Project Officer Resilience Capabilities

European Defense Agency; Brussel Hoofdstad; Sur place; EUR 109 000 - 133 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

European Defence Agency (EDA) seeks a Project Officer Resilience Capabilities in Brussels to drive collaborative capability development in resilience areas. The role involves harmonising MS capability planning, coordinating CAP Directorate activities, and leading cross-institutional cooperation with EU and NATO stakeholders.

It requires extensive defence experience, security clearance, and language proficiency. The appointment is for four years as a Temporary Agent (AD9).

Qualifications

• University-level degree in a relevant field (e.g. Security, Defence, International Security).
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Responsabilités

• Identify, plan and initiate collaborative capability development activities in Resilience and Support.
• Harmonise capability planning across EU MS within CAP Directorate and CARD/CIPES.
• Coordinate work plans for Priority Implementation Roadmaps and guide CAP-related expert groups.

Connaissances

Teamwork

Multinational

Negotiation

Analytical

Flexibility

Formation

University degree in Security/Defence

Description du poste

Directorate: Capability, Armament and Planning Directorate (CAP)

Group: N.A.

Grade: AD9

Level of Security Clearance: SECRET UE/EU SECRET

Management of staff: N.A.

Location: Brussels

Closing date for applications: 13/10/2026

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 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
• 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 will be responsible for identifying, planning and initiating collaborative capability development activities in the Resilience and Support area. In particular, the jobholder will be responsible for the following activities:

• support the harmonisation of EU Member States (MS) capability planning in the Resilience and contribute to the development of military concepts to address the current and future capability needs;
• ensure coherence of capability development activities across the Resilience and Support areas, contributing to EDA’s and the EU’s broader resilience, support and preparedness objectives;
• implement EDA Core Tasks 3 and 4, namely harmonisation of military requirements and aggregation of demand towards joint procurement, leading to elaborate Business Cases with MS interested in launching specific collaborative development/acquisition projects;
• manage and, when required, chair, the Capability Planners Group (CPG) Support Functions; support the related Capability Expert Groups (CEGs) on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defence, Medical Support and Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security (CIPES), and contribute to any other related working groups (such as PCAs CGs), seminars and meetings where the jobholder may provide technical direction and guidance as subject matter expert;
• propose, manage and coordinate the work plan for the implementation of the corresponding Priority Implementation Roadmaps (PIRs) and provide the necessary guidance to the associated CEGs in the Resilience Area (CBRN Defence, Medical Support, CIPES);
• ensure coherence between the 3 CEGs implementing Resilience’ Priorities, the cross-domain capability development activities within CAP Directorate and support-related work strands across the Agency, including the EU Hub for Defence Innovation (HEDI);
• address the military perspective on countering hybrid threats related to the 3 areas of interest, namely CBRN Defence, Medical Support and CIPES, ensuring engagement at planning stage in transversal activities and civil-military cooperation.
• interact, as appropriate, with relevant external stakeholders such as the European External Action Service (EEAS), EU Military Staff (EUMS), European Commission (EC), NATO, EU Defence technological and Industrial base (EDTIB), and any other relevant EU Institutions, bodies and agencies;
• plan and manage activities funded by the EDA Operational Budget, as required;
• 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 to the assessment of PESCO project proposals, European Defence Fund (EDF)-related work programme topics and other DG DEFIS - led initiatives (such as EDIP), and provide support to collaborative projects upon Member States’ request, including by identifying synergies among existing initiatives; provide technical advice related to the jobholder’s area of responsibility to EU defence-related policies and concepts;
• represent EDA in meetings, conferences and seminars, as required;
• deputise for the Head of Unit when required;
• 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

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

a university degree (or equivalent academic degree) in a field relevant to the post (e.g. Security, Defence, International Security);

at least seven (7) years of professional experience (acquired after the award of the minimum academic qualification required as a condition of eligibility) in a defence governmental organisation and/or an international organisation, including concrete experience in capability development and/or preparation of capability projects/programmes;

very good knowledge and proven security and defence experience in Resilience area, such as civilian enablement, medical support, CBRN Defence, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security;

relevant professional experience and a track record of successful business outcomes in the field of Defence international cooperation and a good understanding of armament procurement;

a good understanding of EU institutions/bodies and NATO organisation, how they function, and of their Defence related initiatives;

a thorough understanding of EDA’s main tasks and functions;

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:

• ability to work both independently within his/her area of responsibility and to proactively collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure with minimal supervision;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• strong conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• flexibility and innovativeness;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

The following will be considered an advantage:

• experience in an EU institution/body or an international organisation;
• experience and participation in military/security operations related to resilience functions (e.g. CBRN Defence, medical support, or CIPES);
• advanced professional military/security education (e.g. command and staff college or equivalent) or senior-level strategic defence planning experience.
• hold a recognised project management qualification;
• a track record in managing large-scale, complex multinational defence programmes.

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 Resilience Capabilities will be appointed by the Chief Executive. Recruitment will 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 AD9. 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 10 082,77 € 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