Data processing, analytics, and statistics

• Reference number: EPSO/AST/158/26 - 1
• Open for application: 06/10/2026
• Type of contract: Permanent official
• Grade: AST 3
• Deadline: 11/11/2026 - 12:00 (Brussels time)
• Status: Applications open
• Institution/Agency: EU institutions
• Location(s): Brussels (Belgium), Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Strasbourg (France)

Deadline for application: 11 November 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time

1.   GENERAL PROVISIONS

• (a) The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) is organising an open competition, based on qualifications and tests, to draw up reserve lists from which the institutions, bodies, and agencies of the European Union (EU) may recruit new members of the civil service as ‘assistants’ (grade AST 3).

• (b) This notice of competition and its annexes, including Annex I ‘General rules’, form the legally binding framework for this competition.

• (c) EPSO endeavours to use gender-neutral and inclusive language. Any reference to a person of a specific gender must be deemed also to constitute a reference to a person of any other gender.

• (d) This notice of competition covers three fields. A candidate may only apply for one of them.

• (e) The number of successful candidates sought per field is indicated in Table 1.

  Table 1

  Field 1	Data processing, analytics and statistics	423
  Field 2	Librarianship and information science	243
  Field 3	Records and archives management	298

2.   WHAT DUTIES CAN I EXPECT TO PERFORM?

Please see Annex II for information about the typical duties that the successful candidates can expect to perform.

3.   AM I ELIGIBLE?

Candidates must meet all the general and specific eligibility conditions (see Sections 3.1 to 3.3) on the closing date for applications.

3.1.   General conditions

A candidate must:

• 1. be a national of one of the Member States of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen;

• 2. have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the laws concerning military service; and

• 3. meet the character requirements for the duties concerned.

3.2.   Specific conditions – languages

A candidate must have knowledge of at least two official EU languages, as provided for in Section 4.2.

3.3.   Specific conditions – education and experience

3.3.1.   Field 1 – Data processing, analytics and statistics

• (a) To be eligible for field 1, a candidate must meet the requirements listed in one of the following points:

  • (i) Have completed post-secondary studies of at least two years, attested by a diploma in one or more of the areas listed in point 3.3.1(b), and have at least three years of relevant professional experience (see point 3.3.1(c)) acquired after the date of the final decision to award that diploma.

    This requirement is also deemed to be fulfilled where a candidate, after completing a bachelor’s programme in any field, has obtained a diploma in one or more of the areas listed in point 3.3.1(b) (such as a postgraduate certificate, graduate diploma, Master’s, PhD, or any other qualification requiring a prior bachelor’s degree for admission), irrespective of the duration of the studies leading to that diploma.

  • (ii) Have a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and have at least six years of relevant professional experience (see point 3.3.1(c)) acquired after the date of the final decision to award that diploma.

• (b) The diploma referred to in point 3.3.1(a)(i) will be taken into account if it is acquired in one or more of the following areas:

  • (i) Mathematics, statistics, actuarial science, or data science;

  • (ii) Computer science and informatics, including AI;

  • (iii) Engineering, any field;

  • (iv) Economics, applied economics, business administration, or finance;

  • (v) Geography including geographical information systems, or geoinformatics;

  • (vi) Physics, chemistry, or biology;

  • (vii) Social sciences, provided that the studies included a specialisation in quantitative methods, survey methodology, computational social science, or data analysis;

  • (viii) Linguistics, provided that the studies included a specialisation in corpus linguistics, computational linguistics, or text/data analysis.

• (c) The professional experience referred to in points 3.3.1(a)(i) and (ii) will be considered relevant (see also Section 2.3, particularly point 2.3(1)(e), of the General rules) if it corresponds to one or more of duties outlined in Annex II for field 1 or if it corresponds to one or more of the following areas:

  • (i) Programming and coding, or software development;

  • (ii) Analysis of large data sets or unstructured information; data science, including in the area of healthcare, business, finance, research; geospatial data; data intelligence; data engineering;

  • (iii) Scientific, quantitative, statistical, computational, or data modelling; designing, building and deploying or maintaining machine learning models;

  • (iv) Use of high-performance computing or scalable computing environments for data processing and analysis;

  • (v) Using applied statistics in a professional context;

  • (vi) Applied mathematics in a professional context;

  • (vii) Database management;

  • (viii) Data research; business intelligence; market research; scientific research; policy research;

  • (ix) Data service management or data governance;

  • (x) Activities and services in the field of data validation and analysis (e.g. outlier identification and treatment, panel data, model-based estimator, time series and survey);

  • (xi) Presenting analytical, statistical or methodological results to technical or non-technical audiences; data journalism or blogging;

  • (xii) Creating dashboards, data visualisation, infographics and mapping;

  • (xiii) Development and maintenance of Geospatial Information Systems application and tools.

3.3.2.   Field 2 – Librarianship and information science

• (a) To be eligible for field 2, a candidate must meet the requirements listed in one of the following points:

  • (i) Have completed post-secondary studies of at least two years, attested by a diploma in one or more of the areas listed in point 3.3.2(b), and have at least three years of relevant professional experience (see point 3.3.2(c)) acquired after the date of the final decision to award that diploma.

