Trainee Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD)

The European Defence Agency was established on 12 July 2004, and is governed by Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835 defining the statute, seat and operational rules of the European Defence Agency. The Agency has its headquarters in Brussels.

The main task of EDA is to support the Council and the Member States in their effort to improve the Union’s defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) as it currently stands and as it develops in the future.

The Agency is structured into four directorates. The Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) and three operational directorates: Industry, Synergies and Enablers (ISE); Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP); Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI).

The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating Member States, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in an integrated way, with multi-disciplinary teams representing all of the Agency’s functional areas, to realise its objectives. Its business processes are flexible and oriented towards achieving results. Staff at all levels need to demonstrate the corresponding qualities of commitment, flexibility, innovation, and team-working; to work effectively with shareholders and stakeholder groups, formal and informal; and to operate without the need for detailed direction.

EDA’s traineeship programme is addressed to university graduates, including those who, in the framework of lifelong learning, have recently obtained a university diploma and are at the beginning of a new professional career.

The aim of EDA’s traineeship programme is:

• to introduce recent graduates to the professional world and enable them to apply knowledge acquired during their studies, particularly in their specific areas of competence.
  
• to create a pool of young people with first-hand understanding of EDA’s mission and activities.
  
• to enrich the work of EDA with a fresh point of view and up-to-date academic knowledge.
  
• to promote European integration and create awareness of European citizenship in a multi-cultural and multilingual environment.

While at EDA, trainees will be working side by side with motivated and highly qualified experts coming from the participating Member States and they will have the opportunity to contribute to specific projects within the Agency.

The Capability, Armament & Planning Directorate (CAP) identifies and proposes collaborative opportunities in support of EU capability development priorities. The Directorate is responsible for planning and conducting capability development based on analysis of military requirements conducted together with Member States within the Capability Development Plan (CDP).

The Directorate coordinates in-house the implementation of the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), establishing a regularly updated overview of the European defence capability landscape, in coordination with the European External Action Service (EEAS), including the EU Military Staff (EUMS).

The CAP Directorate implements EDA’s secretariat functions to the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), together with the EEAS, including the EU Military Staff. Within the PESCO secretariat, the Directorate coordinates EDA’s assessment of PESCO project proposals from the capability perspective, as well as the National Implementation Plans of PESCO participating Member States and supports PESCO project implementation.

Based on coordinating the results of CDP, CARD and PESCO, the Directorate plans and prepares capability development activities and projects tailored to Member States’ needs. These activities span from advice and roadmaps to collaborative capability development projects, including the support to Member States upstream of the European Defence Fund.

The CAP Directorate comprises six Units with the following key areas of activity:

• Air Domain Unit: Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, Air-to-Air Refuelling, Airlift
  
• Cooperation Planning Unit: CDP, CARD, Defence Data
  
• Land and Logistics Unit: Land platforms, Counter-IED, Personnel Recovery, Military Mobility, Logistics, Medical Support
  
• Information Superiority Unit: Communication & Information Systems, Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Space, Cyber Defence
  
• Maritime Unit: Maritime Surveillance, Mine Counter Measures, naval training, harbour protection
  
• PESCO Unit: PESCO secretariat, assessment and support to project development

Under the supervision of his/her advisor, the Trainee Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) will work with country officers and colleagues across all operational domains and will contribute to/be responsible for the following activities:

• contribute to the CARD administrative tasks, i.e. preparation of presentations and documents, organise and support meetings according to the CARD methodology;
  
• content and user management of the EU Collaboration In Defence (EUCLID) platform;
  
• collect and encode information on defence plans, programmes, projects and in-service capabilities of Member States or cooperation entities such as OCCAR or NATO;
  
• support the identification and promotion of collaborative opportunities derived from CARD, taking into account elements from the Capability Development Plan (CDP) and activities taking place in cooperation frameworks such as Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), FNC, OCCAR or NATO;
  
• support the organization and conduct of events such as exploratory workshops on collaborative opportunities, CDP-Team, Collaborative Opportunities-Team, or CARD related meetings;
  
• communication with Member State Points of Contact to CARD and EUCLID;
  
• provide user support for related software tools, mainly the Defence Policy (DPOL) database and EUCLID.

A typical day at work involves the following activities:

• database content and user management;
• contribute to drafting analysis and presentations on Members States’ defence capabilities;
• support subject matter experts to utilize CARD findings in their area of responsibility;
• assist in preparing and support the conduct of meetings, at EDA premises or by VTC.

A. Project outputs & learning outcomes

The selected trainee will be involved in the consultative exploitation of the findings of the 2022 CARD Aggregated Analysis and 2022 Report, as well as in the preparation of the 2023-24 CARD cycle. The selected trainee will become familiar with the European Defence Landscape and will acquire practical experience in analysing input to derive opportunities for Member States defence cooperation. S/he will gain knowledge in Member States’ national and bi & multilateral Defence Programmes and an insight in all EU Defence Initiatives (CARD, PESCO and EDF).

