant-management activities within the Corporate Services Directorate. The job holder reports to the Corporate Services Director and oversees end-to-end procurement and grant procedures.

The role emphasizes strategic planning, risk-based quality assurance, and collaboration with Member States to translate requirements into effective procurement strategies and governance.

Qualifications

• University degree in law, finance, economics, business administration, or similar.
• At least twelve years of professional experience, including eight years in procurement or contracting.
• Five years of managerial experience in procurement in an international organisation or large-scale public/private sector.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Responsabilités

• Lead Head of Procurement and Contract Unit and oversee end-to-end procurement and grant-management.
• Prepare the annual activity plan and monitor the budget and revenue.
• Provide guidance and quality assurance for grant-management and procurement activities.

Connaissances

Leadership

Procurement

Contract management

Grant management

English proficiency

Formation

University degree in law, finance, economics, business administration, or similar

Description du poste

Directorate: Corporate Services Directorate

Group: N.A.

Grade: AD12

Level of Security Clearance: SECRET UE/EU SECRET

Management of staff: N.A.

Location: Brussels

Closing date for applications: 20/10/2026

The European Defence Agency (EDA) was established on 12 July 2004, and isgoverned by CouncilDecision (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 andDefence 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).

2. THE AGENCY'S WAY OF WORKING

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.

3. THE CORPORATE SERVICES DIRECTORATE

The Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) provides critical business support to EDA operations by delivering high-quality corporate services under seven dedicated organizational elements, namely: Human Resources; Procurement and Contract Management; Finance; IT and Information Management; Security; Legal and Infrastructure. Additionally, the Record Manager is responsible for the effective management of information produced and/or received by the organisation.

CSD processes are geared towards efficient and optimal use of resources, leveraging good practice and technological solutions while ensuring sound financial management, transparency and accountability; outward focus and commitment to continuous improvement are the hallmarks of CSD.

4. DUTIES

EDA is looking to recruit an experienced procurement, contracting and grant-management professional with strategic vision, sound leadership and management skills, and a proven commitment to developing people, policies and processes. The jobholder will contribute to the delivery of the Agency’s business objectives as part of its dynamic corporate services team.

The jobholder is accountable to the Corporate Services Director and has duties as Head of Procurement and Contract Unit (PCU). This includes:

Core business

• preparing the annual activity plan, in cooperation with the operational Directorates, covering the Agency’s general budget, ad hoc budgets within the meaning of Chapter IV of Council Decision 2015/1835, and assigned revenue, including EU contributions within the meaning of Chapter V of that Decision;
• managing, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the activity plan, including through appropriate key performance indicators, in close cooperation with the Head of Finance Unit and the relevant staff of the operational Directorates;
• prioritising and steering the procurement and grant-management pipeline, balancing operational urgency, legal and financial constraints, available resources and audit-readiness requirements;
• overseeing the end-to-end preparation, launch, evaluation, award and implementation of ordinary procurement procedures, ensuring compliance with the applicable Financial and Procurement Rules, sound planning, timely delivery and effective support to Authorising Officers by delegation;
• coordinating procurement activities under EDA ad hoc projects and programmes, including category A and B arrangements, by translating participating Member States’ requirements into sound procurement strategies, contractual documents and cooperative implementation arrangements;
• providing guidance and quality assurance for grant and EU-contribution management activities, including calls, award procedures, grant agreements, amendments, reporting and interaction with beneficiaries, while supporting Contracts Administrators and operational services throughout the grant lifecycle;
• ensuring risk-based quality assurance and ex ante control of procurement, contractual and grant-management files, including the anticipation and mitigation of legal, financial, procedural and reputational risks throughout the lifecycle;
• fostering the identification of needs and the development of procurement and grant-management tools and procedures, including guidelines, templates and standard documents;
• proposing strategic developments in the Unit’s portfolio and innovative approaches to management and stakeholder interaction, including with contractors and beneficiaries, in line with EDA strategies;
• promoting continuous business improvement while also integrating recommendations from controlling bodies as well as good practices from comparable EU and international organisations;
• keeping abreast of policy and legislative developments in the EU defence domain, with a view to proactively informing decision-making.

Unit management

• ensuring, through the Senior Procurement Officers responsible for the above three domains, the sound planning and management of the tasks and resources allocated to the Unit;
• ensuring the dynamic reallocation of resources across domains to address peak demands, maintain service continuity and frontload priority activities pending approval of new resources;
• nurturing interdisciplinary approaches across Sectors, including through communities of practice, to strengthen knowledge sharing, methodological consistency and collective problem-solving;
• ensuring business continuity, knowledge retention and succession planning within the Unit, including through the documentation of key processes, the sharing of critical expertise and the progressive development of back-up capacities across Sectors;
• providing guidance, direction and feedback to team members;
• developing the competences and skills of the team in line with evolving needs and performance-management requirements.

Duties may evolve according to the development of EDA’s structure and activities, and the decisions of EDA management.

5. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

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:

• be a national of a Member State participating in the Agency;
• be entitled to their full rights as citizens;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws concerning military service;
• 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);
• be physically fit to perform their duties;
• 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;
• have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of their duties within the Agency;
• 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;
• have a level ofeducation 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

6. SELECTION CRITERIA

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

The candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has:

• a university degree in law, finance, economics, business administration, or similar;
• at least twelve (12) years of professional experience of which at least eight (8) years in positions with tasks relevant to the duties;
• at least five (5) years of managerial experience in various areas of procurement or contracting in an international organisation or a large-scale government or public/private sector organisation;
• very good knowledge of EU public procurement directives and of the financial regulations applicable to the Agency, the EU institutions and decentralised bodies, including the rules applicable to collaborative procurement, innovation procurement, contracts, grants and prizes;
• relevant professional experience in the field of procurement, contracting and grant management, including practical experience in the interpretation and implementation of EU procurement, contract management and grant management rules;
• relevant professional experience in the field of intergovernmental arrangements for collaboration in the defence capability cycle (including, e.g. research, innovation, development, experimentation, acquisition, maintenance);
• knowledge of EU financial contribution mechanisms and grant/prize management;
• knowledge of intellectual property rights (IPR);
• strong analytical skills and the ability to find solutions to complex procurement, contractual, grant management and legal issues;
• experience in drafting legal, procedural and procurement related documents, notes and briefs;
• proven experience in complex contract negotiations;
• a very good command of written and oral English.

(2) Personal

All staff must be able to fit into the Agency's way of working (see para. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:

• very good leadership and management skills, especially in a multicultural and multilingual environment;
• ability to work with strong sense of urgency, result orientation and commitment to compliance;
• excellent customer-service orientation and commitment to organisational development;
• ability to command trust among peers;
• ability to work effectively and inclusively with a range of internal and external stakeholders;
• ability to remain effective in a rapidly evolving and dynamic work environment and to meet deadlines consistently;
• well-organised, thorough and accurate;
• excellent negotiation and problem-solving skills;
• integrity and ability to deal with confidential matters professionally;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

The following will be considered an advantage:

• good knowledge and understanding of VAT mechanisms within the EU, in particular VAT exemptions;
• good knowledge of the international defence environment, including EU defence programmes such as EDF and EDIP, and CFSP/CSDP;
• very good knowledge of the Defence and Security Procurement Directive;
• experience in a legal and/or business advisory function;
• good knowledge of French.

7. APPOINTMENT AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR TEMPORARY AGENTS AT EDA

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

The Head of Procurement and Contract Unit 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 AD12 . 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 o f 14.603,92€ 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:

• transfer to a public pension scheme;
• transfer to a private pension scheme;
• direct payment as a severance grant.

For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer

8. INDEPENDENCE AND DECLARATION OF INTEREST

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.

Please note that for this position restrictions (including prohibition) on post-employment activities may be applied.

For two (2) years after leaving the Agency, members of staff remain bound to seek clearance from EDA as soon as the post-employment activity is known and in due time to allow for authorisationbeforeengaging in another activity. If that activity is related to the work carried out during the last three (3) years of service at EDA and it could lead to conflict with the legitimate interests of EDA, the Agency can give its approval subject to any conditions it deems fit, or forbid the activity.

In its assessment, EDA will in particular look at the nature of the future position, the quality of the future employer, the level of interaction with EDA staff on EDA activities, likelihood of involvement in decision taking of a financial/commercial nature and the level of conflict with the legitimate interests of the Agency.

For senior staff, an additional ban of 12 months will apply on lobbying or advocacy vis-à-visAgency staff for their business, clients or employers on matters for which they were responsible during their last three (3) years of service.

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.

11. DATA PROTECTION

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

12. THE UNIT

The Procurement and Contract Unit, designation subject to approval of forthcoming organisational structure) provides the Agency’s central expertise for procurement, contracts, grants and prizes, as well as for the upstream basic acts, including ad hoc projects and programmes and contribution agreements. It ensures the sound, consistent and compliant implementation of the Agency’s activities in three main domains:

• General budget procurement: procurement actions financed under the Agency’s general budget, including corporate services, horizontal requirements, administrative needs and operational studies.
• Collaborative procurement: procurement under ad hoc project and programme arrangements, including multi-participant procedures, framework contracts and purchase orders as well as activities funded by EU programmes, such as EDIP.
• Innovation procurement and grants: supports activities linked to innovation, research and technology, including ad hoc R&T contracts, prizes and grants, as well as activities funded by EU programmes, such as EDF.

Main interfaces of the Unit: internal CSD and operational Project Officers acting as budget and business owners; Project Officers within the Collaborative Procurement Centre and the EDA Innovation Centre; ordering Member States and Member States participating in ad hoc R&T projects and programmes; tenderers, applicants, contractors and beneficiaries; the European Commission and its executive agencies; and the EDA Finance and Legal Units.

The Unit works closely with Project Officers and the two operational Centres, from the early definition of requirements and the establishment of the relevant basic acts through to contract or grant implementation. This operating model ensures proximity to operational needs while maintaining central oversight, procedural consistency and appropriate segregation of duties within CSD.