    This requirement is also deemed to be fulfilled where a candidate, after completing a bachelor’s programme in any field, has obtained a diploma in one or more of the areas listed in point 3.3.2(b) (such as a postgraduate certificate, graduate diploma, Master’s, PhD, or any other qualification requiring a prior bachelor’s degree for admission), irrespective of the duration of the studies leading to that diploma.

  • (ii) Have a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and have at least six years of relevant professional experience (see point 3.3.2(c)) acquired after the date of the final decision to award that diploma.

• (b) The diploma referred to in point 3.3.2(a)(i) will be taken into account if it is acquired in one or more of the following areas:

  • (i) Librarianship;

  • (ii) Information science or studies;

  • (iii) Information management;

  • (iv) Documentation science;

  • (v) Information systems and computer science;

  • (vi) Media studies;

  • (vii) Book and/or cultural heritage studies.

• (c) The professional experience referred to in points 3.3.2(a)(i) and (ii) will be considered relevant (see also Section 2.3, particularly point 2.3(1)(e), of the General rules) if it corresponds to one or more of the duties outlined in Annex II for field 2.

3.3.3.   Field 3 – Records and archives management

• (a) To be eligible for field 3, a candidate must meet the requirements listed in one of the following points:

  • (i) Have completed post-secondary studies of at least two years, attested by a diploma in one or more of the areas listed in point 3.3.3(b), and have at least three years of relevant professional experience (see point 3.3.3(c)) acquired after the date of the final decision to award that diploma.

    This requirement is also deemed to be fulfilled where a candidate, after completing a bachelor’s programme in any field, has obtained a diploma in one or more of the areas listed in point 3.3.3(b) (such as a postgraduate certificate, graduate diploma, Master’s, PhD, or any other qualification requiring a prior bachelor’s degree for admission), irrespective of the duration of the studies leading to that diploma.

  • (ii) Have a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and have at least six years of relevant professional experience (see point 3.3.3(c)) acquired after the date of the final decision to award that diploma.

• (b) The diploma referred to in point 3.3.3(a)(i) will be taken into account if it is acquired in one or more of the following areas:

  • (i) Archival sciences and/or records management;

  • (ii) Information/ documentation science or management;

  • (iii) Digital humanities;

  • (iv) History;

  • (v) Cultural and/or digital heritage;

  • (vi) Any of the following areas:

  • (1) business, administration, or organisation studies,

  • (2) law,

  • (3) linguistics or literature,

  • (4) international relations,

  • (5) social sciences,

  provided that the studies included a specialisation in one or more of the areas listed in points (i)-(v) above.

• (c) The professional experience referred to in points 3.3.3(a)(i) and (ii) will be considered relevant (see also Section 2.3, particularly point 2.3(1)(e), of the General rules) if it corresponds to one or more of the duties outlined in Annex II for field 3.

3.3.4.   Provisions common to all fields

• (a) Where candidates rely on point 3.3.1(a)(i), 3.3.2(a)(i) or 3.3.3(a)(i), they must indicate the standard duration of the study programme completed to demonstrate fulfilment of the education requirement. To substantiate the duration of the programme, candidates must provide a letter, certificate, or equivalent document issued by the awarding educational institution.

• (b) Please see Annex III for examples of minimum qualifications.

4.   HOW WILL THE COMPETITION BE ORGANISED?

4.1.   Overview of the competition phases

This competition will be organised in the following phases:

• application (see Section 4.3.1),

• testing: reasoning tests, a multiple-choice question test related to the field of the competition (‘field-related MCQ test’), and a free-text essay on EU matters (‘EUFTE’) (see Section 4.3.2),

• test scoring and eligibility check (see Section 4.3.3),

• establishment of the reserve lists (see Section 4.3.4).

4.2.   Languages used in this competition

• (a) The Staff Regulations (1) stipulate that an official may only be appointed on condition that they produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge of another EU language to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties.

• (b) Therefore, in this competition, a candidate must have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of at least one of the 24 official EU languages and a satisfactory knowledge (minimum B2 level) of a different language to be chosen among the remaining 23 official EU languages. The minimum levels indicated here apply to each linguistic ability (listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production, and writing) requested in the application form. These abilities reflect those of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2).

• (c) For ease of reference, those languages will be referred to as ‘language 1’ and ‘language 2’.

• (d) The languages will be used in different phases of the competition as indicated in Table 2.

  Table 2

  Competition phase	Tests	Language
  Application	—	Any of the 24 official EU languages
  Testing	Reasoning tests	Language 1
  Field-related MCQ test	Language 2
  EUFTE	Language 2

• (e) Candidates will have to indicate their choice of test languages in their application form.

4.3.   Competition phases

4.3.1.   Application

• (a) To apply, a candidate needs to have a candidate account linked to an EU Login created with an e-mail address that remains valid at all times until the publication of the reserve list (see Section 1(4) of the General rules).

• (b) The candidates must apply online on theEPSO website (3)and submit their applications by

  11 November 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time.

• (c) By submitting their application form, candidates declare that they meet all the conditions mentioned under Section 3 ‘Am I eligible?’. It is the candidates’ responsibility to ensure that they complete and submit their application within the deadline. Once the application deadline has passed, candidates will no longer be able to make any changes to their application.

• (d) By 11 November 2026 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time, candidates must upload a scanned copy of their valid identity card or passport.

