Head of Unit Cooperation Planning

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.

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

The Head of Cooperation Planning supports the Director Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP) in ensuring CAP Directorate’s contribution to the Agency’s work with regard to the outcomes of the Steering Board, Foreign Affairs Council and European Council in relation to Cooperation Planning.

The Head of Cooperation Planning Unit works in close cooperation with Member States, external stakeholders and notably the Head of Unit of the PESCO Unit and the operational domain units as well as with relevant Heads of Unit in the RTI and ISE Directorates. S/he is in particular responsible for:

Cooperation Planning

• work strands assigned to the Unit including:
  • ensuring the management and development of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), including the conduct of periodic revisions in close cooperation with Member States;
    
  • conducting CDP prioritisation process resulting in the EU Capability Development Priorities;
    
  • providing assistance to the EU Military Committee (EUMC), through the EU Military Staff (EUMS), in the work to derive EU military requirements, contributing to the CDP;
    
  • maintaining an overview on the multinational capability related processes and contributing to their possible evolution;
    
  • ensuring the management, the conduct and the development of the Coordinated Annual Review for Defence (CARD), in close concertation with the other EDA directorates and the EUMC/EUMS;
    
  • ensuring the management and development of EDA defence data initiative;
    
  • developing and updating databases (CDP, CODABA and Defence Policy Database) concerning Member States’ defence and equipment plans and cooperative projects and initiatives as well as the EUCLID platform in support of Member States;
    
  • identifying collaborative opportunities notably through the CODABA and the CARD framework in close cooperation with the operational domain units and the PESCO Unit;
• representing the Agency in Headline Goal activities related to capability development;
• maintaining a close working relationship with Member States and the relevant Council, EEAS, EUMC, EUMS and other external bodies including NATO, in order to support the overall multinational capability related processes.

Management

• planning and managing the use of budgetary resources allocated to projects, databases and activities within his/her areas of responsibility;
  
• managing the workload and human resources allocated to the Unit, including the development of competences and skills, and the evaluation of their performance;
  
• allocating personnel from Cooperation Planning Unit to integrated teams under the responsibility of other Directorates and projects.

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

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 of one of the languages of the participating Member States and a satisfactory knowledge 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.

A. Essential

(1) Professional

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

• an excellent knowledge and experience of defence, force planning and capability development, including the related processes;
  
• an excellent knowledge and practical experience of national and multinational capability development and improvement in a European context;
  
• sound knowledge of EU defence initiatives and EU tools (notably CDP, SCC, CARD, PESCO);
  
• sound work experience in a multinational environment and in a national Ministry of Defence;
  
• familiarity with the international defence and security environment (especially in a CSDP context);
  
• track record of delivering successful business outcomes in defence planning and defence capability development, including project management;
  
• a good understanding of EDA’s main tasks, roles and functions;
  
• a sound practical management experience, including in managing high workload and high operational tempo;
  
• a very good knowledge 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 as a team leader and manager, including by working cross-unit and cross-directorate as well as by promoting and improving skills and expertise of his/her team;
  
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
  
• leadership and management skills;
  
• results orientation and strong motivation;
  
• flexibility and innovativeness;
  
• genuine commitment to the Agency’s objectives;
  
• excellent communication and networking skills;
  
• strong conceptual, compositional, interpersonal, and analytical skills.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• relevant experience from multinational operations.

The Head of Unit Cooperation Planning will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the Agency’s interest and to make a declaration in relation to interests that might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence.

The Head of Unit Cooperation Planning 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 AD12.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 11.671,70€ 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.