Project Officer Naval Systems Technology

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 Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate (RTI) promotes and supports defence research at EU level. Based on the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA), developed together with the Member States, the Directorate coordinates and plans joint research activities and the study of technical solutions to meet future operational needs.

The RTI Directorate provides support to Member States and to the European Commission for the Preparatory Action for defence research, including its implementation, and the research dimension of the European Defence Fund. The RTI directorate also ensures the promotion of innovation in defence and the exploitation of synergies at EU level with civil research in dual-use technology fields.

The RTI Directorate comprises two Units and an RTI Coordination Team, with the following key tasks:

• The EU-funded Defence Research Unit: upstream, implementing and downstream support linked to defence research activities funded by the EU budget under delegation by the European Commission
  
• The Technology & Innovation Unit: facilitating the work of the Capability Technology Groups (CapTechs), the Energy & Environment Working Group; development and management of ad hoc research activities based on sectoral Strategic Research Agendas
  
• The RTI Coordination Team: coordination of the RTI Directorate’s contributions to EDA’s transversal activities (such as CDP, CARD, PESCO, and KSA); overview of the Agency’s research portfolio; provision of outlook for research activities and technology watch.

Under the supervision of the Head of Technology and Innovation Unit, the Project Officer Naval Systems Technologies is responsible for the following activities:

• moderate and steer the Capability Technology Group Naval Systems (CapTech Maritime) and related activities of expert groups and electronic fora on the EDA Extranet;
• in this field and in line with Member State orientations, maintain and update the Strategic Research Agenda on Naval Systems Technologies, synthetizing R&T priorities and identifying ways to address them;
• support the development of the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA) and the continued improvement of Captech Maritime’s Technology Building Block content and roadmaps;
• contribute to R&T initiatives aimed at defining capability-led priorities and projects;
  
• promote, support and manage projects including contracting, monitoring and evaluation activities;
  
• participate and collaborate in projects and studies under the responsibility of the RTI Directorate or with other Directorates of EDA;
  
• define and organise expert meetings and workshops;
  
• 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 his/her area of responsibility;
  
• participate and represent the Agency in security and defence-related seminars and workshops, mainly in the areas covered by the CapTech;
  
• contribute to technology watch and foresight in his/her area of responsibility;
  
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

Duties may evolve depending on the development of EDA structure and activities and 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:

• a thorough understanding and professional experience of the challenges related to force protection in CSDP operations and missions; and the competence necessary to propose and champion effective short, medium and long-term solutions;
  
• knowledge and ability to use simulation tools and research tools;
  
• familiarity with the defence international environment (especially with CSDP);
  
• 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;
  
• specific and strong technical background and knowledge in the area of maritime domain;
  
• knowledge and experience in underwater technologies and applications for defence.
  
• a track record of working on R&T activities in government, academia or private companies;
  
• a track record of delivering successful business outcomes;
  
• experience in group management (organisation of meetings, workshops, conferences) and in leading organisational and process change;
  
• 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 and independently in his/her area of responsibility;
  
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
  
• flexibility and innovativeness;
  
• good communication skills;
  
• a strong sense of duty and responsibility;
  
• commitment to the Agency’s objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• experience in project management methodologies and in the whole lifecycle of a project (from inception to results delivery);
• knowledge of innovation management methodologies/frameworks;
  
• knowledge and understanding of Military Capability Development and Defence Research Prioritisation processes.

The Project Officer Naval Systems Technology 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 Project Officer Naval Systems Technology 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 9.117,48€ 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.