Head of IT Unit

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 Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) provides critical business support to EDA operations by delivering high-quality corporate services under seven dedicated organizational elements, namely: Human Resources; Procurement and Contract Management; Finance; IT and Information Management, Security, Legal and Infrastructure. Additionally, the Record Manager is responsible for the effective management of information produced and/or received by the organisation.

CSD processes are geared towards efficient and optimal use of resources, leveraging good practice and technological solutions while ensuring sound financial management, transparency and accountability; outward focus and commitment to continuous improvement are the hallmarks of CSD.

The IT unit provides extensive support to the development and continuous maintenance of business applications used by a large number of users in the EU Member States. Application development is largely outsourced. EDA has its own Identity and Access Management system managed by the IT unit. EDA systems working with EU unclassified information are built around Microsoft Azure, SharePoint and Office 365, and several modern cloud-based cyber defence, security and device management solutions (FireEye, Cisco). Additionally, EDA uses cloud-based services from Amazon Web Services.

EDA is establishing communication and information systems processing EU classified information (EUCI) up to EU Secret. These systems will use on-premises server infrastructure, EU-approved cryptographic technology, PKI, strong authentication and other advanced security technology. They will have several interconnections with systems of other EU institutions, governmental organisations in the EU Member States and selected industry key players.

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic ICT professional who will provide strategic direction and lead a diverse IT team providing services in the development, support, maintenance, and security of EDA ICT capabilities, products and platforms. Reporting to the Director of Corporate Services, the Head of the IT Unit will have the following key tasks and areas of responsibility:

Strategic IT advice

• support the Agency’s mission by proposing priorities in partnership with senior and middle management and providing
  expert guidance in alignment with EDA’s corporate and business needs;
  
• develop and promote state-of-the-art policies, procedures and processes in line with business needs;
  
• manage the Agency’s ICT operations and related contractual vehicles, including the portfolio of EDA products and platforms;
  
• establish performance of ICT processes/systems to determine operating costs and budgets, productivity levels and upgrade requirements, benchmark, analyze, report on, and make recommendations and plans for the improvement of the ICT infrastructure and ICT processes/systems.

Management and oversight

• provide leadership and direction to the IT team, and develop a strategy and focus on the creation of value-added business outputs while ensuring compliance with the regulatory framework;
  
• manage the workload and human resources allocated to the IT Unit, including the development of competences and skills, and the evaluation of performance;
  
• lead the team fostering team cohesion and sustained motivation;
  
• prepare and manage ICT budgets, ICT procurement plan, delivery plans, including ICT governance;
  
• ensure information assurance and resilience, including the ICT management of the Agency’s Classified Networks;
  
• 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.

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 their full rights as citizens;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws concerning military service;
• produce the appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of their duties (extract from the “judicial record” or certificate of good conduct will be requested prior to recruitment);
• be physically fit to perform their 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 their duties;
• have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of their 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.

For diplomas awarded in non-EU countries, a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/

Qualifications/diplomas awarded until 31/12/2020 in the United Kingdom are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required.

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

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

Academic background and professional experience

• a master’s degree (or equivalent academic degree) in ICT, engineering, economics or other relevant field;
  
• at least 10 years of ICT experience (acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required as a condition of eligibility) in positions relevant to the job description in progressively senior levels;
  
• proven track record in successfully leading complex ICT organisations, preferably in the international public sector, including:
  
  • ICT project and contractor management in cloud-based environments with agile delivery of business capabilities and products involving multiple stakeholders;
    
  • ICT Infrastructure management including responsibility for the whole life cycle of wired- and wireless network infrastructure, audio-visual infrastructure for large conferencing facilities, and capabilities for the exchange of classified information;
    
  • setting up and managing disaster recovery policies and deployments.
    
• at least four (4) years of proven track record in successfully leading and managing diverse IT teams and establishing IT as business partner;
  
• experience with management of cloud-based environments and security deployments (M365 E5, Sentinel, Intune);
  
• experience with design and adoption of cloud-based strategic platforms for AI enabled data and business intelligence (Dynamics 365, Fabric, Power Platform);
  
• sound track record of delivering effective internal and external end-user support mechanisms to diverse stakeholders;
  
• very good knowledge of written and oral English.

