Secretary to the Head of Unit

MAKE A DIFFERENCE – JOIN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Do you want to help shape the future of the European Union? Make the planet greener,
promote a fairer society, or support businesses and innovation across the EU? Then come and
work for the European Commission where you can really make a difference!

Commission staff are a diverse group of people, who are motivated to help make Europe – and
the world – a better place. They come from the 27 Member States of the European Union.
Different nationalities, backgrounds, languages and cultures make the Commission a vibrant and
inclusive place to work.

WE OFFER GREAT JOBS AND GREAT WORKING CONDITIONS:

•

Interesting and challenging positions with plenty of opportunities for training and
acquiring new skills and competencies throughout your whole career

• Opportunities to move between different policy areas throughout your career
• A package of flexible working conditions including the possibility of teleworking – we

care about your work-life balance

• A competitive financial package, including comprehensive healthcare, accident and

pension schemes

• A multilingual, multicultural workplace where personal and career development are

strongly promoted

• Multilingual schools for your children

We recruit from a wide range of backgrounds and actively promote diversity and
inclusion:

We do not only recruit political scientists and lawyers but are also looking for all kinds of
profiles, including scientists, linguists, IT experts, data analysts and economists, as well as drivers
and engineers.

We are committed to equal opportunities and to fostering a rich, diverse and inclusive working
environment. We aim for our workforce to be representative of European society and strongly
welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We actively seek to create a workplace where
each staff member feels valued and respected, can give their best and can develop to their full
potential.

To promote diversity and establish a geographically balanced pool of candidates, we strongly
encourage applicants from Member States which are currently underrepresented in the European
Commission workforce to apply. These Member States are currently Austria, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg,
Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden1. Recruitment will however remain strictly based on the
merits of all applicants and no positions will be reserved for nationals of any specific Member
State.

For more information ec.europa.eu/work-with-us

STAFF RECRUITED ON CONTRACTS

In addition to permanent officials, the European Commission offers non-permanent positions. There
are two categories of non-permanent staff:

•

temporary agents are recruited to fill vacant positions for a set amount of time or
to perform highly specialised tasks.

• contract agents may provide additional capacity in specialised fields where an

insufficient number of officials is available or carry out a number of administrative or
manual tasks. They are generally recruited for fixed-term contracts (maximum 6 years in
any EU Institution), but in some cases they can be offered contracts for an indefinite
duration (in offices, agencies, delegations or representations).

For more information on different staff categories

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

Secretary to the Head of Unit

in DG RTD – European Commission

Job title: Secretary – to the Head of Unit
Domain: Science and Research
Where: Unit H.1- “Common Legal Support Service“, Brussels
Function Group: FG II
Contract Type: 3b
Express your interest until: 21.08.2026 – 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

WE ARE

The Common Legal Support Service (CLSS) is part of Directorate RTD (Research & Innovation)/H
“Common Implementation Centre” in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. It drafts
the Rules for Participation of the Framework Programmes and ensures their coherent interpretation
for all implementing bodies. It acts as a liaison between the R&I DGs and the Legal Service and DG
BUDGET. It provides legal advice on the programme design and implementation, drafts legal acts,
and provides support during inter-institutional procedures. It also drafts commission decisions and
guidelines. The CLSS offers legal advice and support covering the entire project life cycle and
complaints. In addition, it provides legal advice on horizontal issues such as legal procedures,
international cooperation, intellectual property rights, ethics and research integrity, and inter-
institutional matters.

WE PROPOSE

A dynamic and central administrative role as Secretary to the Head of Unit, providing executive
support directly to the management and serving as the operational backbone of the unit to ensure
seamless daily workflows and optimal resource management. Main responsibilities include
strategically managing the Head of Unit’s daily schedule, anticipating priorities, coordinating
meetings and organising missions (including booking arrangements and encoding in MIPS, internal
tool for the management of the travels). This role acts as a central point of contact to streamline
internal clerical workflows, foster smooth communication, and maintain operational efficiency
across the entire team. Additionally, the position involves overseeing and following up on the
lifecycle of incoming and outgoing official correspondence, ensuring precise archiving, tracking, and
registration within the ARES application (document management tool). The chosen candidate will
also provide essential backup support to the unit’s other secretary by assisting with the
management and follow up of Interservice consultations and briefing requests.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

Furthermore, the successful candidate may also be required, as necessary, to perform
administrative tasks to provide back-up support to the Director’s secretariat or the secretariats of
other units within the Directorate.

