Project Officer for Experimentation

European Defense Agency; Brussel; Sur place; EUR 106 000 - 115 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

European Defence Agency seeks a Project Officer for Experimentation within the Research, Technology and Innovation Directorate (RTI) in Brussels. The role focuses on planning and executing innovative defence experimentation activities to support Member States’ operational needs and capability priorities.

You will coordinate trials, develop documentation, and collaborate with industry, Member States and technical experts.

Qualifications

• University degree (or equivalent) in a field relevant to the duties.
• At least six (6) years of professional experience relevant to the duties of the post.
• Proven track record in supporting defence capability development or procurement activities through experimentation, test and evaluation, demonstrations and operational trials.

Responsabilités

• Support the preparation, coordination and implementation of EDA experimentation activities aimed at assessing innovative solutions against Member States’ operational needs and capability priorities.
• Plan and deliver challenge-driven trials, including digital experimentation, modelling and simulation activities, field experimentation, demonstrations and operational experimentation campaigns.
• Develop experimentation plans, objectives, scenarios, data collection approaches and evidence requirements, ensuring traceability to challenges and assessment outputs.
• Prepare technical and operational documentation for experimentation activities, including trial plans, guidance, evidence templates and risk registers.
• Coordinate participating companies, Member State representatives, technical experts, operational users and contractors in experimentation activities.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of EDA experimentation methodologies, playbooks, templates and approaches.

Description du poste

Directorate: Research, Technology and Innovation Directorate (RTI)

Group: N.A.

Grade: AD8

Level of Security Clearance: SECRET UE/EU SECRET

Management of staff: N.A.

Location: Brussels

Closing date for applications: 06/10/2026

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 RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DIRECTORATE (RTI)

The Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate (RTI) promotes and supports defence research at EU level. Based on the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA), developed together with the Member States, the Directorate coordinates and plans joint research activities and the study of technical solutions to meet future operational needs.

The RTI Directorate provides support to Member States and to the European Commission for the Preparatory Action for defence research, including its implementation, and the research dimension of the European Defence Fund. The RTI directorate also ensures the promotion of innovation in defence and the exploitation of synergies at EU level with civil research in dual-use technology fields.

At present, the RTI Directorate comprises two Units, the EU-funded Defence Research Unit and the Technology & Innovation Unit, as well as the Hub for European defence Innovation (HEDI) and the RTI Coordination Team, with the following key tasks:

• The EU-funded Defence Research Unit: upstream, implementation and downstream support linked to defence research activities funded by the EU budget under delegation by the European Commission.
• The Technology & Innovation Unit: facilitation of the work of the Capability Technology Groups (CapTechs) and the Energy & Environment Working Group as well as development and management of ad hoc research activities based on sectoral Strategic Research Agendas.
• HEDI: focal point for defence innovation, driving the development of military capabilities while strengthening cooperation between EU Member States and associated countries. HEDI’s mission is to turn promising ideas into usable defence capabilities faster, while supporting EU defence priorities and strengthening Europe’s technological edge.HEDI is expected to become a dedicated Defence Innovation Centre (designation subject to approval of forthcoming organisational structure).
• The RTI Coordination Team: coordination of the RTI Directorate’s contributions to EDA’s transversal activities (such as capability development priorities (CDP), Capability Annual Review on Defence (CARD), Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and Key Strategic Activities (KSA); overview of the Agency’s research portfolio.
  

4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the line-manager responsible for Defence Innovation, the Project Officer for Experimentation will contribute to the following activities:

• support the preparation, coordination and implementation of EDA experimentation activities aimed at assessing innovative solutions against Member States’ operational needs and capability priorities;
• contribute to the planning and delivery of challenge-driven trials, including digital experimentation, modelling and simulation activities, field experimentation, demonstrations and operational experimentation campaigns;
• assist in the development of experimentation plans, test objectives, scenarios, metrics, data collection approaches and evidence requirements, ensuring traceability between operational challenges, test activities and assessment outputs;
• contribute to the preparation of technical and operational documentation for experimentation activities, including trial plans, participant guidance, evidence templates, risk registers, after-action reports and lessons learned;
• assist in the collection, structuring and analysis of experimentation results, ensuring that outputs are usable for Member States;
• support the coordination of participating companies, Member State representatives, technical experts, operational users and contractors involved in experimentation activities;
• contribute to the development and continuous improvement of EDA experimentation methodologies, playbooks, templates and common approaches, in order to increase comparability, reproducibility and reusability of results across Member States;
• contribute to the preparation of briefings, reports, presentations and other deliverables for Member States, EDA management and external stakeholders on experimentation activities and results;
• support the organisation of workshops, planning meetings, demonstration events, visitor days and other activities linked to EDA experimentation campaigns;
• contribute to activities related to the drafting, coordination, and implementation of high-level documents – such as Letters of Intents, Steering Board documentation, and similar strategic or policy-level deliverables;
• represent the Agency during conferences and seminars;
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

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

A. ESSENTIAL

(1) Professional

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

• a university degree (or equivalent academic degree), in a field relevant to the duties, such as engineering, physics, science and technology, defence academy, operational research, systems engineering;
• at least six (6) years of professional experience relevant to the duties of the post, acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• a demonstrated track record in supporting defence capability development or procurement activities through experimentation, test and evaluation, demonstrations and operational trials;
• proven experience in the preparation of experimentation plans, test objectives, scenarios, data collection approaches, evidence requirements, trial documentation, risk registers, after-action reports or lessons-learned outputs;
• a track record of international cooperation in operational experimentation and/or trials, military exercises;
• a good understanding of the European defence cooperation environment and of EDA’s role in supporting Member States;
• 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 par. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:

• ability to work in a team and independently in their area of responsibility;
• proactiveness to interact with other stakeholders, both internal and external;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure with little supervision;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• flexibility and innovativeness;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• a strong sense of duty and responsibility;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. DESIRABLE

The following will be considered an advantage:

• experience in military, defence, security, civil protection, aerospace, cyber, space, robotics, autonomous systems or other technology-intensive experimentation environments;
• familiarity with military exercises, operational experimentation campaigns, field trials, test ranges, laboratories, digital sandboxes or modelling and simulation environments;
• experience with data collection, instrumentation, experiment design, scenario development, wargaming, simulation or analytical tools;
• a recognised project management certification and/or training in systems engineering, test and evaluation, operational analysis or modelling and simulation.
  

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 Project Officer for Experimentation 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:

• 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.

9. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

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