1. BACKGROUND

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).

2. THE AGENCY’S WAY OF WORKING

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.

3. THE EUROPEAN DEFENCE AGENCY

The European Defence Agency, within the overall mission set out in the before-mentioned Council decision, has three main missions:

• supporting the development of defence capabilities and military cooperation among the European Union Member States;
• stimulating defence Research and Technology (R&T) and strengthening the European defence industry;
• acting as a military interface to EU policies.

EDA acts as a catalyst, promotes collaborations, launches new initiatives and introduces solutions to improve defence capabilities. It is the place where Member States willing to develop capabilities in cooperation do so. It is also a key facilitator in developing the capabilities necessary to underpin the Common Security and Defence Policy of the Union.

4. DUTIES

The Directorate Assistant will provide administrative and secretarial support to the Director and the staff of the Directorate where the jobholder will be assigned, covering the usual range of office support tasks. Working in a team with other assistants, the jobholder’s main responsibilities will be, inter alia, to:

• assist with the day-to-day running of the Directorate;
• manage the Director’s calendar, appointments, and incoming calls;
• organise meetings, manage missions (including reimbursement and budgetary aspects) and make travel arrangements for the Directorate;
• draft documents, prepare and send external communications to Member States and other stakeholders;
• sort and organise mail and e-mails, retrieve documentation, store information and ensure proper record management of all key documents;
• facilitate internal communication within the Agency as well as outside the service;
• provide overall support to Project Officers in administrative tasks;
• act as back up to other assistants;
• 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.

5. 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 their 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 post-secondary education attested by a diploma; or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years; or, where justified in the interests of the service, professional training or professional experience 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.

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

6. SELECTION CRITERIA

A. Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• at least three (3) years of experience in similar duties acquired after the award of the academic qualification required as a condition of eligibility;
• excellent coordination, administrative and secretarial skills;
• ability to work under pressure and to meet tight deadlines;
• experience in a multinational environment;
• ability to provide support to Senior Management and/or teams;
• excellent knowledge of the use of standard IT tools, e.g. MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook;
• very good command of written and oral English.

(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:

• strong sense of duty and responsibility;
• result orientation and strong motivation;
• ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment;
• accuracy and attention to detail;
• excellent interpersonal skills and customer service orientation;
• ability to deal with confidential information;
• genuine commitment to the Agency’s objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• work experience in EU, International or Governmental Organisations;
• prior experience in the defence environment;
• familiarity with MS Project, Visio and SharePoint;
• good knowledge of French.