Project Officer Land Systems Technologies

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit Technology and Innovation, the jobholder will be responsible for the following activities:

• moderate and steer the Capability Technology Group Land (CapTech Land Systems Technologies) and related activities of expert groups such as Space and electronic fora on the EDA Collaborative Platforms;
   
• in line with Member States’ orientations, maintain, implement and update the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) on Land Systems, synthetizing R&T&I priorities and identifying ways to address them;
   
• contribute to R&T&I initiatives aimed at defining capability-led priorities and projects in line with the CapTech Land Building Blocks (TBB) roadmaps;
   
• promote, support and manage R&T&I projects including contracting, monitoring and evaluation activities (financial, security or legal);
   
• support the development and implementation of the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA);
   
• define and organize RTI experts’ meetings and workshops;
   
• participate and represent the Agency in security and defence-related seminars and workshops, mainly in the areas covered by the CapTech Land;
   
• contribute to Technology Watch and Foresight exercises in the area of responsibility of CapTech Land;
   
• prepare briefing notes and assist in updating information concerning the activities of the assigned projects;
   
• participate and collaborate in projects and studies under the responsibility of the RTI Directorate or with other Directorates of EDA including projects entrusted to EDA for indirect management under the European Defence Fund (EDF);
   
• define and organise expert meetings and workshops;
   
• contribute to the assessment of assigned projects and draw lessons learnt and propose appropriate follow-on activities;
   
• collaborate actively with representatives and experts from the Member States;
   
• liaise with the European Commission and EU Agencies, companies and industry associations involved in military or dual use R&T in the jobholder’s area of responsibility;
   
• 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

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

• a University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in one of the following fields: Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, System Engineering or in a closely related engineering discipline;
   
• a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience, acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• strong technical background and knowledge in at least one of the following areas:
  • military vehicles, including onboard energy systems, drivetrains, protection systems, weapon system integration up to user interfaces,
  • land force up to multi-domain operations,
  • soldier equipment, including experience in unmanned/autonomous systems development/testing/operation;
• familiarity with the European defence cooperation environment and related policies;
• familiarity with European Research and Technology programmes and funding frameworks;
• extensive experience in R&T project management, covering all the phases: promotion, definition, competition and evaluation of proposals, running, assessment of the results, fostering of follow-up activities;
• experience in the dissemination and exploitation of defence research project results;
• experience in providing strategic input to, and supporting, organisational and process change;
• a very good command of 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:

• ability to work in a team and independently in their area of responsibility;
• proactiveness to interact with other stakeholders, both internal and external;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure with minimal supervision;
• strong communication, organisational and coordination skills;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• flexibility and innovativeness;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• a strong sense of duty and responsibility;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• hold a (recognised) project management qualification;
• a minimum of 3 years of experience in management of defence R&T projects;
• practical experience of cooperating with the European Commission and managing of stakeholder settings in public institutions and industry;
• proven records in cooperation with military stakeholders;
• proven experience in handling classified information;
• experience in robotics and space technologies for defence.