• (e) By 11 March 2027 at 12.00 (midday), Brussels time, candidates must upload the scanned copies of all the other documents supporting the declarations made in their application form.

• (f) An explanation on how to upload the documents is available via the dedicated competition page on the EPSO website.

4.3.2.   Testing

(a)   General remarks

• (i) All candidates who have submitted their application form by the deadline indicated in point 4.3.1(b) will be invited to sit a series of tests defined below. Please note that the order in which the tests are organised may differ from the order in which they are listed in this notice.

• (ii) The tests will be held and proctored (invigilated) remotely. EPSO will inform candidates about the testing modalities at the latest when inviting them to the tests.

• (iii) If a candidate fails to sit or complete one or more of the tests, including due to a failure to comply with the instructions provided to the candidates, their participation in the competition will come to an end (see Section 5 of the General rules).

(b)   Reasoning tests

• (i) The reasoning tests are multiple-choice-question tests assessing the candidates’ verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning skills. They will be organised as indicated in Table 3.

  Table 3

  Tests	Language	No of questions	Duration	Scoring	Pass scores
  Verbal reasoning test	Language 1	20 questions	35 minutes	0 to 20	10/20
  Numerical reasoning test	10 questions	20 minutes	0 to 10	Combined pass score for numerical and abstract reasoning tests: 10/20
  Abstract reasoning test	10 questions	10 minutes	0 to 10

• (ii) To proceed to the next step of the competition (see Section 4.3.3), a candidate needs to obtain at least:

  • a pass score of 10/20 in the verbal reasoning test, and

  • a combined pass score of 10/20 in the numerical and abstract reasoning tests.

(c)   Field-related MCQ test

• (i) The field-related MCQ test will be specific to the field chosen by the candidate. It will be organised as indicated in Table 4.

  Table 4

  Test	Language	No of questions	Duration	Scoring	Pass score
  Field-related MCQ test	Language 2	30 questions	40 minutes	0 to 30	15/30

• (ii) To proceed to the next step of the competition (see Section 4.3.3), a candidate needs to:

  • obtain at least a pass score of 15/30, and

  • be amongst the candidates who score the highest.

(d)   EUFTE

• (i) The EUFTE is aimed at assessing a candidate’s written communication skills. It will be organised as indicated in Table 5.

  Table 5

  Test	Language	Duration	Scoring	Pass score
  EUFTE	Language 2	40 minutes	0 to 10	5/10

• (ii) Candidates will be required to respond to the test assignment(s) based on the documentation related to EU matters. The documentation will be made available on the EPSO website ahead of the test date. Candidates will receive the same documentation during the test, along with the assignment(s) based on it.

• (iii) The EUFTE is neither a language test nor a test of factual knowledge. The assessment will be based on the specific anchors published on EPSO’s website (4).

4.3.3.   Test scoring and eligibility check

(a)   General remarks

• (i) The scores will be used as indicated in Table 6.

  Table 6

  Test	How will the test scores be used?
  Verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning tests	The tests will be scored to determine if the candidate obtained at least the required pass scores.
  Field-related MCQ test	The scores of candidates who obtained at least the required pass score will be used to create a ranking according to candidates’ performance.
  EUFTE	The test will be scored to determine if the candidate obtained at least the required pass score.

• (ii) Should a candidate fail to obtain the required pass score(s) in one of the tests, their participation in the competition will come to an end. Such candidates will not have their test answers and/or scripts processed any further and will not have their eligibility checked.

• (iii) Candidates who fail to sit or complete all the tests (see Section 4.3.2 above and Section 5 of the General rules) will not have any of their test answers and/or scripts processed and will not have their eligibility checked.

• (iv) Test results will only be notified to candidates at the end of the competition (see point 4.3.4(d)), irrespective of the step of the competition the candidate reached.

(b)   Scoring of the reasoning tests and of the field-related MCQ test

• (i) The reasoning tests will be scored first. This will be done only for candidates who completed all the required tests (see Section 4.3.2).

• (ii) Candidates who obtained at least the required pass scores in the reasoning tests will then have the field-related MCQ test scored.

• (iii) Candidates who obtained at least the required pass score in the field-related MCQ test will be ranked in the descending order of their scores. This ranking will be used to determine the candidates who will have the EUFTE script scored and eligibility checked (see point 4.3.3(c)).

(c)   Scoring of the EUFTE scripts and eligibility check

• (i) Scoring of the EUFTE scripts and eligibility check (the latter conducted in accordance with point (ii) below) will be carried out in parallel for a limited number of candidates taken in the descending order of the ranking referred to in point 4.3.3(b)(iii). This number will in principle not exceed 1,5 times the number of successful candidates sought. However, it may be increased by the Selection Board in view of the number of candidates with equal scores.

• (ii) The eligibility check involves verifying compliance with the eligibility conditions set out in Section 3 ‘Am I eligible?’. The Selection Board will take the decision on a candidate’s eligibility by examining the declarations made in the application form and verifying them against the documents duly provided by the candidates in accordance with Section 2.4, points (1)-(3) of the General rules to support those declarations.

• (iii) Should a candidate not be amongst those who scored the highest as defined in point (i) above, their participation in the competition will come to an end. Such candidates will not have their EUFTE scripts processed and will not have their eligibility checked.

