210a - Project Officer Land Capabilities (2 posts) - 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 EU Member States in improving their military capabilities in the Land domain
• Implement EDA Core Tasks 3 and 4 on harmonisation of military requirements and aggregation of demand towards joint procurement
• Develop business cases with Member States interested in launching collaborative development/acquisition projects
• Support and chair Capability Expert Groups relevant to the Land domain (Ground Combat Capabilities, Land Based Precision Engagement, Future Soldier Systems)
• Contribute to Priority Capability Areas-PCAs Coordinating Groups activities
• Support establishment and implementation of ad-hoc projects and manage EDA Category B projects
• Plan and manage activities funded by the EDA Operational Budget
• Ensure coherence between Capability Expert Groups implementing Land Domain Priorities

Are you eligible?

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

• 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 obligations imposed by laws concerning military service; produce appropriate character references; be physically fit to perform duties; hold or be in position to obtain a valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (national or EU PSC at SECRET UE/EU SECRET level); have no person…

Contract and working arrangements

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

Position details

Reference

1147

Last Verified

23 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for 210a - Project Officer Land Capabilities (2 posts) at EDA based in Brussels (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is 1147.

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 Land Domain Unit, the Project Officer Land Capabilities will be responsible for planning, initiating and conducting collaborative military capability development activities in the Land 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 Land domain; - implement EDA Core Tasks 3 and 4, namely harmonisation of military requirements and aggregation of demand towards joint procurement, including the development of business cases with MS interested in launching specific collaborative development/acquisition projects; - support and, when required, chair the Capability Expert Groups relevant to the Land domain, namely Ground Combat Capabilities, Land Based Precision Engagement and Future Soldier Systems, as well as related Ad-Hoc Working Groups; - contribute to other activities within the area of responsibility, including such as Priority Capability Areas-PCAs Coordinating Groups, providing technical direction and subject-matter expertise; - support the establishment and implementation of ad-hoc projects, including the facilitation and management of EDA Category B projects as required, as well as plan and manage activities funded by the EDA Operational Budget; - contribute to ensuring coherence between the three (3) Capability Expert Groups (CEGs) implementing Land Domain’s Priorities, as well as with related capability development activities and Land-related work strands across the Agency, including in the framework of the Centre for European Defence Innovation (CEDI); - liaise, as appropriate, with relevant external stakeholders such as 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 the further development and improvement of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), including identifying, promoting and proposing relevant collaborative opportunities within the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) in the jobholder’s area of responsibility; - contribute, as appropriate, to the assessment of PESCO project proposals and support Land-related collaborative projects at Member States’ request, including seeking synergies among existing initiatives; - contribute, as appropriate, to the assessment of the Land-related topics under the European Defence Fund (EDF) annual work programmes, including other DG DEFIS-led initiatives related to the jobholder’s area of responsibility; - provide technical advice within the jobholder’s area of responsibility in support to EU defence-related policies and concepts; - represent the Agency at relevant conferences and seminars; - take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

Duties may evolve according to development of the EDA’s structure and activities, and the decisions of EDA m anagement.

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.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 23 October 2026, today.

The application deadline is 26 November 2026, 33 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 23 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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