Procurement and Contract Officer

We are looking for candidates who, by the closing date for applications, can demonstrate the following qualifications:

(1) Professional

• University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in law or in a field relevant to the duties of the post (see DUTIES section above);
   
• at least 6 years of professional experience in a relevant field, acquired after the award of the academic qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA section above);
   
• excellent knowledge of the European public procurement directive and the financial and procurement rules applicable to the Agency or to the general budget of the Union;
   
• a good understanding of EDA’s main tasks and functions;
   
• a track record of delivering successful business outcomes;
   
• 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:

• ability to work in a team;
   
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure with little supervision;
   
• good communication and organisational skills;
   
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
   
• excellent customer service skills;
   
• excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
   
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
   
• flexibility and innovativeness;
   
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.
   

Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• at least 10 years of professional experience in a relevant field, acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility;
• professional experience in public procurement in an international organisation;
• familiarity with the defence international environment (especially EDF and other relevant EU programmes);
• active service or former experience in national administrations, in particular Ministry of Defence, and/or civil-military operations in the domains of procurement and contract management;
• knowledge of the defence and security procurement directive.

We are looking for a Procurement and Contracts Officer.

Under the supervision of the Head of the Procurement and Contract Unit, the Procurement and Contract Officer will primarily contribute to the following activities:

• administer a wide portfolio of complex public procurement procedures in compliance with the Agency’s Financial & Public Procurement Rules, which entails, i.a.:
   
  • timely planning assigned procurement activities by liaising with the relevant internal and external stakeholders;
     
  • advising project officers on the timeline, legal base, type of procurement procedure, contractual set-up and special clauses, i.a., on export control, ownership of intellectual property rights, delays;
     
  • drafting notes for the file, calls for tenders, awarding documents, contracts and amendments;
     
  • ensuring quality and compliance of the procurement dossiers and procedures with the EDA legal framework, procurement strategy and established practices;
     
  • providing support to the relevant Units/Directorates to manage contract matters, issues and risks.
• manage a wide portfolio of complex ad-hoc activities under Art. 19 and 20 of Council decision 2015/1835, which entails, i.a.:
   
  • negotiating and drafting ad-hoc Project and Programme Arrangements (PAs), including those foreseeing the role of procurement agent for the EDA (as relevant, with (co-)funding from EU programmes);
     
  • ensuring compliance of the PAs with the EDA financial rules and practice as well as with the existing EU legal framework governing, i.a.: financial and fiscal incentives in defence, export control, intellectual property rights, classified information;
     
  • administering public procurement activities under signed PAs;
     
  • negotiating and drafting complex contracts to be concluded by the Agency to implement ad-hoc PAs by also ensuring compliance with EU funding instruments (i.a. EDF and the future EDIRPA);
     
  • providing support to the Operational Directorates in charge of ad-hoc activities by ensuring timely and regular implementation of PA and contractual provisions;
     
  • providing contractual guidance to project officers and external stakeholders (Member States, contractors) as required;
     
  • participating in the maintenance and development of the Agency’s ad-hoc procedures, templates and tools especially in view of implementing the EDA Cooperative Financial Mechanism as well as supporting the functioning of the Rapid Deployment Capacity.
• provide guidance and training on EDA’s procurement and contracting activities to EDA staff;
   
• contribute to the drafting /revising of the Unit’s internal procedures;
   
• conduct analyses on complex legal issues of horizontal nature to support informed decision and policy-making;
   
• ensuring timely reporting to management on implementation of the activities in the portfolio;
   
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

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

The Procurement and Contract 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 8.216,45€ 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 Procurement and Contract 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.