Head of Unit Air & Space

Under the supervision of the Capability, Armament and Planning Director, the Head of Unit Air & Space will be responsible for leading the Agency's capability planning and development and armament acquisition activities in the domains of Air and Space. Specifically, the jobholder will be responsible for managing with his unit and with Member States the collaborative implementation of the EU agreed Capability Development Priorities Air Combat, Airborne Command & Inform Capabilities, Integrated Air & Missile Defence, Air Transport, Space Operations and Space Services. In particular, the jobholder will be responsible for the following activities: support the CAP Director in the elaboration of strategic objectives and proposals regarding Air & Space capability planning and development challenges at EU level and regarding the optimisation of the EU related approaches;lead and manage the Air & Space Unit, fostering an integrated and collaborative approach across the Unit's areas of responsibility and ensuring effective delivery of objectives, projects and activities;maintain a strategic overview of the Air & Space portfolio and ensure coherence across the different pillars / strands of work of the unit, promoting synergies where appropriate;provide strategic direction, leadership and guidance to the Unit staff for the implementation of Air & Space EU Capability Development Priorities, including the identification, harmonisation and consolidation of military requirements and collaborative opportunities for addressing these requirements;ensure effective resource planning, prioritisation of activities, staff development and a high-performance working environment;ensure a transversal and cross-domain approach to the planning and development of Air & Space capabilities, and coordination across all CAP Units, recognising that both Air and Space capabilities are intertwined with other operational domains and key enablers of operational readiness and freedom of action across all military domains;contribute to the further development and implementation of the EU Capability Development Planning System (EU-CDPS), including notably the Capability Development Plan (CDP), Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and other defence initiatives within the Unit's areas of responsibility; supervise and coordinate the management of Capability Planning Groups (CPGs), Capability Expert Groups (CEGs), project arrangements, ad hoc working groups and other collaborative frameworks (such as Priority Capability Areas) related to the Unit's portfolio;oversee and coordinate the development of collaborative projects and programmes, including activities related to harmonisation of requirements, aggregation of demand, cooperative development and joint procurement initiatives;ensure coordination with other Directorates, in particular for articulating capability development planning with R&T and Innovation activities and for articulating the preparation of acquisition with the EDA Joint Procurement Center;interact with Member States, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Commission, the EU Military Staff (EUMS), NATO, and other relevant EU institutions, bodies and agencies, industry and research organisations;represent the Agency at senior-level meetings, steering boards, conferences, seminars and other relevant fora;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.SELECTION CRITERIA A. EssentialOnly applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.(1) ProfessionalThe candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has:a university degree (or equivalent academic qualification) in a field relevant to the duties of the post, such as defence studies, military sciences, air & space engineering;a minimum of fifteen (15) years of experience in the Air or the Space domain acquired in military environment after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility, with an extensive knowledge in one of the capability areas “Air Combat”, “Airborne Command & Inform”, “IAMD”, “Air Transport”, “Space Operations” or “Space Services” and corresponding track records;a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in military capability planning / development and /or armament programmes with corresponding track records;substantial professional experience in international relations and in international defence organisations;demonstrated leadership experience in managerial positions, including strategic planning, resource management, prioritisation of activities and the successful delivery of complex programmes, projects and organisational initiatives;a strong understanding of EU defence initiatives, including both from the intergovernmental side (the Capability Development Plan (CDP), CARD, PESCO, …) and the communitarian side (DG DEFIS Instruments) and a very good knowledge of the European Space ecosystem;proven experience in high-level stakeholder engagement with Member States, EU institutions, NATO, industry and/or other relevant organisations;excellent knowledge of written and spoken English. (2) PersonalAll staff must be able to fit into the Agency's way of working (see para. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:excellent leadership and people management skills;ability to inspire, lead and develop diverse multidisciplinary teams;strategic thinking and the ability to translate complex challenges into actionable objectives;strong coordination, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills;ability to build productive and cooperative relationships at senior levels;strong results-oriented approach and sound judgement;flexibility, innovation and openness to change;commitment to the Agency's mission, values and objectives;excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.B. DesirableThe following will be considered an advantage:a military operational experience in a field relevant to the post;a postgraduate qualification in a field relevant to the post; a professional experience in NATO relevant to the post;hold a (recognised) project management qualification;experience in the management and delivery of major multinational defence capability programmes or cooperative projects;experience of leading organisational and process change.