049i - Project Officer Materials and Structures

4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of the Technology Programme Unit, the jobholder will be responsible for / contribute to the following activities:

• support the moderation of the Materials and Structures Capability Technology Group (CapTech) and contribute to its activities across the broader cluster, including Components, Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC), Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN), Human Factors, and Energy and Environment, particularly in Research and Technology (R&T) project preparation, management and execution and related community activities;
• support and manage R&T programmes, projects and studies throughout their lifecycle, including definition, contracting, execution, monitoring, evaluation, dissemination and exploitation of results and follow-on activities, addressing technical, financial, security and legal aspects in cooperation with the relevant supporting functions;
• prepare briefing and   maintain up-to-date information on assigned R&T projects;
• contribute to R&T initiatives aimed at defining technology-driven and capability-led priorities, technology roadmaps, Technology Building Blocks (TBBs) and Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas (SRIAs), particularly activities involving several CapTechs;
• organise RTI experts meetings and workshops, support the preparation and follow-up of their outcomes, and participate in and represent the Agency at relevant meetings and events, as required;
• contribute to technology-watch and foresight exercises in the area of responsibility;
• collaborate actively with representatives and experts from participating Member States, supporting the identification and development of collaborative R&T activities;
• liaise with companies, industry associations, research and technology organisations and academia involved in military or dual-use R&T within the area of responsibility;
• 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-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

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

The candidate will be required to demonstrate that they have:

• a university degree, or equivalent academic qualification, in mechanical engineering, electrical or electronic engineering, aerospace engineering, materials science or engineering, or another closely related engineering field;
• at least seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in defence-related research and technology, technology development or engineering, including experience in materials, structures and/or manufacturing technologies and related resilience or through-life support aspects;
• proven experience in managing R&T projects or studies throughout their lifecycle, including definition, execution, monitoring, assessment of results and follow-on activities;
• experience in the dissemination and exploitation of defence research project results;
• familiarity with European Research and Technology programmes and funding frameworks;
• a good understanding of EDA’s main tasks and functions relevant to the area of responsibility;
• 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 their area of responsibility;
• ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multinational teams and coordinate stakeholders from different organisations;
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure with minimal supervision;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to assess technical information across technology domains and identify interfaces and opportunities for cooperation;
• 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:

• experience in systems engineering and the integration of complex defence systems;
• experience in additional technology areas relevant to the broader cluster, including Components, Guidance, Navigation and Control, CBRN, Human Factors, or Energy and Environment;
• experience in materials and structural modelling, computational materials methods or experimental validation;
• practical experience in qualification, industrialisation or the transition of research results into defence applications;
• experience of cooperation with Ministries of Defence, armed forces, European institutions, industry or research organisations in multinational R&T activities.