Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support, European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) (AD8)

  • Reference numberEuropol/2026/TA/AD8/774
  • Deadline:22 Oct 2026, 23:59 CEST

  • Department:O3 European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3)

  • TypeRestricted

  • Contract type:Restricted Temporary Agent

  • Publish date23 Sept 2026

  • Update date:24 Sept 2026

This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list in Q4 of 2026/Q1 of 2027.

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 Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support is located in in one of the teams within the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), 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 (MS) in preventing and combating serious and organised crime as well as terrorism affecting the MS. This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the 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 (OAC), European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC), European Cyber Crime Centre(EC3), European Counter Terrorism Centre, European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) and European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS).

EC3 serves as the centre for the MS fight against cybercrime in the European Union, delivering operational and investigative support on complex cybercrime investigations.

EC3 also provides support to the EU institutions and MS in building operational and analytical capacity for investigations and cooperation with external partners. EC3 is the collective voice of European cybercrime investigators across law enforcement and the knowledge hub of law enforcement on how to tackle cybercrime.

The Centre comprises of three Units, each with their own area of responsibility.

The EC3 Operations Unit is responsible for delivering the operational services to MS of EU and other partners with whom Europol has operational agreements. The Unit consist of five teams: AP Cyborg (cyber-dependent crime), AP Terminal (payment fraud and on-line fraud schemes), AP Twins (child sexual exploitation), AP Dark Web (criminal use of anonymization services) and the J-CAT coordination team (operational support to the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce).

The EC3 Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit is responsible for the coordination and deconfliction of various cases within the mentioned crime areas, enriching related data sets, delivering analytical support and advising and participating in operational actions.

The Digital Support Unit is assisting EC3 Operations and provides horizontal support to other Operations Centres of Europol by delivering intelligence products, technical and forensic support, decryption and cryptocurrency tracing services and facilitating technical assistance in handling large datasets through three dedicated teams: Cyber Intelligence Team (CIT), Forensics Team (FT) and Cryptocurrency Team.

Purpose of the post:

The jobholder will be responsible for leading, managing and coordinating the activities of one of the teams within EC3 in order to support the Member States and other Europol’s partners in the fight against cyber dependent and cyber enabled crimes.

There are several Head of Team vacancies coming up within the next two years, namely The Head of Team JCAT, the Head of Team AP Terminal and the Head of Team Digital Forensics Team.

Reporting lines:

The incumbent reports to the Head of EC3 Operations Unit or Head of EC3 Digital Support Unit.

2.  Functions and duties

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

General Head of Team responsibilities

  • Coordinate the work of a group of individuals by effective and efficient planning, prioritisation, and scheduling of tasks and responsibilities;
  • Monitor progress of work in line with key performance indicators; ensure work being produced is of high quality and meets business needs; apply corrective measures where needed;
  • Define and supervise the accurate and timely execution of processes and procedures to ensure adherence to corporate policies, fundamental rights, standards and data protection regulations;
  • Set clear expectations and objectives and direct work towards a common goal;
  • Identify, address and propose resolutions to issues affecting the team;
  • Provide constructive feedback, guidance and support and coach team members;
  • Encourage continuous learning and development of team members;
  • Create an open, honest and inclusive team culture with respect for diversity, where team members are encouraged to perform at their best.

Specific responsibilities

  • Support the development and the implementation of the Europol strategy in the field of responsibility;
  • Participate in European or international projects, where Europol participates as a member or as the leading agency;
  • Oversee the support of cybercriminal operations and investigations in accordance with Europol’s mandate;
  • Safeguard development and maintenance of expertise in the area of responsibility, through research, study and liaison with relevant agencies and experts;
  • Facilitate and steer the production of reports and documents in the area of competence;
  • Ensure efficient and effective operational, technical, forensic, or financial support to Member States on the spot and at Europol Headquarters;
  • Establish close contacts with the Member States and Third Parties’ Liaison Officers to encourage and support operational activities in the field of responsibility;
  • Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management.

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 9 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

4.     Requirements - Selection criteria

a.    Professional experience

Essential:

  • Preferably at least 5 years of experience working in a cybercrime unit in the one of the EU MS or at international LEA;
  • Preferably at least 3 years of experience managing staff supporting operational activities and/or conducting criminal investigations;
  • Experience in producing intelligence reports;
  • Experience in coordinating investigations or support activities in one or more of the following areas of expertise:
    • Cybercrime investigations;
    • Cyber (threat) intelligence;
    • Digital forensics;
    • Payment frauds;
    • Darkweb investigations.
  • Experience with applying big dataset analysis and AI techniques within criminal investigations.

Desirable:

  • Extensive experience in international Law Enforcement cooperation in the cybercriminal domain;
  • Experience in working with private entities within the cybersecurity landscape;

b.    Professional knowledge

Essential:

  • Sound knowledge of current threat actors, their modus operandi and emerging trends in cybercrime, payment fraud, dark web activities, and relevant forensic techniques;
  • Knowledge of the law-enforcement environment and intelligence practices in general and of the field of responsibility in particular (cybercrime, payment fraud, darkweb and/or digital forensics);
  • Knowledge of cybersecurity matters, with a focus on cyber threat intelligence (CTI), including relevant private-sector stakeholders within the cybersecurity landscape;
  • Knowledge of AI-driven solutions relevant to cybersecurity and cybercrime landscape;
  • Knowledge of methods and techniques applied in the full cycle of cybercrime investigations;
  • Knowledge of the EU legal framework in general and in the area of law enforcement cooperation in particular;
  • Knowledge on international legal instruments in the area of cybercrime.

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:

  • Structured approach to work aimed at getting results;
  • 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:

  • Excellent organizational skills including the ability to plan own workload, 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 and team members, 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 12 highest scoring candidates. All candidates having a score equal to the 12th 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: AD8

The gross basic monthly salary is EUR 8,911.48 (step 1) or EUR 9,285.95 (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 AD8/1:

a)    Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 9,026.62

b)    Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 11,423.76.

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 8 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 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 46 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:                  24 September 2026

Deadline for application:   22 October 2026, 23:59 CEST

Selection procedure:           October-November 2026

Application process and selection procedure

For further details on the application process and the selection procedure, please consult our FAQs or refer to the EUROPOL RECRUITMENT GUIDELINES available on Europol’s website.

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