Policy Officer

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Position description

Under the supervision of the Head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Office, the jobholder will be responsible for the following activities:

• ensure the monitoring and reporting on all EU initiatives linked to EU funding instruments and cross-sectoral policies;
• engage in different working formations that deal with EU legislations and initiatives;
• liaise with the European Commission, other EU institutions, bodies, and stakeholders;
• contribute to position papers, both for internal use and for wider circulation to Member States and EU institutions, inclose coordination with EDA operational directorates;
• engage with Member States at defence policy and expert level, as required;
• prepare, review and support the definition of EDA priorities, objectives, and timelines, in close cooperation withoperational directorates;
• provide support to top management, including briefings, speaking notes, speeches and reports of visits and/ormeetings;
• 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.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

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.

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.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

Professional

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

• a university degree (or equivalent academic qualification) in a field relevant for the position (e.g. political science and international relations, with a strong focus on security and defence policy, strategic affairs);
• at least five (5) years of professional experience in the fields of security policy, defence, and strategic issues, acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required for eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• at least two (2) years of direct and substantial experience of dealing with policy shaping and implementation either in national defence/security administrations or in international institutions in the defence/security field;
• professional drafting experience in English, including the preparation of strategic or conceptual documents, speaking notes, briefing materials, or comparable senior-level outputs;
• excellent oral communication skills in English, demonstrated through professional experience delivering presentations and oral briefings;
• understanding of EDA’s main tasks and functions among EU institutions, and of the CSDP environment;
• demonstrated experience in stakeholder management and coordination;
• a very good command of written and spoken English.

Personal

All staff must be able to fit into the Agency’s way of working. Other attributes important for this post include:

• excellent conceptual and analytical skills;
• ability to work in a team and independently in his/her area of responsibility;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational and multicultural environment, displaying political awareness;
• ability to prioritise and organise tasks, and to coordinate a wide range of activities;
• ability to take initiatives and work under high political and time pressure, and with minimal supervision;
• strong motivation, flexibility and results-driven approach;
• a strong sense of initiative and ability to propose and promote innovative ideas and concepts;
• genuine commitment to the Agency’s objectives.

Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• professional experience with EU institutions and in dealing with EU legislative files;
• understanding of military capabilities, capability development, defence technologies or R&T;
• qualifications or recognised expertise in security, defence, and capability development or related-fields, demonstrated through specialised, expert-level courses or training and/or publications and/or public interventions in these fields.

Application instructions

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