Policy Assistant

A. Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• a degree in a field relevant to the post and/or to the activities of the Agency;
• at least 1 year of relevant professional experience in similar duties in a governmental sector or alternatively within international institutions dealing with defence and security matters, acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• a good understanding of EDA's main tasks and functions among EU institutions, and of the implementation of the EU defence initiatives; 
• experience in providing support to Senior Management;
• excellent coordination, drafting (e.g. speaking notes, briefings), oral communication (e.g. presentations) and analytical skills;
• very good IT skills, particularly in the use of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint);
• very good 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:

• strong motivation, flexibility and results-driven approach;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• ability to work in team in a multinational environment;
• ability to prioritise and organise tasks, and to multi-task and coordinate a wide range of activities;
• accuracy and attention to detail;
• flexibility and ability to work under pressure;
• ability to deal with confidential information.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• a University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in a field relevant to the post and/or to the activities of the Agency;
• familiarity with the defence international environment (especially with CSDP);
• understanding of military capabilities, capability development, defence technologies or R&T.

We are looking for a motivated and dedicated Policy Assistant to support the work of the Chief Executive's Policy Office at EDA.

Under the supervision of the Head of the Chief Executive's Policy Office (CEPO), the jobholder will contribute to the following activities:

• support the Unit in strategy development and policy coordination, including on EDA priorities and objectives;
   
• support the Unit with aspects such as invitations, documentation, logistics, etc., in organising Steering Boards, Agency Management Board and other high-level meetings, as well as meetings/events with other EU institutions or Member States, and with international organisations;
   
• support the Unit in providing top management with background analyses, briefings, speaking notes, speeches, and reports of visits and/or meetings;
   
• perform quality check (editing, proof-reading, formatting) of documents, briefings, speaking notes, speeches and
  reports of visits and/or meetings;
   
• support the Unit in updating a list of Steering Board members and national Points of Contact;
   
• support the Unit in organisational, administrative, and coordination tasks;
   
• 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 Policy Assistant will be appointed by the Chief Executive.

Recruitment will be as a member of the contractual 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 Contract Agent, Function Group III.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 3.335,94€ supplemented with various allowances including, as applicable, expatriation or family allowances. Successful candidates are graded on entry into service according to the length of their 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 Policy Assistant at EDA. This list will be valid until 31/12/2026, 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.