4.3.4.   Establishment of the reserve lists

• (a) After the procedures referred to in point 4.3.3(c) have been completed, the Selection Board will include in the relevant reserve lists the names of the candidates who (i) have obtained at least all the required pass scores and one of the highest scores in the field-related MCQ test from amongst the candidates referred to in point 4.3.3(c)(i); and (ii) were found to be eligible. This will be performed in the descending order of the ranking referred to in point 4.3.3(b)(iii) until the number of successful candidates sought is reached or until the pool of candidates meeting the criteria mentioned in this point is depleted.

• (b) All candidates who tie for the last available place in a reserve list will be added to that reserve list.

• (c) Names in the reserve lists will be listed alphabetically. The reserve lists will be made available to the recruiting services.

• (d) The candidates will be notified of their results (test results and eligibility-check results) unless their test answers and/or scripts have not been processed and/or eligibility has not been checked for the reasons indicated in this notice.

• (e) Inclusion on a reserve list does not confer any right to or guarantee of recruitment.

5.   EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

• (a) EPSO endeavours to apply an equal opportunities policy to all candidates.

• (b) Candidates who have a disability or a medical condition that may affect their ability to take the tests, should indicate this in their application form and follow the procedure to request reasonable accommodations as described on the EPSO website (5). Having examined the candidates’ request as well as the relevant supporting documents, EPSO may grant reasonable accommodations where deemed necessary.

(1)  Regulation No 31 (EEC), 11 (EAEC), laying down the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ 45, 14.6.1962, p. 1385/62). Consolidated text (unofficial) can be found here: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/1962/31(1)/2026-01-01.

(2)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/documents/common-european-framework-reference-languages.

(3)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/open-competition-permanent-staff.

(4)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/assistants-ast-1-ast-9.

(5)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/how-request-specific-adjustments-selection-tests.

ANNEX I

GENERAL RULES

1.   Basic provisions

• (1) The provisions of these general rules apply unless the notice of competition states otherwise.
• (2) A candidate may apply to the same competition only once.
• Candidates receive time-sensitive information in their candidate accounts. They should check their candidate account at least every 3 calendar days to keep track of their progress during the competition and to avoid missing a deadline.

  (3) If a candidate cannot check their candidate account due to a technical problem on the part of EPSO, they must notify EPSO immediately via the online contact form  (1).

• (4) Candidates must ensure that their candidate account in the Single Candidate Portal (2) is linked to an EU Login created with an email address that remains valid at all times until the publication of the reserve list, so that EPSO can reach them via their candidate account throughout the whole competition process. Failing that, EPSO cannot be held responsible for any consequences of non-compliance with this requirement and further instructions, including possible loss of access to their candidate account and to competition-related communication, in particular if using a candidate account linked to an EU Login created with a professional address which may be de-activated for various reasons (end of contract, change of assignment, etc.).
• (5) Where several candidates tie for the last available place at any phase of the competition, they will all go on to the next phase of the competition. Where several candidates tie for the last available place on a reserve list, they will all be included on that reserve list.
• (6) Any candidates readmitted following a successful request, complaint, or appeal will either (a) re-enter the competition at the phase from which they had been excluded; or (b) be added to the reserve list, as applicable.
• (7) When EPSO addresses a candidate via the candidate account or by email, it will do so in one of the languages that the candidate has declared to have knowledge of at level B2 or higher (3) in the ‘Reading’ field of the ‘Languages’ section in the application form (see also Section 2.1 of these general rules).
• (8) Candidates can contact EPSO via the online contact form available on the EPSO website (4). Before contacting EPSO, candidates are invited to consult the ‘frequently asked questions’ section on the EPSO website (5).
• (9) EPSO reserves the right to cease any improper (i.e. repetitive, abusive and/or irrelevant) correspondence.

2.   Education (6), experience (7), supporting documents

2.1.   ‘My CV’ section of the candidate account

Before applying for a competition, candidates must complete ‘My CV’ section of their candidate account. When applying for a specific competition, a candidate does not need to re-enter the information from ‘My CV’ into the application form. A snapshot of data from ‘My CV’ section will be automatically attached to their application form at the moment the candidate submits their application. It is the candidates’ responsibility to ensure that ‘My CV’ is up to date at that moment.

2.2.   Education

• (1) Degrees, diplomas and/or certificates, whether issued in Member States or non-EU countries, must be recognised by a competent authority of a Member State.
• (2) The differences between national education systems, in particular the differences between the titles given to degrees, diplomas and certificates, will be taken into account when assessing whether candidates have the qualifications required by the notice of competition.

2.3.   Professional experience

• (1) To be taken into account, professional experience must meet the following general conditions:

  • (a) it must be acquired after obtaining the required minimum educational qualification indicated in the notice of competition;

  • (b) it must constitute genuine and effective work;

  • (c) it has to be remunerated;

  • (d) it must involve a professional relationship, i.e. being part of an organisational structure or supplying a service;

  • (e) it must comply with the relevance criteria defined in the notice of competition. If only a part of the tasks carried out during a given period of professional experience can be considered relevant, the following rules will apply:

    • (i) if more than 75 % of tasks are relevant, the whole period of professional experience will be considered relevant;

    • (ii) if more than 50 % but less than or equal to 75 % of tasks are relevant, the given period of professional experience will be counted at the rate of 75 %;

    • (iii) if 25-50 % of tasks are relevant, the given period of professional experience will be counted at the rate of 50 %;

    • (iv) if less than 25 % of tasks are relevant, the given period of professional experience will not be taken into account.

