Policy Officer

Under the supervision of the Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Office, the jobholder will be responsible for the following

activities:
 

• ensure the monitoring and reporting on all EU initiatives linked to EU funding instruments and cross-sectoral policies;
• engage in different working formations that deal with EU legislations and initiatives;
• liaise with the European Commission, other EU institutions, bodies, and stakeholders;
• contribute to position papers, both for internal use and for wider circulation to Member States and EU institutions, inclose coordination with EDA operational directorates;
• engage with Member States at defence policy and expert level, as required;
• prepare, review and support the definition of EDA priorities, objectives, and timelines, in close cooperation withoperational directorates;
• provide support to top management, including briefings, speaking notes, speeches and reports of visits and/ormeetings;
• 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.

SELECTION CRITERIA

A. Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

The candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has:
 

• a university degree (or equivalent academic qualification) in a field relevant for the position (e.g. political science and international relations, with a strong focus on security and defence policy, strategic affairs);
• at least five (5) years of professional experience in the fields of security policy, defence, and strategic issues, acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required for eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• at least two (2) years of direct and substantial experience of dealing with policy shaping and implementation either in national defence/security administrations or in international institutions in the defence/security field;
• professional drafting experience in English, including the preparation of strategic or conceptual documents, speaking notes, briefing materials, or comparable senior-level outputs;
• excellent oral communication skills in English, demonstrated through professional experience delivering presentations and oral briefings;
• understanding of EDA's main tasks and functions among EU institutions, and of the CSDP environment;
• demonstrated experience in stakeholder management and coordination;
• 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:

• excellent conceptual and analytical skills;
• ability to work in a team and independently in his/her area of responsibility;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational and multicultural environment, displaying political awareness;
• ability to prioritise and organise tasks, and to coordinate a wide range of activities;
• ability to take initiatives and work under high political and time pressure, and with minimal supervision;
• strong motivation, flexibility and results-driven approach;
• a strong sense of initiative and ability to propose and promote innovative ideas and concepts;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• professional experience with EU institutions and in dealing with EU legislative files;
• understanding of military capabilities, capability development, defence technologies or R&T;
• qualifications or recognised expertise in security, defence, and capability development or related-fields, demonstrated through specialised, expert-level courses or training and/or publications and/or public interventions in these fields.