Trainee Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)

Position description

The aim of this traineeship is to provide the trainee the opportunity to learn about EU defence cooperation, in particular the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and to develop skills, knowledge, and experience in the implementation of intergovernmental cooperation.

TASKS AND DUTIES

Under the supervision of a traineeship advisor, the trainee will work with colleagues in the area of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and will contribute to/be responsible for the following activities:

• support the annual assessment of Member States’ National Implementation Plans (NIPs) and the preparation of the PESCO projects’ progress report, including providing analytical insights on the progress on the fulfilment of more binding commitments and the implementation of PESCO projects;
• conduct user registration and management for EDA’s electronic workspaces for PESCO, and provide support to users regarding their access and use of the workspaces;
• support strategic communication on PESCO, including updates on the PESCO website;
• support the updates on country profiles;
• provide support in organising workshops with the Member States;
• take on additional tasks as required in the interest of the service.

A typical day at work involves the following activities:

• contributing to the activities of PESCO Project Officers, including the engagement with PESCO participating Member States (pMS);
• the user management of different workspaces, including engaging with users;
• participating in meetings and taking notes with a view to preparing the official meeting minutes;
• supporting analysis related to NIPs and PESCO projects.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Project outputs & learning outcomes:

The selected trainee will become familiar with and will acquire practical experience in:

• the PESCO projects, analysis of the NIPs, and development of the High Representative report on the PESCO implementation;
• the organisational work of EDA and the EU Institutions and Bodies;
• the development of electronic communication workspaces;
• supporting the organisation and conduct of PESCO related events.

The trainee will gain knowledge in:

• the European defence landscape;
• the EU institutional framework in the area of CSDP and internal working dynamics of the PESCO Secretariat;
• Member States’ defence policies and the multilateral projects in the area of defence;
• user management for IT tools and databases.

Qualifications

Technical/Soft skills to be acquired:

From this experience the trainee will gain:

• affinity with security and defence issues;
• ability to work effectively in an EU environment;
• ability to work in a team in a multicultural environment and independently in the area of responsibility;
• webtool/database content and user access management skills;
• organisational and communication skills;
• insight into drafting policy papers, reports, and strategic communication, e.g. articles;
• skills related to organisation of international meetings and events;
• research and analytical skills;
• knowledge in quantitative and qualitative data analysis;
• reporting and writing skills;
• multi-stakeholder relations/management 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.

Please note the following:

Age limit:

No age limit is imposed on the candidates for traineeships; however, as a matter of priority, traineeships are offered to recent university graduates.

UK nationality:

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.

Languages:

For native English speakers, the ability to communicate in another EU language will be tested during the selection process.

Personnel Security Clearance (PSC):

This is 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 (CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL or above), the date of validity of the relevant PSC and the date of expiry of the certificate itself. Please note that the procedure for obtaining a PSCC can only be initiated by EDA on behalf of the selected candidate.

Non-EU diplomas:

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.

UK diplomas:

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.

SELECTION CRITERIA

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: International Relations, Political Science, European Studies, or similar;
• demonstratable interest in defence;
• advanced IT skills, particularly in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook);
• a very good command of written and spoken English (minimum level C1).

Desirable:

The following will be considered an advantage:

• exposure to an international environment and/or national defence administration;
• work experience (full time or part time), particularly as part of a team.