• (2) Professional experience, as listed below, will also be considered in the light of specific rules, including certain exemptions from the requirements referred to in paragraph (1) above:

  • (a) in the case of voluntary work, ‘remuneration’ is to be understood as any financial contribution received, including cost reimbursement and insurance coverage. Furthermore, voluntary work must involve weekly hours and have a duration similar to a regular job;

  • (b) in the case of traineeships, ‘remuneration’ is to be understood as any financial contribution received, including cost reimbursement and insurance coverage. A compulsory traineeship which is part of a studies programme, may be taken into account provided that (i) the traineeship is undertaken after achieving the minimum educational qualification indicated in the notice of competition; and (ii) the traineeship is remunerated;

  • (c) a compulsory traineeship which is part of a programme leading to, or which is a precondition for, registration with a professional association in order to obtain a right to practise a profession (for example, admission to the lawyers’ bar association) may be taken into account irrespective of whether the work was remunerated. However, where the work was not remunerated, the traineeship period may only be considered provided that the programme was successfully completed and the right to practise obtained. In all cases, only the minimum compulsory duration will be taken into account;

  • (d) compulsory military service that occurred before or after obtaining the required minimum educational qualification indicated in the notice of competition will be taken into account, even where it does not meet the relevance criteria defined in the notice of competition, but only for a period not exceeding the obligatory duration in the relevant Member State;

  • (e) maternity, paternity, adoption, or parental leave may be taken into account if covered by an employment contract;

  • (f) in the case of doctorate studies, the period taken into account shall not exceed 3 years, provided that the doctorate was obtained, and irrespective of whether the work was remunerated;

  • (g) the period taken into account in cases of part-time work shall be calculated pro rata, e.g. half-time work for 6 months will count as 3 months.

2.4.   Supporting documents

• (1) Candidates will have to upload – to their candidate account – copies of the documents supporting the declarations made in their application form (see also Section 2.1 of these general rules). They will have to do so by the date established in the notice of competition or – if no date is set by the notice – by the date indicated by EPSO.
• (2) Failure to provide supporting document(s) by the date mentioned above may result in a candidate being considered ineligible or in their specific educational qualifications or experience not being taken into account.
• (3) At any phase of the procedure, candidates may be requested to provide additional information or documents.
• (4) Among other documents, candidates will have to upload a copy of their identity card or passport which must be valid on the closing date for the applications. When requested, candidates will have to present an original of their identity card or a passport.
• (5) As a proof of their educational qualifications, candidates will have to provide:

  • (a) a copy of their diploma(s) and/or certificate(s) attesting to educational qualifications giving access to the competition (see section ‘Am I eligible’ in the notice of competition). In the absence of an official diploma, a statement of award or an equivalent document confirming the successful completion of the programme and the conferral of a title, degree, or diploma will be accepted as sufficient evidence;

  • (b) in cases of diplomas/certificates issued in a non-EU country, a statement of equivalency issued by a competent authority of a Member State;

  • (c) a letter, certificate, or equivalent evidence from the educational institution attesting to the standard duration of the completed study programme. This evidence must indicate the number of years required to complete the programme, as referred to in the specific point of the notice of competition on which the candidate relies to establish their eligibility for the competition.

• (6) All periods of professional activity must be covered by originals or certified copies of the following documents:

  • (a) documents from former and/or current employer(s): employment contract(s) indicating the start and end dates of employment and/or first and last pay slips. These documents should indicate the nature, level, as well as a detailed description of duties performed, and they should bear an official header and stamp of the employer, and the name and signature of the person in charge;

  • (b) for non-salaried work, e.g. self-employed/liberal professions: invoices or order forms detailing the work performed or any other relevant official supporting documents specifying the nature and period of the duties performed or services rendered;

  • (c) for freelance translators: documents attesting the time periods worked and the number of pages translated;

  • (d) for freelance interpreters: documents attesting the number of days worked, and the languages interpreted from and into.

3.   The role of the Selection Board

• (1) The Selection Board of the competition decides on the difficulty of the competition tests and approves their content, assesses the candidates’ compliance with the specific eligibility conditions, compares candidates’ merits, and selects the best candidates in the light of the requirements set out in the notice of competition.
• (2) The proceedings of the Selection Board are secret.
• (3) The work of the Selection Board is facilitated by EPSO.

4.   Conflict of interest

• (1) The names of the Board members are published on the EPSO website (8).
• (2) Candidates, Selection Board members, and EPSO staff members facilitating the organisation of a specific competition are required to declare any conflict of interest that might arise, in particular, in cases of a family or direct working relationship. A situation that might constitute a conflict of interest must be declared to EPSO as soon as the person concerned becomes aware of it. EPSO will evaluate each case individually and take appropriate measures.
• (3) To ensure the Selection Board’s independence, except in expressly authorised cases, it is strictly forbidden for candidates or anyone outside the Board to attempt to contact any of its members on any matter related to the competition or the Board’s proceedings.
• (4) Candidates who wish to state their case to the Selection Board must do so in writing, submitting this correspondence via their candidate account.
• (5) A breach of any of the rules mentioned above could result in disciplinary action against a Selection Board member or EPSO staff member and/or in disqualification of a candidate from the competition (see Section 6).

