Project Officer EU-funded Defence Research

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit EU-funded Defence Research, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

• manage projects entrusted to EDA for indirect management under the European Defence Fund (EDF);
• liaise with the internal units (contracting, finance and security) for the negotiations and signature of the assigned grant agreements;
• liaise/cooperate with relevant EDA internal working groups, especially Capability Technology Groups (CapTechs) and Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI), to look for synergies and exploitation of projects results;
• manage and monitor assigned projects once the grant agreements are signed and review the deliverables;
• provide oversight and participate in the review meetings of the assigned projects;
• implement risk management for assigned projects;
• prepare inputs to obligatory reports towards the European Commission, especially the annual progress report, the interim progress report and the final report of assigned projects;
• prepare briefing notes and assist in updating information concerning the activities of the assigned projects;
• contribute to the assessment of assigned projects and draw lessons learnt and propose appropriate follow-on actions;
• represent the Agency at public conferences and seminars;
• 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.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• a University degree (or equivalent academic qualification) in one of the following fields: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), economics, finance, business management, political sciences or other domain relevant to this post;
• a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• familiarity with the EU defence cooperation environment, especially research & technology and related policies;
• practical experience in cooperating with the European defence institutional stakeholders (European Commission/DG DEFIS, EDA, EUMS), ministries of defence of the EU Member States, European research organisations, academia and defence industry incl. SMEs, and with internal stakeholders;
• a track record of delivering successful project 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 and independently in their area of responsibility;
• strong interpersonal and negotiation skills; 
• flexibility, proactiveness and innovativeness;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• good communication skills;
• a strong sense of duty and responsibility;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• experience in the dissemination and exploitation of research project results;
• proven experience in managing defence research & technology projects, including practical experience in the use of European Commission grant management IT tools (COMPASS, SYGMA);
• knowledge of, and/or experience in, the implementation of the EU Financial Regulation;
• proven experience in handling classified information;