The post of Specialist – Duty Officer is located in Operational 24/7 Centre Team, Operational Centre Unit, Operational & Analysis Centre (OAC) Department, Operations Directorate.
The Operations Directorate deals with the core business of Europol, improving the effectiveness and cooperation of the competent authorities in the Member States in preventing and combating serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism affecting the Member States. This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the Member States.
Europol delivers a number of products and services to national law enforcement agencies to support them in their fight against international serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism.
The Operations Directorate hosts the following Departments: Operational & Analysis Centre, European Serious Organised Crime Centre, European Cybercrime Centre, European Counter Terrorism Centre, European Financial and Economic Crime Centre and the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling.
The Operational and Analysis Centre delivers support across the Operations Directorate by delivering added value to all Centres, including several functions of operational and strategic nature:
- Information hub and 24/7 Operational support;
- Special Tactics including the EU Most Wanted List;
- EMPACT support;
- Liaison and Stakeholder coordination;
- Strategic analytical products;
- Data analysis, training and quality management;
- Interoperability and travel-intelligence.
The main tasks of the Operational Centre are:
- Ensures 24/7 availability and monitoring of information exchange;
- Provides operational support to Europol’s Operational Centres (including processing, crosschecking and handling basic cases);
- Initiates immediate actions and crisis response mechanisms;
- Supports major events and operations;
Purpose of the post:
Under the supervision of the Head of Team and/or Head of Unit the incumbent is tasked to support the competent authorities of the Member States, in preventing or combating the forms of criminality.
This will be achieved by supporting Member States (MS) investigations and operations, providing a high level of expertise, proposing initiatives and delivering timely, relevant products and services to Europol stakeholders.
Reporting lines:
The incumbent reports to the Head of the Operational 24/7 Centre Team.
Job environment:
This post might require participation in a shift system including weekends and nights as well as on-call duty.
2. Functions and duties
The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:
- Ensure Europol’s operational presence and availability on a 24/7 basis by participating in shift work;
- Manage the operational information flow of Europol by monitoring available communication channels, systems and databases;
- Process, handle and report on data in the most efficient and effective way;
- Monitor and assess open-source information by using various tools and applications;
- Participate in meetings and represent the Operational and Analysis Centre in operations and during visits as and when required;
- Contribute to the development and maintain policies and procedures relevant to the duties;
- Initiate the relevant emergency protocols as and when required;
- Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line manager.
3. Requirements - Eligibility criteria
a. Candidates must
- Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State;
Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties;
Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post as further specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.
b. Candidates must have
- A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma;
OR
- Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g. Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below:
Duration of professional training Additional professional experience required for equivalency
More than 6 months and up to 1 year 3 years
More than 1 year and up to 2 years 2 years
More than 2 years 1 year
In addition to the above at least 3 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.
4. Requirements - Selection criteria
a. Professional experience
Essential:
- Experience in working in an international multidisciplinary environment e.g. Single Point of Contact (SPOC) using various channels such as Europol, SIRENE, etc.;
- Experience in supporting operations and handling operational data in relation to investigations in various crime areas. Candidates are requested to provide in their application real case examples, indicating the role in the data handling, the investigation, specifying the crime areas (E.g. organised crime, cybercrime, financial intelligence, counter terrorism, etc.);
- Experience in working in 24/7 operational, dispatch or emergency-situation centres;
- Experience in processing and assessing large amounts of operational data and/or complex datasets in the context of criminal investigations.
Desirable:
- Experience in liaison and cooperation on operational, strategic or policy matters gained in an international environment;
- Experience in using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) or other programming languages in order to structure large datasets;
- Training on operational analysis and/or specialised analysis software.
b. Professional knowledge
Essential:
- Knowledge of the law enforcement cooperation and practices at international level;
- Knowledge of Europol’s legal framework, particularly in relation to information exchange and emergency response protocols at European level;
- Knowledge of open-source research and evaluation;
- Knowledge of standard data normalization tools and technics.
c. General competencies
Essential:
Communicating:
- Very good communication skills in English, both orally and in writing;
- Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences.
Analysing & problem solving:
- Keen eye for detail with the ability to maintain standards of accuracy under pressure of tight deadlines;
- Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills;
- Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet.
Delivering quality and results:
- High degree of commitment and flexibility;
- High level of customer and service-orientation.
Prioritising and organising:
- Good administrative and organisational skills.
Resilience:
- Very good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well, both independently and in a team;
- Ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and demonstrate resistance to stress.
Living diversity:
- Ability to work effectively in an international and multi-cultural environment.
d. Additional conditions:
Fulfil the condition stipulated in Article 5 of the Decision of the Executive Director on the Duration of contracts of employment for Temporary Agents, on the start date of the possible contract of employment which may be offered.
5. Selection procedure
All applications for Temporary Agent posts must be submitted through the online recruitment system accessible via Europol’s website. For further information, please consult the Europol Recruitment Guidelines.
The Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (AACC) sets up a Selection Committee, composed of at least three members, consisting of one chair and at least one member from the administration and one member designated by the Staff Committee.
For restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts), the AACC designates up to two additional members of the Selection Committee if so requested by the Chairperson of the Management Board. The additional members shall consist of a representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union or one representative of the Presidency and one representative of another Member State.
The selection criteria, set out in this Vacancy Notice, will be assessed by the Selection Committee throughout the different stages of the selection procedure. Before the start of the selection procedure, the Selection Committee will decide which selection criteria will be used at each stage of the selection procedure. Certain selection criteria will be assessed only for shortlisted candidates during a written test and/or a competency-based interview.
The Selection Committee will assess the applications received in order to make an initial selection of those candidates meeting all eligibility criteria and matching best the selection criteria (suitability).
In case of candidates shortlisted for restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts), who had indicated membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States, Europol will seek confirmation from the relevant Europol National Unit to ensure that those candidates indeed belong to a competent authority.
The minimum pass-mark for being shortlisted, i.e. invited to participate in a post-related selection procedure, consisting of a written test and a competency-based interview, is established as 60% of the total maximum score.
The Selection Committee will shortlist the 8 highest scoring candidates. All candidates having a score equal to the 8th highest scoring candidate will be invited to take part in the selection procedure. At shortlisting stage, the Selection Committee will establish the pass-mark for the selection procedure.
It is intended for the selection procedure to be conducted remotely. Should the Selection Committee consider it necessary to conduct the selection procedure on-site at Europol in the interest of the proceedings, and subject to budget availability, the candidates invited to participate in the selection procedure will be informed accordingly.
After the selection procedure has taken place, the Selection Committee will establish a list of successful candidates, i.e. those scoring above the pre-defined pass-mark, which is shared with the AACC, for establishment of a Reserve list. A Reserve list is valid for 24 months.
Candidates who participated in the interview will be informed of the outcome, i.e. whether they have been successful or not.
The Selection Committee’s work and deliberations are confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with the members of the Selection Committee or for anyone to do so on their behalf.
The Selection Committee’s work and deliberations are confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with the members of the Selection Committee or for anyone to do so on their behalf.
All enquiries related to a selection procedure should be addressed to the Europol HR Operational Support Team at the following email address: C2-12@europol.europa.eu. Detailed information on the selection procedure- including enquiries, measures of redress and their applicable deadlines is available in the Europol Recruitment Guidelines, which can be found on Europol’s website.
6. Compensation and benefits
Scale: AD6
The gross basic monthly salary is EUR 6.961,69 (step 1) or EUR 7.253,84 (step 2).
The step in grade is determined on the basis of professional experience gained after the education required for the post and in line with applicable implementing rules.
Staff pay EU tax at source but salaries are exempt from national taxes. Compulsory deductions are made for health insurance, pension and unemployment insurance.
Subject to the applicable conditions being met, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations (EUSR)/CEOS and further specified in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allowances such as expatriation allowance (16% of basic gross salary) or foreign residence allowance (4% of basic gross salary), household allowance, dependent child and / or education allowance may be granted.
Staff enjoy worldwide insurance coverage by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) and are insured against sickness, the risk of occupational disease and accident.
Europol offers flexible working arrangements, a comprehensive provision for annual leave as well as parental leave supporting a healthy work-life balance.
Indicative net salary sample calculation AD6/1:
a) Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 7240
b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 9436
The above information is indicative and for information purposes only. It is merely meant to give an indication of the possible net salary in light of the currently applicable amounts of the related allowances and the level of taxation. It has no legal value and no rights can be derived from it.
The information is based on figures applicable as of July 2025.
7. Terms and conditions
Contract of employment
The successful candidate will be engaged in the type of post Administrator and function group AD, grade 6 pursuant to Article 2(f) CEOS and Annex I to the EUSR.
The initial contract will be concluded for a period of 5 years (full-time – 40 hours a week).
The contract may be renewed only once, in principle, for a period of 5 years.
The overall duration of the contracts on restricted posts of Europol staff members will be taken into account if they are successful in the selection procedure.
Conditions of engagement
Before the employment contract is concluded by Europol, the successful candidate will have to:
- declare any conflict of interest;
- undergo a pre-employment medical examination to confirm that he/she is physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post or, alternatively, receive the confirmation from Europol that he/she fulfils the conditions laid down in the Decision of the Deputy Executive Director of the Capabilities Directorate on the pre-employment medical examination available on www.europol.europa.eu;
- in case of candidates for restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts) who had indicated membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States, provide confirmation of his/her membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation.
The place of employment will be The Hague, The Netherlands.
For further information on terms and conditions, please consult the EUSR/CEOS available on Europol’s website.
Probation period
Engagement for this post is subject to the successful completion of a probationary period of 9 months.
Europol reserves the right to terminate the contract of employment during or at the end of the probation period in accordance with Article 14 CEOS.