WE LOOK FOR

A highly organized, resilient, and proactive professional with a solid administrative track record in
executive assistance or advanced office management who thrives in a fast-paced, structured
environment. The ideal candidate has a strong working knowledge of the European Commission’s
administrative rules and procedures. Familiarity with corporate IT tools such as ARES (Document
management), BASIS (Briefing tool), MIPS (Travels tool) and DECIDE (Decision-making tool) — or
equivalent systems — would be considered a asset. Prior experience within a public administration
or EU institution is highly valued. This role requires strong verbal and written communication skills
in both English and French, with a natural talent for diplomacy, discretion, and teamwork.
Candidates must demonstrate proven operational excellence, including the ability to work rapidly,
accurately, and autonomously under tight deadlines while managing competing priorities. Finally, a
strong sense of initiative, a dedicated service-minded attitude, and the flexibility to step in as a
reliable backup for colleagues are essential for success in this position.

HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?

With a view to guaranteeing equal access to all, the Commission recruits from an open database of
spontaneous applications. The present call for interests aims at helping the recruiters to identify
potentially interested candidates within this database.

In practice, to express your interest, please follow the subsequent two steps:

1.

If you are not registered yet in the open EPSO database, please do so at the following
address: CAST Permanent. Please select under selection procedures for contract agent the
CAST permanent profile that best suits your education and experience.

2. You should send your documents in a single pdf in the following order:

2. completed application form.

1. your CV
Please send these documents
to [email protected] by the
publication deadline indicating the call for interest reference EC-2026/RTD/84250 in the
subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

ANNEX

1. Selection

 Am I eligible to apply?

You must meet the following eligibility criteria when you validate your application:

Our rules provide that you can only be recruited as a contract agent at the European Commission if
you:

General criteria:

• Are a citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service;
• Are physically fit to perform the duties linked to the position;
• Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the

duties.

• Have passed an EPSO CAST in the relevant Function Group for this position. At the stage of

the application, it is sufficient to be registered in the EPSO CAST data base.

Qualifications:

(a) Have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma OR
(b) a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary

education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years.

Only qualifications issued or recognised as equivalent by EU Member State authorities (e.g. by
the Ministry of Education) will be accepted.

Languages:

• have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the

EU1

• AND have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2)2 of a second official language of

the EU, to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

1 The official languages of the European Union are: BG (Bulgarian), CS (Czech), DA (Danish), DE (German), EL
(Greek), EN (English), ES (Spanish), ET (Estonian), FI (Finnish), FR (French), GA (Irish), HR (Croatian), HU
(Hungarian), IT (Italian), LT (Lithuanian), LV (Latvian), MT (Maltese), NL (Dutch), PL (Polish), PT (Portuguese),
RO (Romanian), SK (Slovak), SL (Slovenian), SV (Swedish).
2 For details on language levels, please see the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr).

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

 What about the selection steps?

The selecting unit chooses from the EPSO database3 candidates with the appropriate profile and
invites them to an interview. For the interview a selection panel is set-up to assess the best
candidates. Due to the large volume of applications that we may receive only candidates selected
for the interview will be notified.

For operational reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in
the interest of the candidates and of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in
English and possibly in a second official language.

2. Recruitment

The candidate selected for recruitment will be requested to provide documentary evidence in
support of the statements made in the database and, where relevant, the call for interest.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a mandatory pre-recruitment medical check-
up carried out by the Commission.

 Type of contract and working conditions

The place of employment will be in Brussels

The successful candidate will be engaged as a contract agent under Article 3(b) of the
Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, in function group FG II. General information on
Contract Agents can be found at this link.

The grade or proposed grade range, as well as the step in that grade, will be defined on the basis
of the candidates’ previous professional experience, in accordance with Commission Decision
C(2017)6760 laying down the criteria applicable to classification in step on engagement.

The duration of the first contract will be 1 year. Subject to the interest of the service, the
contract may be renewed one or more times, up to a maximum duration of 6 years.

The duration of the renewal(s) will be defined according to the General Implementing Rules in force
at that moment (currently, Commission Decision C(2017)6760 on policies for the engagement and
use of contract agents).

3 Therefore, candidates who did not pass already a CAST on the level Function Group II, should register their
profile at this address: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/Cast-Permanent

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

Contract agents recruited in Function Group II must successfully complete a 9-month probationary
period.

The pay of staff members consists of a basic salary supplemented with specific allowances,
including, where applicable, expatriation and family allowances. The provisions guiding the
calculation of these allowances can be consulted in the Conditions of Employment of Other
Servants. As a member of staff of the European institutions, your pay is subject to a tax raised by
those institutions.

The European Commission applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in
accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations.

Should you need further information on working conditions, please refer to Working conditions and
benefits of EU Careers.

For information related to Data Protection, please see the Specific Privacy Statement under “7.
Information to data subjects on their rights”, to find your rights and how to exercise them in
addition to the privacy statement, which summarises the processing of your data.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)