Head of Legal Unit

We are looking for a dynamic legal professional with an established track record in providing clear, accurate, and soundly reasoned legal advice. Combining legal expertise and service-oriented skills, the jobholder will be asked to react quickly on a wide-range of various legal issues impacting the Agency’s work. In the role of Legal Advisor, the jobholder will act as a central point to ensure the legal coherence of the Agency’s work while enabling mandate execution.

Under the supervision of the Corporate Services Director, the successful candidate will perform the following duties:

Legal advice and representation

• provide legal advice and services to EDA Management on matters pertaining to the Agency and its interaction with the external ecosystem (EU institutions, Member States, third parties, defence industry);
• provide legal support to the Agency's operational Directorates in the implementation of their projects and programmes, as required;
• provide legal advice in respect of the interpretation of the EDA legal framework as it stands and as it may evolve;
• verify the legal soundness of the Agency’s decisions;
• draft or assist in the drafting of various legal documents within the Agency’s remit (such as Rules on public access to EDA documents, governance framework, legal templates etc.);
• contribute to and review decisions, internal guidance, policies, handbooks, manuals, etc., as required;
• provide legal advice on matters of procurement/contracting in close cooperation with the Procurement and Contract Unit.

Management and oversight

• manage the workload, human and budgetary resources allocated to the Legal Unit, including the development of competences and skills, and the evaluation of performance;
• lead and empower the team fostering team cohesion and sustained motivation;
• oversee the maintenance of the Agency's repository of internal decisions, rules and non-contractual legal commitments.

Liaison and coordination

• liaise and ensure sound and fruitful working relations with the legal services of EDA's institutional counterparts and stakeholders (participating Member States, Council of the European Union, EEAS, European Commission, EU Agencies, etc.);
• co-ordinate the Agency's approach towards litigation and proceedings to which the Agency is/may be party.

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