Project Officer Position – Circular Economy in the European Defence Agency

THE AGENCY’S WAY OF WORKING

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.

DUTIES

The Project Officer Circular Economy has an essential role for the implementation of EDA’s Steering Board (SB) mandate to the Agency to manage an Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED). This Forum is co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme, in consultation with EDA’s participating Member States (pMSs) to run an effective circular economy community consisting of EU Ministries of Defence, European Commission, EU Agencies and bodies, defence industry, European Research Centres, academia, financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders.

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit Industry Strategy and EU Policies, supporting the IF CEED project manager and project team, the Project Officer Circular Economy will contribute to the effective organisation and implementation of all the activities of the IF CEED and the achievement of its overall mission by:
-acting as a contact point for the Forum and contributing to moderating the IF CEED ”Project Circles” (Working Groups) and implementing related tasks;

-identifying and disseminating best practices, facilitating exchange of experiences related to the IF CEED, and stimulating the generation of project ideas and supporting their implementation;
-contributing to the drafting and reviewing of the IF CEED deliverables, papers, presentations, policies and communication materials;
-contributing to defining the needs related to the IF CEED and delivering conceptual reflections, and to identifying related indicators and performing any related data gathering, processing and reporting activity;
-supporting conferences, meetings, information dissemination and communication activities;
-monitoring, assessing and evaluating the developments of Circular Economy policies and regulatory barriers at national and EU levels, as well as wider EU policies and developments, in the field of Circular Economy and the implications for defence, including procurement; presenting their evolving key features to relevant stakeholders;
-building and maintaining relevant knowledge and networks with experts in the Agency, Member States and any other stakeholder of the IF CEED also within the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and its related counterparties;
-conducting database content management by integrating and reviewing input from Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and other stakeholders, supporting database users in accessing information (e.g. EDA Collaboration Platform workspaces) and the management of the IF CEED web-pages/platforms to be established;
-contributing to the analyses of technologies, skills and manufacturing capabilities that are important for the IF CEED;
-building and maintaining relevant knowledge and networks with experts in the Agency, Member States and any other stakeholder of the IF CEED within the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) and its related counterparties;
-contributing to the further development of the EDTIB by developing initiatives within the IF CEED that can benefit from and to the European Green Deal.

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