Project Officer Human Factor Technologies - European Defence Agency (AD8, 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 moderation of CapTech CBRN & Human Factors from Human Factors perspective
• Maintain, implement and update Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) on CapTech CBRN & HF
• Contribute to R&T&I initiatives defining capability-led priorities aligned with Technology Building Blocks roadmaps
• Promote, support and manage R&T&I projects including contracting, monitoring and evaluation
• Support development and implementation of Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA)
• Define and organize RTI experts' meetings and workshops
• Participate and represent Agency in security and defence-related seminars and workshops
• Contribute to Technology Watch and Foresight exercises in CapTech CBRN & HF areas

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in field relevant to position: e.g. Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical or Biological or Systems engineerings; or completed university studies attested by diploma (4+ years) or completed university studies attested by diploma (3+ years) with appropriate professional experience of at least one year; or graduate of national or i…
• Experience: At least six (6) years of professional experience relevant to duties acquired after award of minimum qualification; specific background knowledge in CBRN and Human Factors Technologies; familiarity with European defence cooperation environment and related policies; familiarity with European Research and Technology programmes and funding frameworks; extensive experience in R&T project management c…
• Languages: one of the languages of participating M… (C1), another of the languages of participati… (B2)
• Key skills: Ability to work both independently and proactively collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders, Ability to work effectively in multinational environment, Reliability and capacity, Very good command of written and oral English
• Eligibility: National of Member State participating in Agency; entitled to full rights as citizen; fulfilled obligations imposed by laws concerning military service; appropriate character references; physically fit; thorough knowledge minimum C1 oral and written of one participating Member State language and satisfactory knowledge minimum B2 oral and written of another; no personal interest in conflict with d…

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Assessment of language abilities for native English speakers during selection process

Contract and working arrangements

Hiring unit: Research, Technology and Innovation Directorate (RTI), Technology & Innovation Unit.

Position details

Reference

EDA/2026/188a

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

24 July 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Project Officer Human Factor Technologies at EDA based in Brussels at the AD8 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is EDA/2026/188a. The role falls under the Defence domain.

## 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: Industry, Synergies and Enablers (ISE); Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP); Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI).

## 2. THE AGENCY'S WAY OF WORKING

The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating 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 AND INNOVATION DIRECTORATE (RTI)

The Research, Technology & Innovation Directorate (RTI) promotes and supports defence research at EU level. Based on the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA), developed together with the Member States, the Directorate coordinates and plans joint research activities and the study of technical solutions to meet future operational needs.

The RTI Directorate provides support to Member States and to the European Commission for the Preparatory Action for defence research, including its implementation, and the research dimension of the European Defence Fund. The RTI directorate also ensures the promotion of innovation in defence and the exploitation of synergies at EU level with civil research in dual-use technology fields.

The RTI Directorate comprises two Units and an RTI Coordination Team, with the following key tasks:

* The EU-funded Defence Research Unit: upstream, implementing and downstream support linked to defence research activities funded by the EU budget under delegation by the European Commission

* The Technology & Innovation Unit: facilitating the work of the Capability Technology Groups (CapTechs), the Energy & Environment Working Group; development and management of ad hoc research activities based on sectoral Strategic Research Agendas

* The RTI Coordination Team: coordination of the RTI Directorate’s contributions to EDA’s transversal activities (such as CDP, CARD, PESCO, and KSA); overview of the Agency’s research portfolio; provision of outlook for research activities and technology watch.

## 4. DUTIES

Under the supervision of the Head of Technology & Innovation Unit, the Project Officer CBRN will, contribute to the following activities:

* support the moderation of the Capability Technology Group CapTech CBRN and Human Factors (CapTech CBRN & HF) in particular from the Human Factors’ perspective and related activities of expert groups and electronic fora on the EDA Collaborative Platforms; * in line with Member State orientations, maintain, implement and update the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) on CapTech CBRN & HF, synthetizing R&T&I priorities and identifying ways to address them; * contribute to Research and Technology and Innovation (R&T&I) initiatives aimed at defining capability-led priorities and projects in line with the CapTech CBRN & HF’s Technology Building Blocks (TBB) roadmaps; * promote, support and manage R&T&I projects including contracting, monitoring and evaluation activities (financial, security or legal); * support the development and implementation of the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA); * define and organize RTI experts’ meetings and workshops; * participate and represent the Agency in security and defence-related seminars and workshops, mainly in the areas covered by the CapTech CBRN & HF; * contribute to Technology Watch and Foresight exercises in the areas of responsibility of CapTech CBRN & HF; * prepare briefing notes and assist in updating information concerning the activities of the assigned projects; * contribute to the assessment of assigned projects and draw lessons learnt and propose appropriate follow-on activities; * collaborate actively with representatives and experts from the Member States; * liaise with the European Commission and EU Agencies, companies and industry associations involved in military or dual use R&T in his/her/their area of responsibility. * 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 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.

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.

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

(1) Professional

The candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has:

* a University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in a field relevant to the position: e.g. Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical or Biological or Systems engineerings; * at least six (6) years of professional experience relevant to the duties acquired after the award of the minimum qualification required as a condition of eligibility (see eligibility criteria section above); * specific background knowledge in the area of CBRN and Human Factors Technologies as referred to under “DUTIES”; * familiarity with the European defence cooperation environment and related policies; * familiarity with European Research and Technology programmes and funding frameworks; * extensive experience in R&T project management, covering all the phases: promotion, definition, competition and evaluation of proposals, running, assessment of results, fostering of follow-up activities; * experience in working group management (organisation of meetings, workshops, conferences); * a very good command of written and oral English.

(2) Personal

All staff must be able to fit into the Agency's way of working (see par. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:

* ability to work both independently within his/her area of responsibility and to proactively collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders; * ability to work effectively in a multinational environment; * reliability and capacity

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AD8 runs from €8,911 (step 1) to €10,083 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €106,932 to €120,996 before tax and allowances. Steps increase automatically every two years; the figures here are taken from the salary grid in the EU Staff Regulations.

Eligible staff posted away from their country of nationality also receive an expatriation allowance worth 16% of basic salary (around €1,426 per month at step 1 of AD8) together with household, dependent-child, and education allowances where applicable. Take-home pay is then adjusted by the country correction coefficient for Brussels. For a worked example see our correction coefficients guide and the EU salaries overview.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 18 June 2026, 38 days ago.

The application deadline is 9 September 2026, 43 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 24 July 2026 (2 days ago).

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at AD8 see our AD8 grade page; 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; for related vacancies in the Defence field browse our Defence domain 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.