209a - Project Officer Communication and Information Systems (CIS) Support to Operations - 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:

• Manage the ESM CIS service portfolio throughout its lifecycle, from identification and validation of user requirements to procurement, delivery, acceptance, invoicing, payment and administrative closure
• Act as responsible Project Officer for management and evolution of Framework Contracts and related specific contracts under the Joint Procurement Arrangement
• Prepare and coordinate procurement activities, including tender documentation, change requests, clarification exchanges and tender evaluation
• Manage contractual and budgetary activities, including financial contributions, invoicing, payments, available balances and forecast expenditure
• Monitor contractor performance, deliverables, service levels, milestones and risks
• Maintain up-to-date overview of the ESM CIS portfolio and provide appropriate reporting and documentation
• Act as principal point of contact for contributing members and collect, analyse and consolidate their operational and capability requirements
• Strengthen engagement with contributing members and promote wider participation

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Level of education corresponding to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years, or graduate of a national or international Defence Coll…
• Experience: Appropriate professional experience of at least one year (when university education is at least three years)
• Languages: one of the languages of the participati… (C1), another of the languages of the partici… (B2)
• Eligibility: Be a national of a Member State participating in the Agency; be entitled to full rights as citizens; have fulfilled any obligations imposed by laws concerning military service; produce appropriate character references; be physically fit to perform duties; have no personal interest which could conflict with disinterested discharge of duties; hold or be in a position to obtain a valid Personnel Sec…

Contract and working arrangements

Hiring unit: Procurement, Support, Industry & Interoperability Directorate (PSII), under the supervision of the Head of Sector for C….

Position details

Reference

1140

Last Verified

18 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for 209a - Project Officer Communication and Information Systems (CIS) Support to Operations at EDA based in Brussels (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is 1140.

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 PROCUREMENT, SUPPORT, INDUSTRY & INTEROPERABILITY DIRECTORATE (PSII)

The Procurement, Support, Industry & Interoperability Directorate(PSII)supports a range of activities critical to collaborative defence capability development in Europe and the strengthening of its EDTIB.

The PSII Directorate supports Member States by conducting collaborative procurement of off-the-shelf defence equipment and services for their benefit. It also supports Member States in addressing the implications of EU legislation and policies for the defence sector, including REACH, Single European Sky (SES), funding instruments, and procurement legislation and policy. It also analyses developments influencing the European defence industry and security of supply. The Directorate is also responsible for activities supporting defence cooperation and interoperability, including airworthiness, standardisation, certification, test and evaluation, and education and training. It also supports CSDP operations, missions and EU Battlegroups.

The PSII Directorate comprises:

- PSII Coordination and Management Office supports Member States in the adoption of new legislation and policies and supports internal coordination within and between the Directorate and the Agency’s other directorates; - Collaborative Defence Procurement Centre (CDPC) manages the collaborative procurement of off-the shelf defence equipment and services for the benefit of Member States and EU operations and missions, and provides procurement management and regulatory expertise to the Agency and Member States; - Wider EU Policies Support Unit engages industry in the activities of the Agency, performs strategic analyses of the defence industry and supply chains, and monitors the impact of EU policies on the defence sector, ranging from legislation (REACH, single European Sky) to funding instruments; - Interoperability Support Unit supports defence cooperation and enhances interoperability through the development of harmonised safety and certification requirements, identification of best practice standards, networking of test and evaluation capabilities, and facilitation of common training initiatives.

4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of Sector for Contracted Services, and in the framework of the EU SatCom Market (ESM) project, the jobholderwill, be responsible for / contribute to the following activities:

ESM CIS service portfolio, project and contract management

- manage the ESM CIS service portfolio throughout its lifecycle, from the identification and validation of user requirements to procurement, delivery, acceptance, invoicing, payment and administrative closure; - act as responsible Project Officer for the management and evolution of Framework Contracts (FWCs) and related specific contracts under the Joint Procurement Arrangement (JPA), ensuring alignment with user needs and applicable EDA procedures; - prepare and coordinate procurement activities, including tender documentation, change requests, clarification exchanges and tender evaluation, and support the development of future contractual arrangements whilst ensuring compliance with EDAs legal framework; - manage contractual and budgetary activities, including financial contributions, invoicing, payments, available balances and forecast expenditure, in compliance with applicable JPA provisions, contractual conditions, EDA financial and procurement rules, security requirements and internal governance processes; - monitor contractor performance, deliverables, service levels, milestones and risks, and ensure timely follow-up of deviations, corrective actions and contractual issues; - maintain an up-to-date overview of the ESM CIS portfolio, including operational priorities, financial status, contractual milestones, dependencies, risks and performance indicators, and provide appropriate reporting and documentation, recommendations and auditable project records.

Contributing members and stakeholder coordination

- act as a principal point of contact for contributing members and collect, analyse and consolidate their operational and capability requirements, translating them into service specifications, engineering activities and procurement actions; - strengthen engagement with contributing members and promote wider participation by identifying common requirements, service gaps and opportunities for collaborative procurement; - prepare and coordinate meetings with contributing members, contractors, EU stakeholders and other relevant actors, including decision records and systematic follow-up of agreed actions; - liaise, as appropriate, with relevant Council of the European Union preparatory bodies, the European External Action Service, EU institutions and agencies, CSDP structures, missions and operations, service providers and other relevant stakeholders; - coordinate within EDA with Legal, Procurement, Finance, Security, IT, Media and Communications and other relevant services concerning the management and evolution of the CIS portfolio.

Service development, uptake and continuous improvement

- develop outreach and promotion activities to increase the visibility, relevance and uptake of ESM CIS services among CSDP missions and operations; - identify opportunities to expand the CIS service portfolio and introduce additional capabilities in response to evolving operational, security and technological requirements; - capture lessons identified and lessons learned and use them to improve service delivery, contractual arrangements and future procurement planning; - prepare briefings, guidance, presentations and other material supporting the use of available services by operational users and decision-makers.

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 them 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 education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years or be a graduate of a national or international Defence College; or where justified in the interests of the service, professional training 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.

Application timeline

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

The application deadline is 17 November 2026, 28 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.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.