C072a - Project Officer Experimentation - 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 preparation, coordination and implementation of EDA experimentation activities
• Contribute to planning and delivery of challenge-driven experimentation activities including digital experimentation, modelling and simulation, field trials, demonstrations and operational experimentation campaigns
• Assist in development of experimentation plans including test objectives, scenarios, assessment metrics, data collection approaches and evidence requirements
• Support coordination with Member States' test centres, ranges, operational units, digital sandboxes and other experimentation environments
• Contribute to preparation of technical and operational documentation for experimentation activities
• Assist in collection, structuring and analysis of experimentation results
• Support coordination of participating companies, Member State representatives, technical experts, operational users and contractors
• Contribute to development and continuous improvement of EDA experimentation methodologies, playbooks, templates and common approaches

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma or graduate of a national or international Defence College
• Languages: one of the languages of the participati… (C1), another of the languages of the partici… (B2)
• Key skills: Experimentation planning and coordination, Technical and operational documentation preparation, Data collection and analysis, Project coordination, Stakeholder engagement
• Eligibility: National of a Member State participating in the Agency; entitled to full rights as citizen; fulfilled obligations imposed by laws concerning military service; suitable character references; physically fit; no personal interest in conflict with duties; hold or be in position to obtain valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate at SECRET UE/EU SECRET level; diplomas from EU Member States or wit…

Contract and working arrangements

Hiring unit: Centre for European Defence Innovation (CEDI), Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate (RTI).

Position details

Reference

1145

Last Verified

23 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for C072a - Project Officer Experimentation at EDA based in Brussels (Contract Agent). The vacancy reference is 1145.

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.

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 their 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 of at least three years attested by a diploma or be a graduate of a national or international Defence College.

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.

For diplomas awarded in non-EU countries, a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/

Qualifications/diplomas awarded until 31/12/2020 in the United Kingdom are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required.

It should be noted that due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of another participating EU Member State, are not eligible.

For native English speakers, your ability to communicate in another EU language will be tested during the selection process. To assess your foreign language levels, see: https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills

6. SELECTION CRITERIA

A. Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

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.

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.