Senior Specialist – Head of Office Covert Operations, Special Tactics Team, ESOCC Expertise & Stakeholder Mgmt Unit (AD7)

  • Reference numberEuropol/2026/TA/AD7/755
  • Deadline:10 Jun 2026, 23:59 CEST

  • Department:O2 European Serious and Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC)

  • TypeRestricted

  • Contract type:Restricted Temporary Agent

  • Publish date12 May 2026

  • Update date:13 May 2026

This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list Q3/Q4 of 2026.

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

1. Organisational context

Organisational setting:

The post of Senior Specialist - Head of Office Covert Operations is located in the Special Tactics Team, ESOCC Expertise & Stakeholder Mgmt Unit, European Serious & Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC) 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 (MS).

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 six distinct Departments: Operational and Analysis Centre, European Serious Organised Crime Centre, European Cyber Crime Centre, European Counter Terrorism Centre, European Financial and Economic Crime Centre and the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling.

The European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC) is responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of Europol’s tasks and objectives in supporting MS’ investigations of serious and organised crime.

The main tasks of ESOCC are to:

  • Provide operational support to prioritised cases;
  • Engage and support international working and expert groups in the field of special tactics, specifically undercover operations;
  • Support the EU Policy Cycle through the implementation of EMPACT priorities;
  • Support the development of the strategic intelligence picture on serious and organised Crime.

Purpose of the post:

The Senior Specialist is responsible for the planning, coordination and delivery of services and products provided by the Unit and is directly accountable for key milestones that support organisational objectives.

The incumbent will provide assistance to the Head of Team and Head of Unit with developing Europol’s position on operational, strategic and policy issues in relation to special tactics and will act as designated point of contact for covert operations. This will entail close cooperation with formal and informal EU networks to foster the sharing of knowledge, experience and best practices and to ensure Europol’s operational positioning at the centre of the European undercover community.

As a Head of Office, the Senior Specialist may supervise, coordinate and give guidance to colleagues, and ensures quality of products developed, standards of performance and services provided.

Reporting lines:

The incumbent reports to the Head of the Special Tactics Team/Head of ESOCC Expertise & Stakeholder Mgmt Unit.

Job environment:

This post might require participation in stand-by duty, shift work and/or field deployments to hostile environments in order to support investigations when required.

2. Functions and duties

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

  • Enhance Europol’s ability to exploit criminal intelligence in support of covert operations related to serious and organised crime investigations of the MS;
  • Provide specialised knowledge and expertise in the area of covert operations to operational activities;
  • Establish and maintain close contacts with Liaison Officers to encourage and support operational activities;
  • Identify and assess operational opportunities and/or needs stemming from the MS and/or third-party law enforcement activities, primarily related to undercover operations or covert structures;
  • Promote the establishment and/or support of Operational Task Forces (OTFs) to utilise special tactics and techniques in order to investigate the criminal activities of High Value Targets (HVTs) and high-risk criminal networks;
  • Act as Europol expert and support the coordination of Europol’s engagement towards the participating MS and third parties in the area of covert operations;
  • Identify, initiate and assist in producing outputs (operational and strategic) and other relevant intelligence products;
  • Actively participate in expert working groups, meetings or conferences and maintain direct contact with the experts of MS covert units;
  • Support the Head of Unit and the Head of Team, in operational and strategic matters carried out by Europol in the field of special tactics;
  • Participate in stand-by duty, shift work and/or field deployments to hostile environments in order to support investigations 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 attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more;

OR

  • A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years;

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 4 years

More than 1 year and up to 2 years 3 years

More than 2 years and up to 3 years 2 years

More than 3 years 1 year

  • In addition to the above at least 6 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

4. Requirements - Selection criteria

a. Professional experience

Essential:

  • Hands-on experience in handling undercover agents and/or informants, preferably of 7 years or more;
  • Experience in international cooperation for covert operations, specifically related to international undercover working groups;
  • Experience participating in or coordinating multi-disciplinary investigation teams (for example, in the context of an operational task force);
  • Experience producing reports of operational and strategic nature.

Desirable:

  • Experience in delivering trainings for undercover agents;
  • Experience in development of covert structures (backstopping).

b. Professional knowledge

Essential:

  • Sound knowledge of the international law enforcement environment and practices in the area of covert operations;
  • Knowledge of the current trends, threats and vulnerabilities in the area of serious and organised crime in the EU and globally;
  • Ability to develop and conduct international covert operations;
  • Knowledge of the international legal framework related to special tactics, specifically undercover operations.

c. General competencies

Essential:

Communicating:

  • Excellent communication skills in English, both orally and in writing;
  • Excellent presentation skills;
  • Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences.

Analysing & problem solving:

  • Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills;

  • Structured approach to work aimed at getting results;

  • 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:

  • Excellent organisational skills including the ability to plan own work load, establish clear priorities and exercise initiative;
  • Ability to manage projects and familiarity with project management terminology and methodology.

Resilience:

  • Strong ability to work well both independently and in a team;
  • 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 establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers in an international and multi-disciplinary work environment.

Advising:

  • Ability to synthesise various data into a coherent and relevant whole, transforming it into a valuable and correct conclusion;
  • Building constructive relationships with clients, adequately identifying and managing their needs and expectations, and giving well-grounded advice;

Team supervision:

  • Ability to manage a diverse team including the ability to motivate staff, effectively plan and monitor the work of other staff members and to provide guidance.

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.

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 www.europol.europa.eu.

6. Compensation and benefits

Scale: AD7

The gross basic monthly salary is EUR 7.876,27 (step 1) or EUR 8.207,25 (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 AD7/1:

a) Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 8091

b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 10380

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 7 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 www.europol.europa.eu

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.

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 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: SECRET UE/EU SECRET.

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: 13 May 2026

Deadline for application: 10 June 2026, 23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone

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