Specialist Commercial Law Institutional and Legal Affairs Department (AD6)

• Reference numberEuropol/2026/TA/AD6/756
• Deadline:08 Jun 2026, 23:59 CEST

• Department:G2 Institutional and Legal Affairs

• TypeNon-Restricted

• Contract type:Non-Restricted Temporary Agent

• Publish date10 May 2026

• Update date:11 May 2026

• Apply

This selection procedure is intended to fill 1 currently available post.

Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts within the organisation, should business needs so require.

1.  Organisational context

Organisational setting:

The post of Specialist – Commercial Law is located in the Commercial Law Team, Institutional and Legal Affairs Department, Governance Directorate.

The Institutional and Legal Affairs Department deals with tasks central to Europol's corporate functioning. It is the interface between the organisation and the political sphere assisting Europol’s senior management with up-to-date information, legal and strategic assessments, managing external relations and preparing interactions with the Management Board and other stakeholders, as well as planning, monitoring and process functions.

Purpose of the post:

The post holder will provide commercial legal advice and support to Europol on matters related to commercial law.

This will include provision of advice to internal clients, liaising with third parties and the reviewing and drafting of commercial documents related to all departments and types of expenditure.

Reporting lines:

The post holder will report to the Head of the Commercial Law Team/Head of Institutional and Legal Affairs Department.

2.  Functions and duties

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

• Draft and review legal opinions, internal legal acts, policies, guidance and contracts;
• Provide legal advice on the interpretation of decisions and rules and regulations including to senior management;
• Conduct legal research and analysis on EU legal topics;
• Represent Europol in external and internal meetings;
• Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management.

3.     Requirements - Eligibility criteria

a. Candidates must

• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen;
• 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 in law of at least three years attested by a diploma;

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:

• Relevant professional experience of at least 3 years;
• Experience in the field of EU Commercial Law;
• Experience in legal research, analysis and drafting;
• Experience in working in an international, multidisciplinary work environment.

Desirable:

• Experience working in an EU institution or EU body;
• Experience in ICT related commercial law including commercial licensing, contracting of cloud services, regulation of Artificial Intelligence;
• Experience of Dutch civil law.

b. Professional knowledge:

Essential:

• Comprehensive knowledge of EU Commercial Law (e.g. intellectual property rights, contract law, non-contractual liability);
• Knowledge of key compliance issues (e.g. non-conflict of interest, adherence to public procurement obligations, grants, data protection and fundamental rights);
• Commercial awareness;
• Passed the following subjects in one of the EU Member States, as part of a law degree: national contract law, tort/delict and property law applicable. National equivalent titles to the above 3 subjects will be accepted. Candidates are required to indicate in their application form how they meet this requirement.

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 & organising:

• Good administrative and organisational skills.

Resilience:

• Very good interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively liaise with other departments, groups and teams as well as with external partners.
• 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.

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).

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 6 highest scoring candidates. All candidates having a score equal to the 6th 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.

The Selection Committee makes a proposal to the AACC on the candidate(s) to appoint. Following that proposal, the AACC makes a decision of appointment.

Candidates who participated in the interview will be informed of the outcome, i.e. whether they have been successful or not. In view of the list of successful candidates established by the Selection Committee, the AACC retains the discretion to constitute a Reserve List. A Reserve List is valid for 24 months.

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 6.961,29 (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 7.240,58

b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 9.436,00 .

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 4 years (full-time – 40 hours a week). The contract may be renewed, in principle, for a period of 2 years. Any further renewal shall be for an indefinite duration.

If the successful candidate is already a member of temporary staff 2(f) in the relevant function group, he/she may be offered the opportunity of contract continuity, should the relevant conditions be fulfilled.

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 Europol's website;
• 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.

In exceptional cases, where justified in the interest of the service, the AACC may recruit a candidate who is a successful candidate in a selection procedure for temporary staff 2(f) CEOS as contract staff 3(a) CEOS, if the selection procedure is considered to be appropriate to the duties to be performed.

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.

If the successful candidate chooses contract continuity, and has already successfully completed the probationary period provided for in Article 14 of the CEOS, in the relevant function group, he/she will not serve the probationary period.

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.

Security screening and certificate of good conduct

Candidates who have been recruited to a post at Europol are required to furnish a valid certificate of good conduct before the start of their employment. The certificate of good conduct must be provided to Europol prior to the signature of the employment contract. The certificate of good conduct must be issued by the relevant authorities of the country of nationality of the candidate and must not be older than three months at the time of submission to Europol. Europol reserves the right not to proceed with the signature of the contract based on the content of the certificate or if the candidate fails to provide the certificate to Europol.

The certificate of good conduct does not substitute a valid security clearance required for all Europol staff at the level indicated in the vacancy notice. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance may be cause for termination of the employment contract.

Candidates who currently hold a valid security clearance at the level indicated in the vacancy notice or above do not need to obtain a certificate of good conduct or a new security clearance and must provide a copy of the current security clearance certificate to Europol prior to the signature of the employment contract. Europol shall verify and confirm the continued validity of the security clearance.

In case Europol determines that the security clearance is not valid, the candidate will be required to provide a valid certificate of good conduct prior to the signature of the employment contract. Europol may at any time terminate the employment contract if the result of the security screening is not positive and the necessary clearance level is not granted or extended.

The requested level of security clearance for this post is: CONFIDENTIEL UE/EU CONFIDENTIAL.

8. Additional information

Equal opportunity

Europol is an equal opportunity employer. Europol accepts applications without distinction on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, national, ethnic or social origin, religion or beliefs, family situation, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications, experience and skills.

Europol lives diversity and provides an inclusive work environment to all. Europol strives to recruit, develop and retain a diverse and talented workforce through application of equal opportunity and impartiality.

Privacy Notice

Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC, applies to the processing of personal data carried out in the process of selection and recruitment of staff at Europol, following the application of this Regulation to all administrative personal data held by Europol in accordance with Article 27a of the Europol Regulation.

For additional information, please consult the applicable privacy notice available on Europol’s website, also inserted in the EUROPOL RECRUITMENT GUIDELINES.

Statutory obligations upon leaving the service

Pursuant to Article 16 of the EUSR, EU officials and, by analogy, temporary agents continue to be bound by the duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance of certain appointments or benefits after leaving the service. Those staff members intending to engage in an occupational activity within two years of leaving the service shall inform their institution, so that it may take an appropriate decision in that respect. In cases where the intended activity is related to the work carried out by the staff member during the last three years of service and could lead to a conflict with the legitimate interests of the institution, the decision to be taken may include forbidding the staff member from undertaking it or giving its approval subject to any conditions it thinks fit.

Main dates

Publication date:               11 May 2026

Deadline for application: 08 June 2026 until 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone

Selection procedure:         July 2026