Project Officer Logistics

EDA; Brussel Hoofdstad; Sur place; EUR 70 000 - 95 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

European Defence Agency (EDA) in Brussels seeks a Seconded National Expert to contribute to capability development activities for EU Member States and to support planning, coordination, and interoperability initiatives across multiple directorates.

The role involves representing the Agency at conferences, coordinating with stakeholders such as EUMS, DG DEFIS, and NATO counterparts, and helping prepare Business Cases for collaborative projects while remaining employed by the home authority.

Qualifications

• At least three years' full-time defence/administrative/technical experience relevant to duties.
• National of a participating Member State or covered by Council Decision provisions.
• Minimum C1 in one official EU language and B2 in another.

Responsabilités

• Contribute to capability development activities for EU Member States.
• Support the development of capability concepts addressing logistic challenges.
• Represent the Agency during conferences and seminars.
• Take on additional tasks as required.

Description du poste

1. BACKGROUND

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).

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 CAPABILITY, ARMAMENT AND PLANNING DIRECTORATE (CAP)

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:

• Air Domain Unit: Air Combat, Airborne Command and Inform Capabilities, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Air Transport
• Land and Logistics Unit: Ground Combat Capabilities, Land-Based Precision Engagement, Future Soldier Systems, Logistics, Military Mobility, CBRN Defence, C-IED
• Information Superiority Unit: Communication & Information Systems, Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Space, Cyber Defence
• Maritime Unit: Naval Combat and Maritime Interdiction, Underwater and Seabed Warfare, Maritime Domain Awareness
• Cooperation Planning Unit: Capability Development Priorities, CARD, Defence Data
• PESCO Unit: PESCO secretariat, assessment of fulfilment of commitments as well as new PESCO project proposals, support to PESCO projects

4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit Land and Logistics, the jobholder(s) will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

• contribute to capability development activities in support of EU Member States for improved land-related and cross-domain logistics capabilities;
• support the development of concepts addressing current and future logistic challenges, considering evolving operational environments, innovation needs and shorter development cycles, addressing all relevant DOTLMPFI dimensions;
• implement EDA Core Tasks 3, 4 and 5; notably harmonisation of military requirements in the field of logistics and sustainment while considering military mobility aspects; aggregation of demand and preparation of Business Cases to support Member States launching collaborative capability development or procurement projects; and ensure that Member States’ defence interests are coherently expressed and reflected across relevant ad broader EU‑level initiatives and policies;
• manage and, when required, chair the dedicated Capability Expert Groups Sustainable and Agile Logistic (CEG SAL) as well as the related Ad-Hoc Working Groups, and any other related and subordinated working groups (such as cat. B projects Sharing of Spare Part or Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support);
• support the management of the existing Category A/B programmes/projects in the dedicated areas, as well as prepare/coordinate potential new collaborative initiatives, including the development of specific Business Cases and the establishment of ad-hoc projects/programmes as required;
• plan and manage activities funded by the EDA Operational Budget, as required;
• ensure strong alignment between Sustainable and Agile Logistics and Military Mobility work strands, with particular emphasis on digitalisation, strategic lift, interoperability, energy security, data exchange solutions and innovative approaches to enabling movements, resilience and support to military forces across the EU;
• ensure coherence between all Logistic activities cross-domains and relevant Support Functions, including cooperation with relevant RTI and ISE areas (e.g. HEDI);
• interact, as appropriate, with all relevant external stakeholders relevant to the dedicated areas of interest and involved in the implementation of logistic capabilities notably DG DEFIS, EUMS, MPCC, EATC, MLCC and appropriated NATO counterparts;
• contribute to the further development and improvement of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), including identifying, promoting and proposing meaningful collaborative opportunities framed under the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) within the jobholder’s area of responsibility;
• contribute, as appropriate, to the assessment of the European Defence Fund (EDF) Support-related topics of the annual work programmes, including other DG DEFIS-led initiatives related to the jobholder’s area of responsibility;
• provide technical advice related to the jobholder’s area of responsibility to EU defence-related policies and concepts;
• 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. CONDITIONS FOR SECONDMENT

In accordance with the Rules applicable to national experts and military staff on secondment to the European Defence Agency (Council Decision (EU) 2016/1352), Seconded National Experts are seconded to the Agency while remaining in the service of their national employer and continue being paid their national salary by that employer.

Therefore, to be considered in the selection process, candidates for SNE posts must be sponsored by their national authorities. Confirmation is required in the form of a letter of sponsorship addressed to the Agency as far as possible by the closing date for the receipt of applications and in any case before a decision is taken by EDA on the candidate to be selected for a secondment.

The Rules are available on the EDA website http://www.eda.europa.eu - vacancies.

To qualify for secondment to the Agency, experts shall:

• have worked for their employer on a permanent or contract basis for at least 12 months before their secondment;
• remain in the service of their employer throughout the period of secondment and continue to be paid by that employer;
• have at least three years' full-time experience in defence, administrative, scientific, technical, operational, advisory or supervisory functions relevant to the performance of the duties assigned to them. Before the secondment, the employer shall supply the Agency with a statement of the expert's employment covering the previous 12 months;
• be nationals of a participating Member State or falling within the provisions of the second paragraph of Article 1 of Council Decision (EU) 2016/1352 of 4 August 2016;
• have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1 oral and written) of one official language of one of the participating Member States and a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2 oral and written) of another of these languages for the performance of their duties.

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