5.   Testing

• (1) EPSO will inform candidates on the testing modalities as well as any necessary details and instructions at the latest when inviting the candidates to the tests.
• (2) If and when instructed, candidates must book a test appointment following the instructions received from EPSO. The booking and testing periods are limited.
• (3) Candidates must complete all the necessary steps referred to in the instructions issued prior to the tests, such as installing software, performing the required synchronisation(s), undergoing a connectivity trial, technical prerequisites’ test, or a systems’ check and/or taking a mock test. Compliance with instructions will allow to check the readiness of the candidate’s IT environment and the compatibility of the candidate’s device with the testing platform or application. Failure to complete the mandatory steps may prevent the candidate from taking the tests and will impede the ability of the test delivery provider to address effectively any technical issues encountered by the candidate during testing.
• (4) In cases where candidates fail to book, sit or complete one or more of the tests, it will be considered that their participation in the competition has come to an end, unless the candidates can prove that the failure to book, sit or complete a test was due to circumstances beyond the candidates’ control or due to a situation of force majeure. They should contact EPSO as soon as possible, preferably before the test, and must provide the necessary justification, including, where applicable, proof that they contacted the technical support services.
• (5) Failure to comply with the terms and conditions applicable in relation to testing, specified in the instructions and information made available to candidates, will not be considered as a circumstance beyond the candidates’ control or a situation of force majeure.
• (6) Candidates are also invited to consult EPSO’s website (9) to become more familiar with EPSO’s selection procedures, including general requirements applicable to testing.

6.   Disqualification from the competition

• (1) Candidates may be disqualified at any stage of the competition on the following grounds:

  • (a) applying more than once to the same competition;

  • (b) making false declarations or declarations unsupported by the appropriate documents;

  • (c) failing to comply with testing instructions, where such instructions state that non-compliance may result in disqualification;

  • (d) cheating during the tests, recording online tests or attempting to manipulate the fair conduct of tests, or compromising the integrity of the competition process in any other way;

  • (e) contacting or attempting to contact a member of the Selection Board in an unauthorised manner;

  • (f) failing to inform EPSO of a potential conflict of interest with a Selection Board member or with an EPSO staff member;

  • (g) signing or making a distinctive mark on written or practical tests despite being instructed otherwise.

• (2) Candidates for recruitment by the EU institutions are expected to act with the highest possible integrity, in accordance with Article 27, first paragraph, and Article 28(c) of the Staff Regulations. In case of fraud or attempted fraud, EPSO may decide to declare a candidate ineligible for future competitions for a limited period of time.

7.   Concerns and remedies

7.1.   Technical and organisational issues

• (1) If at any phase of the selection procedure candidates encounter a serious technical or organisational problem, they should inform EPSO via their candidate account.
• (2) For issues with the candidate account or the application form, candidates must contact EPSO immediately and in any case before the deadline for applications.
• If the problem occurs during testing, a candidate must do both of the following:

  • (a) report the issue immediately strictly following instructions outlined in the letter(s) inviting candidates to test(s);

  (3) and

  • (b) within 3 calendar days, counting from (and including) the day following the day on which a candidate took the test, contact EPSO via their candidate account, giving a detailed description of the problem. The candidate should also attach the proof of attempt(s) to resolve the issue. This documentary proof is necessary to enable EPSO to make inquiries into the situation. The invitation letters to tests may specify further requirements and instructions related to reporting of issues encountered during testing.

    The obligation to inform EPSO applies in all cases, even where the test delivery provider followed up on the candidate’s complaint.

• (4) Complaints received after the deadline specified in this point will be considered inadmissible.
• (5) Complaints about technical issues, submitted by candidates who failed to undertake the steps referred to in Section 5(3) will be considered inadmissible unless the candidate can prove that the failure to complete the necessary steps was due to circumstances beyond the candidates’ control or due to a situation of force majeure.
• (6) Claims made in the context of complaints referred to in Sections 7.2.2 and 7.3.1 and based on alleged technical and/or organisational issues that had not been reported in accordance with Section 7.1 read together with Section 5, will be considered inadmissible.

7.2.   Internal review procedures

7.2.1.   Complaints about MCQ test questions

• (1) Candidates who consider that they have justifiable reasons to believe that an error in one or more of the questions in the multiple-choice-question (MCQ) test affected their ability to answer, may ask for the question(s) concerned to be reviewed.
• (2) The Selection Board may decide to ‘neutralise’ the question(s) containing the error: cancel the question(s) concerned and redistribute the points initially allocated to that/those question(s) among the remaining questions of the test. Only those candidates who received the question(s) concerned will be affected by the recalculation. The scoring of the tests remains as indicated in the relevant sections of the notice of competition.
• (3) To introduce a complaint about MCQ test question(s), a candidate should:

  • (a) contact EPSO via their candidate account within 3 calendar days counting from (and including) the day following the day on which a candidate took the test;

  • (b) describe the question(s) concerned as accurately as possible; and

  • (c) explain the nature of the alleged error(s).

