210a - Project Officer Land Capabilities (2 posts)

DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of Land Domain Unit, the Project Officer Land Capabilities will be responsible for planning, initiating and conducting collaborative military capability development activities in the Land Domain.

In particular, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

• support EU Member States in improving their military capabilities in the Land domain;
• implement EDA Core Tasks 3 and 4, namely harmonisation of military requirements and aggregation of demand towards joint procurement, including the development of business cases with MS interested in launching specific collaborative development/acquisition projects;
• support and, when required, chair the Capability Expert Groups relevant to the Land domain, namely Ground Combat Capabilities, Land Based Precision Engagement and Future Soldier Systems, as well as related Ad-Hoc Working Groups;
• contribute to other activities within the area of responsibility, including such as Priority Capability Areas-PCAs Coordinating Groups, providing technical direction and subject-matter expertise;
• support the establishment and implementation of ad-hoc projects, including the facilitation and management of EDA Category B projects as required, as well as plan and manage activities funded by the EDA Operational Budget;
• contribute to ensuring coherence between the three (3) Capability Expert Groups (CEGs) implementing Land Domain’s Priorities, as well as with related capability development activities and Land-related work strands across the Agency, including in the framework of the Centre for European Defence Innovation (CEDI);
• liaise, 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;
• contribute to the further development and improvement of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), including identifying, promoting and proposing relevant collaborative opportunities within the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) in the jobholder’s area of responsibility;
• contribute, as appropriate, to the assessment of PESCO project proposals and support Land-related collaborative projects at Member States’ request, including seeking synergies among existing initiatives;
• contribute, as appropriate, to the assessment of the Land-related topics under the European Defence Fund (EDF) annual work programmes, including other DG DEFIS-led initiatives related to the jobholder’s area of responsibility;
• provide technical advice within the jobholder’s area of responsibility in support to EU defence-related policies and concepts;
• represent the Agency at relevant conferences and seminars;
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

SELECTION CRITERIA

A. Essential

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, such as Defence and Security, International Security or another relevant field;
• at least six (6) years of relevant professional experience, acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility;
• proven professional experience within a defence-related governmental organisation and/or an international defence organisation, including experience in military capability development;
• very good knowledge of and proven experience in land warfare and land capability development, particularly in areas such as ground combat capabilities, indirect fire support and soldier systems;
• proven experience in international defence cooperation and a good understanding of defence acquisition and armament procurement processes;
• good knowledge of the EU defence environment and relevant defence initiatives, including EDA’s role, main tasks and functions, together with an understanding of NATO activities relevant to the area of responsibility;
• 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 organisational and coordination skills;
• strong conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent interpersonal, communication 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:

• knowledge and experience of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), including its relevant structures, processes and initiatives; 
• experience and participating in national or multinational Land-based military operations or exercises;
• experience in collaborative defence acquisition, related to large-scale and complex multinational defence programmes;
• hold a recognised project and or programme management qualification.