Project Officer Aviation / Air Transport

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…

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• a minimum of ten (10) years of active flight duties in military aviation;
• strong knowledge of and proven experience in Air Transport;
• at least five (5) years of concrete experience in military capability development and/or preparation of military capability projects / programmes; 
• a proven concrete experience of leadership position in project / programme management in an international organisation or a large-scale government or public sector organisation;
• track record of relevant professional experience in the field of international cooperation;
• a good understanding of armament procurement;
• familiarity with the international Defence environment in general;
• thorough understanding of EU institutions and EU Air transport related entities and how they function, and of their Defence-related initiatives;
• 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;
• leadership and management skills with a proven ability to lead multinational teams;
• strong conceptual and analytical skills and the ability to find solutions in complex and evolving environments;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• flexibility and innovativeness;
• conceptual, interpersonal, and analytical skills;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• a minimum of 12 years of professional experience acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility;
• transport pilot or instructor pilot, tactics instructor or weapons instructor;
• operational experience in national or multinational operations centres;
• command experience;
• participation in EDA or NATO Airlift and/or AAR working groups;
• multinational experience in an EU or NATO organisation or headquarter.

We are looking for a Project Officer Aviation / Air Transport.

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit Air Domain, the jobholder will contribute to revision and implementation of the EU Capability Development Priority related to the Air Domain with a primary focus on Air Transport and Airlift Military Mobility (Capability Development including Concepts & Doctrines, Material, Training, etc.).

In executing this main mission, the jobholder will be responsible in particular for:

• maintaining an expert awareness of the Air Transport domain at EU level and exploiting this expertise to contribute from an Air Transport Capability perspective to all EU tools and mechanisms dedicated to support Capability Development and Armament cooperation (Capability Development Plan (CDP), Coordinated annual Review on Defence (CARD), Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), European Defence Fund (EDF), European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), etc.);
• managing the Priority Implementation Roadmap related to the domain of Air Transport, with the objective to identify and mature possible collaborative activities and projects, foster their launching and support their execution. This includes the responsibility to elaborate Business Cases for possible cooperation projects;
• conducting collaborative projects that Member States task EDA to conduct (Category A/B projects) in the domain of Air Transport. for capability development and for joint procurement of Defence products related to Air Transport, including chairing the related management groups;
• managing the communities of EU Member States’ representatives and experts of the domain (organizing / chairing meetings, managing programmes of works, animating / contributing to activities conducted by these communities);
• planning and conducting outsourced activities and conducting internal studies supporting the management of the Priority Implementation Roadmap and the management of the communities of EU Member States’ representatives and experts;
• acting as the primary EDA point of contact for Air transport, providing expertise both internally and externally:
  • coordinating with other colleagues and units responsible for managing other Capability Development Priorities and operational domains and with units responsible for conducting tools supporting capability development (CDP, CARD and PESCO);
  • coordinating with other EDA Directorates, notably for contributing to capability-driven R&T and innovation activities and for up taking technological development and innovation in capability development;
  • coordinating with stakeholders of the Air Transport domain external to EDA including EATC, MCCE, MMU, EAG, NATO, JAPCC, European Commission… In particular, contributing, from an Air Transport expert perspective, to DG DEFIS programmes such as EDF;
  • representing the Agency during conferences and seminars.
• contributing to the management of the Air Domain Unit, notably by contributing to the strategic thinking and anticipation conducted within the unit, and by contributing to the planning of activities.

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

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).

The Project Officer Aviation / Air Transport 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 AD10.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 10.518,29€ 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 Project Officer Aviation / Air Transport 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.