Grants Officer

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 his/her full rights as a citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws concerning military service;
• produce the appropriate character references as to his/her suitability for the performance of his/her duties (extract from the “judicial record” or certificate of good conduct will be requested prior to recruitment);
• be physically fit to perform his/her 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 his/her duties;
• have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of his/her 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 of education 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-langu…

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 law or public/business administration;
• at least 6 years of relevant professional experience in a multinational/multicultural environment;
• very good knowledge and experience of the EU grant rules and practices;
• a good understanding of the challenges and complexity related to contribution agreements and grant lifecycle procedures (from A to Z), and proven experience in managing quality, delays and other typical issues/risks of grant lifecycle;
• a good understanding of the financial rules applicable to the general EU budget, especially in the field of grants;
• experience in drafting, adapting and maintaining contribution agreements and grant documents, as well as in the use of EU grant management tools;
• good knowledge of the EU legal and institutional framework;
• excellent 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 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 little supervision;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• creativity within the rules;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• familiarity with the defence international environment (especially with EDF);
• a good understanding of the EDA’s main tasks and functions.

We are looking for a Grants Officer (Temporary Agent, AD8)

Under the supervision of the Head of Procurement and Contract Unit, and with a genuine service oriented and result driven spirit, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

• ensure the planning, coordination and implementation of the EDA activities funded by the general budget of the Union in accordance with Arts. 15.1 (a) and 24 of Council decision 2015/1835 (e.g. European Defence Fund (EDF), Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED), Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS));  
• negotiate contribution agreements with the competent services of the European Commission (or executive agencies) upon aligning with the relevant EDA internal stakeholders (Legal, Finance, Security, Operational directorates);
• manage end-to-end the grant lifecycle from calls for proposals to grant agreements in accordance with the relevant contribution agreement, the EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046 and the rules of the EU programme concerned (e.g. Regulation 2021/697, in the case of EDF);
• plan EDA procurement activities linked to the grant portfolio and, within means and capabilities, provide support for their implementation;
• ensure coordination between EDF Actions and ad-hoc Project Arrangements (concluded under Art. 20 of Council decision 2015/1835) when EDA is entrusted by the European Commission to act both as "indirect manager" (under Art. 8.1 of Regulation 2021/697) and as "project manager" (under Arts. 2(18) and 25 of Regulation 2021/697);
• monitor activities and provide timely reporting to the Head of Unit on the entrusted portfolio; 
• conduct legal and risk analysis and provide advice on issues concerning the entrusted portfolio;
• ensure compliance by design with the applicable rules and act as the Unit's point of contact for audit activities on the entrusted portfolio;
• draft and maintain procedures, checklists and templates to harmonise approaches across the entrusted portfolio; 
• collect and implement lessons learnt to gain efficiency and enhance compliance in the entrusted portfolio;
• provide training, guidance and support to EDA operational staff and contribute to the development of their understanding of the applicable rules and principles;
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

Duties may evolve according to development of the EDA’s structure and activities, and the decisions of EDA management.

The Grants Officer will be appointed by the Chief Executive.

Recruitment will be as a member of the temporary staff of the Agency for a four-year period. Renewal is possible within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Temporary Agent, grade AD8.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 7.977,14€ supplemented with various allowances, including as applicable expatriation or family allowances. The successful candidate will be graded on entry into service according to the length of his/her professional experience. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead an Agency tax at source is paid. For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer

Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance certificate before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the contract.

Candidates are advised that part of the recruitment process includes medical analyses and physical check-up with the Agency’s Medical Adviser.

Applications are invited with a view to establish a reserve list for the post of Grants Officer at EDA. This list will be valid until 31/12/2025, and may be extended by decision of the Chief Executive. During the validity of the reserve list, successful candidates may be offered a post in EDA according to their competences in relation to the specific requirements of the vacant post. Inclusion on the reserve list does not imply any entitlement of employment in the Agency.

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.

Candidates must submit their application electronically solely via the EDA website. Applications by any other means (hard copy or ordinary e-mail) will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted no later than midnight. Candidates are reminded that the on-line application system will not accept applications after midnight (Brussels time, GMT+1) on the date of the deadline.

When applying, candidates from Ministries of Defence or other governmental entities are encouraged to inform their national administration.

A selection panel will be appointed. Please note that the selection panel's internal proceedings are strictly confidential and that any contact with its members is forbidden.

Each application will be screened based on the requirements of the job profile stated in the vacancy notice. The most suitable applicants will be called for an interview and a written test. Candidates may also be requested to take part in an assessment centre, participating in a number of individual and group activities related to the competences required for the post.

If recruited, you will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements that you make for this application. Do not send any supporting or supplementary information until you have been asked to do so by the Agency.

Please note that once you have created your EDA profile, any correspondence regarding your application must be sent or received via your EDA profile. For any prior enquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently asked questions) section, or send an e-mail to recruitmenteda [dot] europa [dot] eu (recruitment[at]eda[dot]europa[dot]eu).