• (4) Complaints submitted after the deadline or complaints which do not clearly describe the contested question(s) and/or alleged error(s) will not be taken into account. In particular, complaints merely pointing out alleged issues of translation, without specifying the problem, will not be taken into account.
• (5) Claims made in the context of complaints referred to in Section 7.3.1 and based on alleged issues in MCQ test questions that had not been reported in accordance with Section 7.2.1, will be rejected.

7.2.2.   Requests for review

• (1) Candidates can request a review of a decision taken by the Selection Board, which establishes their results, determines whether they can proceed to the next phase of the competition, or affects their legal status as a candidate in another way.
• (2) The purpose of the review procedure is to allow the Selection Board to amend the contested decision in cases where there is a reason to do so (such as a mistake in the assessment). In the review procedure, the Selection Board will review its assessment of the candidate’s merits and will either confirm its initial conclusions or provide a revised assessment.
• (3) The Selection Board will not reply to any legal arguments, whether related to the contested assessment or not. Any arguments of a legal nature and claims related to the legal framework of the competition may be put forward in the form of an administrative complaint (see Section 7.3.1).
• (4) The simple fact that candidates may disagree with the evaluation by the Selection Board of their performance in a test or of their educational qualifications and/or experience, does not mean that the Selection Board made an error of assessment. The Selection Board enjoys a wide margin of discretion in making value judgements about candidates’ performance, educational qualifications, and experience.
• (5) No request for review is possible in relation to MCQ test results.
• (6) To introduce a request for review, a candidate must:

  • (a) contact EPSO via their candidate account within 5 calendar days counting from (and including) the day following the publication of the contested decision in the candidate account;

  • (b) indicate clearly the decision which the candidate wishes to contest and the grounds for contesting it.

• (7) Candidates will receive an automatic acknowledgment that their request has been received. The Selection Board will examine the request for review and will inform the candidate of its decision as soon as possible.
• (8) Requests for review received after the deadline indicated in point (6)(a) above will be considered inadmissible and will not be examined, except where the candidates can prove a situation of force majeure.

7.3.   Other forms of review

7.3.1.   Administrative complaints under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations

• (1) Candidates may lodge an administrative complaint against a measure (a decision or an absence of it) if:

  • (a) they consider that the rules governing the competition procedures have been infringed; and

  • (b) the contested measure adversely affects the candidate concerned, i.e. directly and immediately affects their legal status as a candidate (i.e. establishes their results, determines whether they can proceed to the next phase of the competition, or affects their legal status as a candidate in another way).

• (2) The complaint can be made against the absence of a decision in those cases where there is an obligation to take a decision within a deadline specified in the Staff Regulations.
• (3) Candidates who have submitted a request for review (see Section 7.2.2) must wait until they are notified of the reply to that request before they decide whether to introduce an administrative complaint. In such cases, the deadline for introducing an administrative complaint starts running from the date of notification of the decision of the Selection Board on the request for review.
• (4) Administrative complaints are examined by the Director of EPSO acting as the appointing authority under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations.
• (5) The purpose of the administrative complaints’ procedure is to verify if the legal framework of the competition has been respected. The candidates should note that the Director of EPSO cannot overturn a value judgement made by a Selection Board and has no legal powers to change the substance of a Selection Board’s decision. If the Director of EPSO finds a procedural mistake or a manifest error of assessment, the case will be referred back to the Selection Board for reassessment.
• (6) To introduce an administrative complaint, a candidate should:

  • (a) contact EPSO via their candidate account within the deadline set in Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations, i.e. 3 months counting from (i) the date of notification of the contested decision; or (ii) the date on which such a decision should have been taken;

    and

  • (b) indicate the decision or the absence of a decision, which the candidate wishes to contest and the grounds for contesting it.

• (7) Administrative complaints received after the deadline set in Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations will be considered inadmissible.

7.3.2.   Judicial appeals

• (1) Candidates have a right to submit a judicial appeal to the General Court, under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations.
• (2) Judicial appeals against decisions taken by EPSO (rather than by the Selection Board) will not be admissible before the General Court unless a candidate has duly availed themselves of the remedy of an administrative complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations (see Section 7.3.1 above).
• (3) All the information on judicial appeals can be found on the website of the General Court (10).

7.3.3.   Complaints to the European Ombudsman

• (1) All EU citizens and residents can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman about instances of maladministration.
• (2) Before submitting a complaint to the Ombudsman, candidates must first have exhausted the internal remedies provided by EPSO (see Sections 7.1 and 7.2 above).
• (3) Complaints made to the Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the deadlines laid down for lodging requests, complaints, or judicial appeals referred to in these rules.
• (4) All the information on complaints to the Ombudsman can be found on the dedicated website (11).

(1)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/contact-us.

(2)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/single-candidate-portal-new-online-portal-your-applications.

(3)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/documents/common-european-framework-reference-languages.

(4)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/contact-us.

(5)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en/epso-faqs-by-category.

(6)  For the purposes of this competition, the expressions ‘education’ and ‘educational qualifications’ are used interchangeably.

(7)  For the purposes of this competition, the expressions ‘experience’, ‘professional experience’, and ‘work experience’ are used interchangeably.

(8)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en.

(9)   https://selection.eu-careers.europa.eu/en.

(10)   https://curia.europa.eu/site/jcms/.

(11)   https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/home.

