Events & Communication Assistant

The European Defence Agency (EDA) 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 Media and Communication Unit is responsible for all internal and external communication activities of the Agency. The Unit provides communication advice to the Agency’s top team and supports the entire Agency to promote its achievements in terms of project and programme output.

The Unit thus has a double function including providing communication advice to the Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive as well as a public information role. The importance of communication within the Agency is illustrated by the fact that the Unit directly reports to the Chief Executive/Deputy Chief Executive.

The Unit consists of a small, dynamic and dedicated team. Its aim is to efficiently and innovatively communicate developments and achievements of the Agency to a wide variety of stakeholders. The team includes a Head of Unit, two Media and Communication Officers, a webmaster and a graphic designer/assistant and a trainee (Junior Communication Officer). Each team member has his/her distinct tasks; and while all team members support one another, personal accountability and independent handling of tasks is expected. A framework contract for communication activities is in place which supports the Unit among others in event management, production of publications, etc.

The main channels for external communication the Unit currently uses are its website, presence on social media platforms, publications including the biannual EDA magazine “European Defence Matters”, audiovisual products, newsletters, media articles and events.

Under the supervision of the Head of Media and Communication Unit, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

Events organisation

• plan, prepare and organise internal and/or external events, such as conferences e.g. EDA’s Annual Conference, in-house workshops, press conferences and group visits;
  
• work with Project Officers to advise, define and support event concept; including budget and event planning;
  
• liaise with contractors for the preparation and delivery of event-related tasks, and manage participant registration;
  
• coordinate the on-day execution of events; managing on-site resources and providing oversight;
  
• draft all communications materials for events; save-the-date; participant invitation & registration; thank-you letters;
  
• assess EDA’s events by monitoring participants’ satisfaction (e.g. through surveys), report on lessons learned and make proposals for improving future events.

Internal communication

• develop, implement and monitor EDA’s internal communications activities;
  
• organise monthly thematic chat sessions, in partnership with colleagues from across other directorates and the HR unit;
  
• manage content and update relevant pages on the EDA intranet, as well as on public screens available in EDA’s premises.

General communication support

• support the Head of unit and/or communications officers with the drafting of documents and/or communications plans;
  
• maintain and update relevant stakeholders’ databases, such as the EDA distribution lists and the planning calendar;
  
• support with the updating of the EDA website and the external newsletters as required;
  
• liaise with various EDA directorates and units, as well as with external contractors for the planning and delivery of communications services.

Administrative tasks

• 
  write minutes or/and reports of relevant meetings, and draft relevant administrative documents;
  
• act as back-up for administrative tasks for the Unit – such as preparing missions or managing the budget lines for “public relation/information activities" and ordering from external service providers.

The jobholder may take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

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

• 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 (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;
• 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 post-secondary education attested by a diploma; or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years; or, where justified in the interests of the service, professional training or professional experience 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. Please note that degrees awarded in the United Kingdom up to 31/12/2020 are considered valid.

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.

For native English speakers, your ability to communicate in another EU language will be tested during the selection process. To assess your foreign language levels, see: https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills

A. Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

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

• a university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in communication, journalism, event management, or in a field relevant to the position;
• at least 3 years relevant professional experience in a similar role;
• experience of event organisation, preferably in an EU context;
  
• experience in project support related to communication activities;
• good administrative skills including procurement and financial management;
• advanced IT skills, particularly in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook);
• excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (level C1/C2).

(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;
  
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
  
• ability to work under pressure;
  
• flexibility, enthusiasm and innovativeness;
  
• strong motivation to perform general administrative duties;
  
• strong sense of initiative, hands-on mentality and service-orientation;
  
• well-organised, accuracy and dependability;
  
• ability to present a positive and professional image of the Agency in external relations;
  
• good organisation, resilience to change and receptiveness to a rapidly evolving work environment;
  
• genuine commitment to the Agency’s objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• excellent knowledge of written and spoken French (level C1/C2);
• experience of internal communication;
• exposure to an international environment;
• knowledge of Microsoft SharePoint;
• familiarity with the EU institutions.

The Events & Communication Assistant 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 Events & Communication Assistant will be appointed by the Chief Executive.

Recruitment will be as a member of the contractual 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 Contract Agent, Function Group III.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 3.028,92€ 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.