B. Technical / Soft skills to be acquired

From this experience the trainee will gain:

• ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational/multicultural and complex environment;
• ability to work in a small team and independently in his/her area of responsibility;
• accuracy and attention to detail;
• database content management;
• user access management;
• very good organisational and communication skills;
• flexibility and ability to communicate with different governmental counterparts;
• affinity with security and defence;
• research and analytical skills;
• quantitative and qualitative data analysis;
• report preparation and writing skills;
• web-tool/database management skills;
• understanding of project management principles;
• result-orientated planning and execution;
• time management;
• multi-stakeholder relations/management;
• organisation of (international) meetings and events.

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. It should be noted that due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of another participating EU Member State, are not eligible;
• be entitled to his/her full rights as a citizen;
• 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. To assess foreign language skills, see: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr;
• 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). This is 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 (CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above), the date of validity of the relevant PSC and the date of expiry of the certificate itself. Please note that the procedure for obtaining a PSCC can only be initiated by EDA on behalf of the selected candidate;
• have completed at least the first (minimum three-year) cycle of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent by the closing date for applications. 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. Please note that degrees awarded in the United Kingdom up to 31/12/2020 are considered valid;
• have not previously undertaken for more than six weeks a paid or unpaid traineeship or any kind of employment in another EU institution, Agency, or body.

No age limit is imposed on the candidates for traineeships; however, traineeships are as a matter of priority offered to recent university graduates.

A. Essential

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

• a university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in political science (with a focus on security and defence), information technology, data engineering or management;
  
• excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (level C1/C2);
  
• advanced IT skills, particularly in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• exposure to an international environment, preferably in the area of security and defence;
• previous experience working in a team;
• experience with SharePoint.

The traineeship is offered for a 1-year period.

Trainees are awarded an allowance of 1.252,68€ per month. Upon presentation of the proper justification, disabled trainees may receive a supplement to their allowance equal to a maximum of 50% of the amount of the allowance. The objective of this extra payment is to help disabled trainees to cover extra expenses (i.e. transport, cost of special accommodation etc.) which may be required due to their disability.

Health and accident insurance is mandatory. Trainees shall be responsible for organising their own insurance against accident along with health cover and any insurance required for family members for the duration of the traineeship. Trainees whose place of origin is more than 50km from the place of employment are entitled to a reimbursement of travel expenses incurred at the beginning and end of the traineeship. Travel allowances are paid at the end of the training period, provided the trainee has completed a minimum of 6 months of the traineeship.

In exceptional cases only, trainees may be sent on a mission provided that the mission is of a technical and not of a representative character. The authorisation shall be granted by the Director of the respective Directorate. For the reimbursement of these mission expenses, the general procedure of reimbursement provided in EDA’s Staff Regulations will apply.

For further information on financial matters, read the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on the EDA website: https://www.eda.europa.eu/jobs/faqs

Admission to a traineeship does not confer on trainees the status of temporary agents or other servants of the European Union nor does it entail any right or priority with regard to future engagement in the Agency. Trainees cannot benefit from any privileges and immunities granted by the host country to temporary agents or other servants of the European Defence Agency.

Admission to a traineeship does not confer on trainees the status of temporary agents or other servants of the European Union nor does it entail any right or priority with regard to future engagement in the Agency. Trainees cannot benefit from any privileges and immunities granted by the host country to temporary agents or other servants of the European Defence Agency.

A person can only benefit from one traineeship experience at EDA. Traineeships are not renewable and may not, in principle, be extended. However, the Chief Executive may grant an extension at the end of each training period, which may not exceed six months. Requests for extensions will only be accepted if the budgetary appropriations and the capacity of the Directorate/Unit to accommodate trainees allow and if objectively justified in the interest of the service.

Regardless of the traineeship, trainees are entitled to participate as candidates in any selection procedures organised by the Agency, provided that they meet the requirements for doing so. If successful, they shall be entitled to a post accordingly.

The EDA is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, sex or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.

Candidates shall not apply for more than 2 trainee profiles and are requested to indicate an order of preference in their motivation letter.

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 on the date of the deadline. Candidates are reminded that the on-line application system will not accept applications after midnight (Brussels time, GMT+1).

The Agency defines its requirements for each call and successful candidates are selected on the basis of the educational background, qualifications, competences, and motivation.

EDA’s Human Resources Unit assesses compliance of applications with the eligibility criteria. The respective Directorates/Units assess applications against the selection criteria and shortlist a number of candidates that meet the requirements. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a telephone interview.

Following the interviews, the Directorate/Unit will select the trainee who most closely meets the requirements of the specific profile.

If offered a traineeship, candidates will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements made in their application. Candidates are requested not to send any supporting or supplementary information until they 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 inquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, or send an e-mail to recruitment@eda.europa.eu.

Please note that EDA will not return applications to candidates. The personal information EDA requests from candidates will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) N° 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) 45/2001 and Decision No. 1247/2002/EC.

The purpose of processing personal data which candidates submit is to manage applications in view of possible pre-selection and recruitment at EDA. More information on personal data protection in relation to selection and recruitment can be found on the EDA website: http://www.eda.europa.eu/jobs/dataprotection