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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. Three operational directorates: Industry, Synergies and Enablers (ISE); Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP); Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) and the Corporate Services Directorate (CSD).

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 Industry Synergies & Enablers (ISE) Directorate supports a range of activities critical to collaborative defence capability development in Europe.

On top of leading the work on identifying together with Member States' Key Strategic Activities (KSA) at EU level, the ISE Directorate is responsible for the effective engagement with industry across the Agency’s activities and in support of related priorities set by Member States.

The ISE Directorate facilitates work to address the implications of EU legislation and policies for the defence sector: REACH, procurement, funding instruments and the analysis of developments influencing governmental and industrial stakeholders. The Directorate is responsible for activities on critical enablers to support defence cooperation and enhance interoperability: military airworthiness, standardisation and certification, defence test & evaluation and education and training. The Directorate provides support to CSDP military and civilian operations and missions and EU Battlegroups.

The Directorate facilitates the coordination of military views from and in support of Member States and the relevant international military organisations in the framework of Single European Sky (SES) and acts as the interface with the EU institutions and related bodies. In the wider context of military aviation, the Directorate supports Member States in their efforts to enable RPAS integration in non-segregated airspace and in harmonising military aviation safety issues using the Total System Approach to Military Aviation.

The ISE Directorate comprises four Units:

• The Industry Strategy & EU Policies (ISP) Unit: engagement of industry in the activities of the Agency, determination of Key Strategic Activities at EU level, defence aspects of EU policies varying from legislation (REACH, procurement) to funding instruments
   
• The Critical Enablers (CRE) Unit: support defence cooperation and enhance interoperability through the identification, development and maintenance of harmonized safety, certification and standardisation requirements, references to the best practice standards and networking of Defence Test & Evaluation capabilities in all military domains 
   
• The Single European Sky (SES) Unit: facilitation and coordination of military views in the framework of SES; interface with the EU institutions and related bodies to ensure that Military Aviation will continue to provide and further improve effective security and defence in Europe in the changing context of the civil aviation sector 
   
• The Operations, Training & Exercises (OTE) Unit: promotion of the use in CSDP operations of all relevant EDA projects & programmes; development and management of contracted solutions to support CSDP operations and Member States; initiation, development and management of training and exercise activities for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, including RPAS, with a view to transfer these activities to Member States when mature.
   

Under the direction of the Head of Critical Enablers Unit, the Project Officer Standardisation will:

• participate in the development and maintenance of the European Defence Standardisation Strategy and in the related  implementing activities in accordance with defined Strategic Lines of Action;
   
• support the monitoring and analysis of European Defence standardisation activities and requirements; 
   
• assist in the maintenance of the European Defence Standardisation agenda in coordination with other stakeholders;
   
• contribute to the maintenance of European Defence Standardisation collaboration platforms (EDSTAR, EDSIS);
   
• participate in the implementation of PSMP (Project Standardisation Management Plan) in EDA and assist in the management of the deriving standardisation outcome; 
   
• support the organisation of European Defence Standardisation meetings, conferences, training events and other activities (invitations, agenda, report, documentation); 
   
• contribute to contractual activities related to EU Defence Standardisation;
   
• take part in discussions about the future of EU Defence Standardisation;
   
• 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.
 

a. Conditions for eligibility

• 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;
   
• 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 language of the participating Member States to the extent necessary for the performance of 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 (CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above), 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 of at least three years attested by a diploma or be a graduate of a national or international Defence College.
   

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.

b. Essential selection criteria

(1) Professional

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

• knowledge and/or experience of standardisation (preferably in the defence sector); 
   
• knowledge of the European standardisation organisations and their roles and responsibilities;
   
• knowledge of the European defence cooperation structures, including OCCAR; 
   
• familiarity with industrial and/or scientific topics;
   
• experience in database usage and internet platform update activities;
   
• experience in meetings organisation and support; 
   
• a very good knowledge of written and spoken English;
   
• a track record of delivering successful business outcomes.

(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:

• team-working skills; 
   
• good interpersonal, communication and influencing skills; 
   
• flexibility, innovativeness, tact with a strong sense of duty and responsibility; 
   
• results-orientation and strong motivation; 
   
• accuracy and dependability;   
   
• ability to adapt to a quickly changing working environment; 
   
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

c. Desirable

• familiarity with the international defence environment (especially CSDP, EU Global Strategy, NATO);
• hold a (recognised) Project Management qualification.

The Project Officer Standardisation 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 Standardisation will be appointed by the Chief Executive.

Recruitment will be as a member of the Contract staff of the Agency for a four-year period (unless a shorter period is mutually agreed between the parties). Renewal is possible within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Contract Agent, Function Group IV.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 3.462,01€ 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. For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer

Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance certificate before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the contract.

Candidates are advised that part of the recruitment process includes medical analyses and physical check-up with the Agency’s Medical Adviser.

Applications are invited with a view to establishing a reserve list for the post of Project Officer Standardisation at the EDA. This list is valid until 31/12/2020, 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 the 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.

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 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.

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. If recruited, you will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements that you make for this application. Do not send any supporting or supplementary information until you 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 enquiry, 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