Project Officer PESCO

Position description

The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) is a treaty-based framework for the 26 participating Member States (pMS) to jointly plan, develop, and invest in collaborative capability development and to enhance the defence readiness. PESCO projects are designed to deliver capabilities for the use of pMS, including to support the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations and missions, and they provide an opportunity for the pMS to cooperate in all domains. The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the EEAS, including the EU Military Staff, working together, provide a Secretariat function for PESCO, with a single point of contact for the pMS.

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit PESCO, within the Capability, Armament and Planning (CAP) Directorate, the jobholder will contribute to the following activities:

• coordinate the work strand on PESCO projects, ensuring the effective monitoring and follow-up of both ongoing and upcoming projects, in close cooperation with participating Member States and relevant cross-unit and cross-directorate counterparts within EDA;
• assist participating Member States in the implementation of projects, also by collecting and sharing best practices, support synergies among projects, and evaluate the progress achieved in cooperation with the project coordinators and PESCO Points of Contacts;
• develop mapping, analyses, and reporting on PESCO projects to provide relevant information to the stakeholders as well as prepare the annual report on PESCO projects’ progress, connecting the technical and operational aspects with the political priorities and evolving guidance;
• contribute to the annual assessment of the National Implementation Plans (NIP) and the report of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Status of PESCO Implementation with accurate and validated information of participating Member States’ contribution to PESCO projects;
• coordinate the preparation and the assessment of PESCO project proposals, while ensuring that there is no unnecessary duplication with existing initiatives also in other institutional contexts;
• support enhancing strategic communication on PESCO projects;
• contribute to the development of the PESCO module in the electronic platform (EUCLID/EPIC) and ensure effective management of daily correspondence and requests on projects;
• cooperate with the European External Action Service (EEAS), including the EU Military Staff, to achieve efficiently the PESCO Secretariat functions;
• 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.

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.

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.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• a university degree in a relevant field, such as in International Relations, Political Science, European Studies, Engineering, Security Studies;
• at least six (6) years of relevant professional experience, acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above);
• experience in contributing to the elaboration, assessment and implementation of high-level political and/or strategic documents;
• experience in defence at a national Ministry of Defence or armed forces level and/or international level;
• proven experience in project management, including planning, coordination, monitoring and reporting of complex projects involving multiple stakeholders;
• experience in similar duties in the politico-military arena;
• a good understanding of EDA’s main tasks and functions, EU decision-making, roles of different EU institutions, and the EU defence cooperation, especially PESCO;
• 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:

• ability to work effectively in a team and to act as a cooperative and supportive team member;
• ability to work independently in their area of responsibility;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
• reliability and capacity to work under pressure;
• good communication and organisational skills;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills;
• results-orientation and strong motivation;
• flexibility and innovativeness;
• genuine commitment to the Agency’s objectives.

Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• a good understanding of capability development areas including, at least, one of the following domains: Land, Maritime, Air, Information superiority (including Cyber and Space);
• work experience in a multinational defence environment.

Application instructions

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