023g - Project Officer Cyber Defence Workforce Development

4. DUTIES

Under the direction and supervision of the Head of Strategic Enablers and Cyber Unit, the jobholder will be responsible for the following activities:

• contribute to updating and implementing the Priority Implementation Roadmap (PIR) “Cyber Warfare Advantage and Readiness”, particularly in relation to Cyber Defence workforce development, human factors and relevant hybrid threat activities;
• develop proposals to meet the Cyber Defence workforce development objectives defined in the Capability Development Plan and relevant EU Cyber Defence and Security Policy documents (e.g. EU Policy on Cyber Defence);
• proactively monitor national and multinational Cyber Defence capability development particularly workforce development, training, exercises and relevant hybrid threats initiatives, to identify capability gaps;
• contribute to the development and harmonisation of military Cyber Defence requirements and identify opportunities for cooperation;
• foster the development of collaborative Cyber Defence activities and projects in accordance with the (PIR) “Cyber Warfare Advantage and Readiness”, including the harmonisation of Cyber Defence exercises, and support participating Member States (pMS) in preparing and implementing related capabilities, including by acting as a Project Manager when required;
• propose and develop initiatives and projects addressing Cyber Defence workforce development and human factors, in close cooperation with pMS  through the Capability Expert Group (CEG) Cyber Defence and other relevant EDA fora;
• support the CEG Cyber Defence and other relevant EDA initiatives, workshops and seminars contributing to the objectives of the Cyber Defence Programme;
• develop and manage Cyber Defence workforce development related studies and other projects resourced from EDA’s operational budget, including the preparation of relevant calls and the management of external contractors as appropriate;
• liaise and cooperate with relevant EU actors on Cyber Defence talent identification, workforce development and talent retention;
• provide input and support to relevant PESCO projects in the areas of Cyber Defence workforce development and hybrid threats, in coordination with the PESCO Office;
• contribute to the annual review of the EDA budget plan (3-Year Planning Framework);
• establish and maintain close relationships with communities of experts in Cyber Defence workforce development, including through the use of the EDA’s Collaborative Platform, and facilitate the secure exchange of information in accordance with the Agency’s responsibilities in this domain;
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.
   

Duties may evolve depending on the development of the EDA's structure and activities and 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-langu…

6. SELECTION CRITERIA

IMPORTANT: Confirmation of sponsorship is required at the latest by the deadline for applications and in any case before a decision on a candidate selected for secondment is taken by EDA.

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 post;
• at least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in Cyber Defence, defence capability development or another field directly relevant to the duties of the post;
• proven experience in Cyber Defence workforce development, including competency development, competency frameworks, skills assessment, human factors and workforce development strategies;
• proven experience in Cyber Defence training and exercise design, including scenario development;
• good knowledge of the European and international Cyber Defence environment, including relevant hybrid-threat developments, together with a good understanding of EDA’s role, main tasks and functions in defence capability development and the Cyber Defence domain;
• proven experience in project and/or programme management, including the development and management of collaborative projects, studies or related activities;
• 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 para. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:
 

• ability to work in a team and independently in his/her area of responsibility;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure with minimal supervision;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• strong 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.

B. Desirable
The following will be considered an advantage:
 

• good knowledge of the CSDP Capability Development Mechanism and relevant EU defence planning processes;
• professional experience in information security, information technology and/or operational Cyber Defence;
• a recognised project and/or programme management qualification.