043e - Project Officer Maritime Domain Awareness MARSUR - European Defence Agency (Brussels)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Defence Agency on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Support Member States in ongoing and future projects related to Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Underwater Situational Awareness (UWSA)
• Coordinate EDA participation in exercises, experimentation and operational demonstrations related to MDA
• Translate lessons identified into capability development
• Contribute to the development and implementation of EU Capability Development Priorities and related Priority Implementation Plan
• Support and manage ad-hoc projects/programmes (Category A/B and Operational Budget)
• Monitor relevant R&T and capability developments and promote coherence and coordination across EDA Directorates
• Develop and maintain close cooperation with Member States, other relevant EU Bodies, offices and agencies and NATO
• Represent EDA at relevant conferences, seminars and other fora

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Experience: At least three years' full-time experience in defence, administrative, scientific, technical, operational, advisory or supervisory functions relevant to the performance of the duties assigned; worked for employer on a permanent or contract basis for at least 12 months before secondment
• Eligibility: Must be sponsored by national authorities; must remain in the service of their employer throughout the period of secondment and continue to be paid by that employer; confirmation required in the form of a letter of sponsorship addressed to the Agency

Contract and working arrangements

Hiring unit: Maritime Domain Unit, Capability, Armament & Planning Directorate (CAP).

Position details

Reference

1139

Last Verified

18 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for 043e - Project Officer Maritime Domain Awareness MARSUR at EDA based in Brussels (Seconded National Expert). The vacancy reference is 1139.

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 six units and one Coordination and Strategic Analysis Office. Five units address capability development and armament procurement activities of operational domains associated to EU agreed priorities and one operates the EU-CDPS and related processes and tools:

- 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; - Maritime Unit: Naval Combat and Maritime Interdiction, Underwater and Seabed Warfare, Maritime Domain Awareness; - 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 Unit Maritime Domain, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

Maritime capability development and coordination

- support Member States in ongoing and future projects related to Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Underwater Situational Awareness (UWSA); - coordinate EDA participation in exercises, experimentation and operational demonstrations related to MDA/ and translate lessons identified into capability development; - contribute to the development and implementation of EU Capability Development Priorities and related Priority Implementation Plan; - support and manage ad-hoc projects/programmes (Category A/B and Operational Budget); - monitor relevant R&T and capability developments and promote coherence and coordination across EDA Directorates; - develop and maintain close cooperation with Member States, other relevant EU Bodies, offices and agencies and NATO; - represent EDA at relevant conferences, seminars and other fora;

MARSUR programme management and procurement

The jobholder will have primary responsibility for theproject management and procurement activities related to the MARSUR programme and its possible future evolution, including:

- manage the MARSUR Programme, including its governance, implementation and further development, and act as the primary EDA point of contact for participating Member States; - manage MARSUR-related working bodies and organise Programme Arrangement Board meetings, workshops and symposia; - translate Member States’ operational and capability requirements into programme objectives, implementation plans and contractual activities; - prepare and monitor programme roadmaps, milestones, budgets, risks and deliverables and report progress to Member States and EDA management; - coordinate programme governance and decision-making between participating Member States, EDA, contractors and relevant stakeholders; - prepare and manage procurement activities, including requirements, market surveys, acquisition strategies, Statements of Work, tender documentation and contracts; - manage and monitor MARSUR-related contracts, including technical and financial implementation, deliverables, risks and contractor performance; - ensure coherence between capability requirements, technical development, experimentation, procurement and operational implementation; - contribute to strengthening EDA programme/project management and procurement processes and competencies.

Duties may evolve according to the development of EDA’s structure and activities and decisions of EDA management. 5. CONDITIONS FOR SECONDMENT

In accordance with the Rules applicable to national experts and military staff on secondment to the European Defence Agency (Council Decision (EU) 2016/1352), Seconded National Experts are seconded to the Agency while remaining in the service of their national employer and continue being paid their national salary by that employer.

Therefore, to be considered in the selection process, candidates for SNE posts must be sponsored by their national authorities. Confirmation is required in the form of a letter of sponsorship addressed to the Agency as far as possible by the closing date for the receipt of applications and in any case before a decision is taken by EDA on the candidate to be selected for a secondment.

The Rules are available on the EDA website http://www.eda.europa.eu - vacancies.

To qualify for secondment to the Agency, experts shall:

- have worked for their employer on a permanent or contract basis for at least 12 months before their secondment; - remain in the service of their employer throughout the period of secondment and continue to be paid by that employer; - have at least three years' full-time experience in defence, administrative, scientific, technical, operational, advisory or supervisory functions relevant to the performance of the duties assigned to them.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 9 October 2026, 9 days ago.

The application deadline is 10 December 2026, 51 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 18 October 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at EDA see the EDA institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Brussels see our Brussels location page.

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