Trainee EU-funded Defence Research Support

Position description

The trainee will work with colleagues on projects in the area of EU-funded Defence Research, especially linked to the implementation of the European Defence Fund (EDF) projects, as delegated to EDA by the European Commission.

TASKS AND DUTIES

Under the supervision of a trainee advisor, the trainee will contribute to/be responsible for the following activities:

• drafting presentations and minutes of meetings (mainly for EDF coordination meetings, R&T POC meetings and internal meetings);
• supporting the knowledge and document management of the Unit via the different IT tools (SharePoint-based EDA Portal and EDA Collaboration Platform – ECP, EDA Programme and Project Management System – PPM);
• supporting the preparation of EDA contributions to EDF Work Programmes;
• contribution to monitoring of the EDF grants, as requested;
• involvement in EDF affairs with the CapTechs (Capability Technology Groups);
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

A typical day at work includes:

• participating in Unit/EDA meetings and project meetings;
• creating and updating project information databases;
• drafting minutes/operational conclusions from meetings;
• preparing presentations;
• supporting the update of the EDA Portal for the ongoing EDF projects and related ECPs;
• involvement in defence R&T activities.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Project outputs & learning outcomes:

The trainee will be involved in one of the most innovative developments currently taking place at EU level: implementation of a centrally-funded EU defence research programme. This could be an excellent basis for future work in the European institutions and bodies, in national administrations or in industry involved in defence research. The trainee will become familiar with and will acquire practical experience in the way of working of EU bodies (EDA and European Commission in particular) and will gain knowledge in management of defence research projects.

Technical/Soft skills to be acquired:

From this experience the trainee will gain:

• ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment;
• organisation of defence research;
• understanding of project management principles, especially EU-funded;
• database content management;
• report preparation and writing skills;
• accuracy and attention to detail;
• time management;
• analytical skills.

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;
• 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);
• have completed at least the first (minimum three-year) cycle of a higher education course (university education) and obtained a full degree or its equivalent by the closing date for applications;
• have not previously undertaken for more than six weeks a paid or unpaid traineeship or any kind of employment in another EU institution, Agency, or body.

Qualifications

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

The pre-selection of candidates to be invited to an interview is based on a comparative assessment of all applications against the selection criteria and additional assets.

It should be highlighted that the selection criteria constitute a minimum threshold and that only candidates considered as most suitable are invited to an interview.

Essential:

On the closing date for the submission of applications candidates must satisfy all the essential criteria as specified below:

• a University degree (or equivalent academic degree) in at least one of the following fields: Science, Engineering, Business/Public administration, International Relations, Political Science, Economics, European studies, or similar;
• advanced IT skills, particularly in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and SharePoint (or database notions);
• a very good command of written and spoken English (minimum level C1).

Desirable:

The following will be considered an advantage:

• knowledge in R&T/R&D/Innovation management;
• knowledge in project management;
• exposure to an international environment;
• previous experience working in a team;
• proactiveness and openness to ask questions and receive feedback.

Application instructions

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