212a - Project Officer Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security (CIPES)

Contract type: Temporary agent

Directorate: Capability, Armament & Planning Directorate (CAP)

Group: N.A.

Grade: AD8

Level of Security Clearance: SECRET UE/EU SECRET

Management of staff: N.A.

Location: Brussels

Indicative starting date: 01/03/2027

Closing date for applications: 26/11/2026

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  • BACKGROUND THE AGENCY'S WAY OF WORKING THE CAPABILITY, ARMAMENT & PLANNING DIRECTORATE (CAP) DUTIES ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA SELECTION CRITERIA APPOINTMENT AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR TEMPORARY 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 CAPABILITY, ARMAMENT & PLANNING DIRECTORATE (CAP)

The Capability, Armament & Planning Directorate (CAP) supports Member States in collaboratively planning, developing and acquiring defence capabilities that meet their needs as well as EU priorities. This implies supporting Member States in identifying, preparing and supporting the execution of possible cooperation projects and programmes ranging from long term military capability development to short term armament procurement. This includes obtaining agreement on shared needs and related priorities, harmonising capability requirements and conducting capability development preparatory activities across all dimensions of capabilities (concept & doctrine, organisation, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and interoperability). It also includes aggregating demand towards joint procurement of defence products and services.

The Directorate, together with Member States and with the support of other competent EU institutions and bodies, operates the intergovernmental EU Capability Development Planning System (EU-CDPS) comprising several EU tools. The Capability Development Plan (CDP), managed with the EU Military Committee (EUMC) and EU Military Staff (EUMS) contributions, leads to the identification of Capability Development Priorities agreed at EU level as a reference for all EU initiatives on Defence. The Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), conducted  with the contribution of EUMS, enables the analysis of the “State of the Union on Defence” and to identify opportunities for cooperation. The Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), conducted together with the European External Action Service (EEAS), including EUMS, coordinates the analysis of the annual PESCO National Implementation Plans to assess the participating Member States’ fulfilment of the PESCO commitments, assesses Member States' PESCO project proposals and monitors their progress.

Within EU-CDPS, the Directorate engages with Member States’ capability planners and experts to implement the EU Capability Development Priorities based on agreed collaborative roadmaps. When preparatory activities enable the identification of a possible cooperation project, the Directorate supports Member States interested in the project by elaborating a business case with them.

The CAP Directorate comprises:

  • Capability Development Coordination and Strategic Analysis Unit;
  • Air & Space Domain Unit: Air Combat, Airborne Command and Inform Capabilities, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, Air Transport, Space Operations and Space Services;
  • Maritime Domain Unit: Naval Combat and Maritime Interdiction, Underwater and Seabed Warfare, Maritime Domain Awareness;
  • Land Domain Unit: Ground Combat Capabilities, Land-Based Precision Engagement, Future Soldier Systems;
  • Strategic Enablers & Cyber Unit: Cyber Warfare & Operations, Electro Magnetic Spectrum Operations & Electronic Warfare, Command / Control / Communications / Computers / Information Systems / Surveillance / Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR), Special Operation Forces;
  • Resilience & Support Unit: Military Mobility, Logistics, CBRN Defence, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Medical Support, Energy;
  • Cooperation Planning Unit: Management of EU-CDPS, including the conduct of the Capability Development Plan, CARD and PESCO.

Based on this organization, in coordination with other Directorates, CAP supports Member States with concrete proposals for cooperation at levels ranging from the technical to the political, while actively contributing to various capability-related initiatives launched by Member States at EU level, such as the EU Defence Readiness objective and associated Priority Capability Areas.

4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of Resilience and Support Unit, the Project Officer Critical Infrastructure Protection and

Energy Security (CIPES) will be responsible for planning, initiating and conducting collaborative military capability development activities in the specific domain. In particular, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

  • support EU Member States in improving their military capabilities in the area of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security, with particular focus on enhancing military preparedness, resilience, freedom of action and operational readiness;
  • implement EDA Core Tasks 3 and 4, namely harmonisation of military requirements and aggregation of demand towards joint procurement, including to the of business cases with MS interested in launching specific collaborative development/acquisition projects;
  • establish, manage and, when required, chair the Capability Expert Groups Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security (CEG CIPES), as well as related Ad-Hoc Working Groups;
  • contribute to other related activities in the area of responsibility such as Priority Capability Areas (PCAs) Coordinating Groups, providing technical direction and subject-matter expertise;
  • develop and update the Priority Implementation Roadmap (PIR) to implement the EU Capability Development Priority Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security;
  • support the establishment and implementation of ad-hoc projects, and the launch of new and/or management of existing EDA Category B projects as required, as well as plan and manage activities funded by the EDA Operational Budget, as required;
  • contribute to ensuring coherence across the 4 CEGs implementing Resilience and Support Priorities (Logistics, Military Mobility, CBRN Defence, Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security), and related work strands across the Agency, including in the framework of the Centre for European for Defence Innovation (CEDI) and the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS);
  • liaise, as appropriate, with other relevant stakeholders such as national authorities, the European External Action Service (EEAS), EU Military Staff (EUMS), European Commission (EC), NATO, EU Defence Technological and Industrial base (EDTIB), and any other relevant EU Institutions, bodies and agencies;
  • contribute to EDA’s and the EU’s broader resilience, preparedness and support objectives through coherent and future-oriented military capability development in the fields in Critical Infrastructure Protection and Energy Security, including secure, resilient and sustainable energy solutions and power supply for defence capabilities across all operational domains;
  • contribute to the further development and improvement of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), including identifying, promoting and proposing meaningful collaborative opportunities framed under the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) within the jobholder’s area of responsibility;
  • contribute, as appropriate, to the assessment of the PESCO projects and European Defence Fund (EDF) topics, related to the jobholder’s area of responsibility, including other EU Commission-led initiatives;
  • provide technical advice within the jobholder’s area of responsibility to EU defence-related policies and concepts;
  • represent the Agency at conferences and seminars;
  • take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.
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