C072a - Project Officer Experimentation

Contract type: Contract agent

Directorate: Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate (RTI)

Group: FGIV

Grade: N.A.

Level of Security Clearance: SECRET UE/EU SECRET

Management of staff: N.A.

Location: Brussels

Indicative starting date: 16/02/2027

Closing date for applications: 26/11/2026

  • DOWNLOAD

  • BACKGROUND THE AGENCY'S WAY OF WORKING THE RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION DIRECTORATE (RTI) DUTIES ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA SELECTION CRITERIA APPOINTMENT AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR CONTRACT AGENTS AT EDA INDEPENDENCE AND DECLARATION OF INTEREST EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES APPLICATION PROCEDURE DATA PROTECTION

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: Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP); Procurement, Support, Industry & Interoperability (PSII); Research, Technology & Innovation (RTI).

2. THE AGENCY'S WAY OF WORKING

The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the 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 RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION DIRECTORATE (RTI)

The Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate (RTI) supports Member States in translating defence priorities and operational needs into technological solutions and future capabilities. On the basis of the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda, it provides an integrated, end-to-end service covering technology identification and prioritisation, collaborative research and technology development, innovation, experimentation, and support for the transition of promising solutions towards operational use.

Through its Capability Technology Working Groups, technology programmes and experimentation activities, RTI promotes collaborative defence research and innovation in areas of common interest. The Directorate also coordinates EDA’s contribution to EU-funded defence research and innovation programmes, supports the implementation of activities entrusted by the European Commission, and facilitates the management, exploitation and uptake of results in line with Member States' priorities.

The RTI Directorate comprises:

  • Technology Programmes Unit (TPU) supports Member States in identifying and developing priority defence technologies through the Capability Technology Groups, the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda and collaborative R&T activities. It brings together capability pull and technology push across the air and space, maritime and land domains, as well as information superiority, cyber and resilience, power and control technologies, while promoting greater cross-domain cooperation and coherence;
  • EU Programmes and RTI Coordination Unit (EPC) ensures the coherent planning, coordination and monitoring of the RTI Directorate's portfolio. It coordinates the Directorate's engagement in EU-funded defence research and innovation programmes, supports the implementation of entrusted activities, and promotes synergies between collaborative R&T, innovation, experimentation and capability development activities;
  • Centre for European Defence Innovation (CEDI) provides a coherent and scalable innovation and experimentation function supporting Member States along the full innovation pathway. CEDI connects promising technologies and innovative solutions with end users, testing and experimentation facilities and potential follow-on pathways, helping Member States assess military utility, reduce adoption risks and accelerate the transition towards operationally relevant and deployment-ready solutions.

4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of the Centre for European Defence Innovation, the Project Officer Experimentation will contribute to the following activities:

  • support the preparation, coordination and implementation of EDA experimentation activities aimed at assessing innovative solutions against Member States’ operational needs and capability priorities;
  • contribute to the planning and delivery of challenge-driven experimentation activities,  including digital experimentation, modelling and simulation activities, field trials, demonstrations and operational experimentation campaigns;
  • assist in the development of experimentation plans, including test objectives, scenarios, assessment metrics, data collection approaches and evidence requirements, ensuring traceability between operational challenges, test activities and assessment outputs;
  • support coordination with Member States’ test centres, ranges, operational units, digital sandboxes and other relevant experimentation environments;
  • contribute to the preparation of technical and operational documentation for experimentation activities, including trial plans, participant guidance, evidence templates, risk registers, after-action reports and lessons learned;
  • assist in the collection, structuring and analysis of experimentation results, ensuring that outputs are usable for military utility assessment, capability development, transition planning and procurement-related decision-making;
  • support the coordination of participating companies, Member State representatives, technical experts, operational users and contractors involved in experimentation activities;
  • contribute to the development and continuous improvement of EDA experimentation methodologies, playbooks, templates and common approaches, in order to increase comparability, reproducibility, and reusability of reusability of results across Member States;
  • contribute to the preparation of briefings, reports, presentations and other deliverables for Member States, EDA management and external stakeholders on experimentation activities and results;
  • support the organisation of workshops, planning meetings, demonstration events, visitor days and other activities linked to EDA experimentation campaigns;
  • take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.
At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.