Skills and competences

• the ability to develop strategic relations with internal and external stakeholders, to explain complex technical issues to senior management and other stakeholders and to translate business needs into tangible, efficient ICT proposals and solutions;
  
• excellent understanding of ICT compliance requirements such as auditing, accreditation, personal data protection and related regulations and control frameworks;
  
• familiarity with:
  • IT security and cyber defence concepts and solutions;
    
  • Infosec concepts and rules, as well as demonstrated experience in IT Security and Risk Management, ideally coupled with related recognised certifications.

(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:

• very good leadership and management skills;
• results-orientation and strong intrinsic motivation, proactivity and a "can-do" attitude;
  
• flexibility and tact, combined with a strong sense of duty and responsibility;
  
• integrity, accuracy and dependability;
  
• excellent interpersonal and presentation skills at all levels;
  
• strong customer orientation;
  
• sharp analytical and critical thinking skills combined with sound judgment;
  
• strong organisational skills, receptiveness and resilience in a rapidly evolving work environment as well as the ability to motivate a technical team;
  
• ability to operate in an innovative manner within an environment with limited resources.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• a recognised product or project management qualification;
• recognised ICT certifications;
• proven experience leading cultural change in adopting cloud-based data platforms (Dynamic 365, Power BI and Fabric), no-code and low-code platforms (Power Platform), and transitioning to Software-as-a-Service (to replace bespoke applications and on-premises infrastructure).

EDA, whose staff are governed by its own Staff Regulations, offers specific conditions of employment with regards to contract duration and pension arrangements.

CONTRACT DURATION

The Head of IT Unit will be appointed by the Chief Executive. Recruitment will be as a member of the contractual staff of the Agency for a 4-year period. Renewal is possible only once for an additional period of 4 years, within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Temporary Agent, grade AD11. In line with EDA’s Staff Regulations, the Agency does not offer inter-Agency mobility.

FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 12.531,47€ supplemented with various allowances including, as applicable, expatriation or family allowances. Successful candidates are graded on entry into service according to the length of their professional experience. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead an Agency tax at source is paid.

PENSION ARRANGEMENTS SPECIFIC TO EDA

Prospective staff members considering a career at the European Defence Agency (EDA) should be aware that EDA has its own pension provisions and is not part of the EU institutions’ pension scheme (PSEUI).

In addition, EDA staff have several flexible options regarding their pension contributions at the end of their contract, under certain conditions, such as:

• transfer to a public pension scheme;
• transfer to a private pension scheme;
• direct payment as a severance grant.

For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer

Selected candidates 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 their independence.

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.

Applications are invited with a view to establish a reserve list for the post of Head of IT Unit at EDA. This list will be valid until 31/12/2027, and may be extended by decision of the Chief Executive. During the validity of the reserve list, successful candidates may be offered a post in EDA according to their competences in relation to the specific requirements of the vacant post. Inclusion on the reserve list does not imply any entitlement of employment in the Agency.

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. Candidates are reminded that the on-line application system will not accept applications after midnight (Brussels time, GMT+1) on the date of the deadline. 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 enquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently asked questions) section, or send an e-mail to recruitment@eda.europa.eu.

When applying, candidates from Ministries of Defence or other governmental entities are encouraged to inform their national administration.

A selection panel will be appointed. Please note that the selection panel’s internal proceedings are strictly confidential and that any contact with its members is forbidden. Each application will be screened based on the requirements of the job profile stated in the vacancy notice. The most suitable applicants will be called for an interview and a written test. Candidates may also be requested to take part in an assessment centre, participating in a number of individual and group activities related to the competences required for the post.

EDA will not accept any phase of the selection & recruitment process prepared or assisted, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. EDA reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI tools may be rejected without further consideration at EDA’s sole discretion, and EDA reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

If recruited, candidates will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements made in their application. They should not send any supporting or supplementary information until asked to do so by the Agency. Candidates are advised that part of the recruitment process includes medical analyses and physical check-up with the Agency’s Medical Adviser.

Staff members employed at EDA require a Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC). The process to obtain a PSCC can be initiated only by EDA on behalf of the staff member. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance certificate before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the contract.

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