ANNEX II

TYPICAL DUTIES

The duties outlined below largely reflect those typically associated with roles in a particular field covered by this competition. The successful candidates may be assigned any of the duties listed below, either individually or in combination, depending on the needs of the service. Similar or related duties may be assigned if required by the needs of the service.

Field 1 – Data processing, analytics and statistics

• 1. Identify, collect, and prepare data from multiple sources (administrative, surveys, geospatial, digital/web and other large structured and unstructured datasets, both publicly or privately held), assessing their relevance and quality; set up and maintain data collection and statistical production systems.
• 2. Assist in setting up and supporting data and metadata exchanges (e.g. with Member States, other entities and stakeholders): format checks, validation rules, compliance with agreed standards and international best practices.
• 3. Clean, transform and integrate datasets (harmonisation, coding, deduplication, missing values, outlier checks), applying or developing relevant methods, tools and procedures, ensuring traceability of relevant steps.
• 4. Set up, process, and maintain metadata and documentation (data dictionaries, provenance/lineage, processing logs) to ensure reproducibility and transparency.
• 5. Define, apply and monitor quality controls on the data inputs (data validation) and communicate their results to data providers (where relevant); help resolve data issues.
• 6. Produce and validate data, including statistical outputs: dashboards, micro data, tables, indicators, time series, etc.; perform plausibility checks and evaluate their results.
• 7. Perform exploratory analysis and/or standard statistical analysis, or support geospatial data analysis.
• 8. Prepare datasets, compute risk indicators, support sampling, and keep a traceable trail of steps and outputs.
• 9. Create and maintain visualisations, infographics, interactive dashboards, as well as maps.
• 10. Contribute to data and statistical outputs, reports, briefings, and corporate documents, including methodological notes.
• 11. Communicate quality of disseminated/published data (e.g. through statistical metadata and quality reports).
• 12. Apply data protection and confidentiality/disclosure-control rules and implement safeguards related to cybersecurity.
• 13. Contribute to data analytics (including statistical) projects by developing and maintaining scripts and queries (in Python, R, SQL, etc.), including the automation of processes; document work and apply basic testing/version control.
• 14. Support the use of data science and machine learning techniques including basic quality and interpretability checks for classification, anomaly detection, text mining, etc.
• 15. Support implementation of new technologies, including AI, in the process of data collection, production and dissemination, in line with the relevant guidance.
• 16. Support the use of generative AI tools for data and analytics tasks through effective prompting and prompt refinement.
• 17. Support expert groups by providing data-analytics and statistics-related contributions.

Field 2 – Librarianship and information science

• 1. Carry out acquisitions, including selection and withdrawal, ordering, receipt, and invoicing in compliance with procurement and financial regulations.
• 2. Catalogue, classify, and maintain electronic and physical information resources by applying metadata and classification standards for consistent description, authority control, and subject access.
• 3. Assist staff and external users in locating information by carrying out bibliographic searches and supporting the use of library and information tools and services.
• 4. Maintain the library management system (Library Services Platform) and other software, including configuration, system settings, workflows, updates, and implementing interoperability solutions.
• 5. Provide lending services, including interlibrary loans, and ensure access to library and information resources in accordance with applicable rules and procedures.
• 6. Manage library collections and information resources according to user needs and institutional priorities, in compliance with the library’s collection development policy.
• 7. Promote library services and information resources to enhance user awareness and engagement, including establishing contacts with users, customer support, and training sessions.
• 8. Support research processes through literature reviews and searches and provide bibliographies and subject guides.
• 9. Answer reference requests and general requests for information, analyse information requests for redistribution to specialist staff.
• 10. Manage electronic resources, ensuring secure access and integration with library systems and access management tools. Negotiate licenses and ensure compliance with the applicable copyright provisions.
• 11. Support innovation in library and information services by exploring/implementing emerging technologies.
• 12. Contribute to the construction and maintenance of controlled vocabularies and authority tables, including thesauri, classification schemes and ontologies.

Field 3 – Records and archives management

Typical duties in this field include the following activities, carried out in line with relevant international standards as well as internal rules and procedures and under the supervision of the responsible administrators:

• 1. Participate in the development, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of policies for records and/or archives management.

• 2. Create and maintain records and/or archives controls, such as classification schemes, metadata schemes, and disposition authorities.

• 3. Manage records and/or archives at each stage of their lifecycle using relevant systems, including implementing digital curation and preservation techniques.

• 4. Provide support in evaluating business processes to determine which records should be created and captured and how long they need to be retained.

• 5. Provide support in defining the technical requirements for IT systems for managing records and/or archives, and contribute to their further improvements, testing, rollouts and/or migrations.

• 6. Perform descriptions of archives selected for permanent preservation, including producing inventories, search aids, and guides.

• 7. Contribute to ensuring security of records in all media through risk management of storage environments and business continuity planning, in cooperation with relevant services.

• 8. Manage and monitor access controls, confidentiality markings, and security requirements for records and/or archives, in cooperation with the relevant services.

• 9. Process requests for information from internal and external sources and assist requesters both online and onsite.

• 10. Provide assistance and guidance to staff on records and/or archives management.

• 11. Support knowledge building and development of training materials on policies and IT tools for records and/or archives management.

• 12. Contribute to outreach and advocacy initiatives promoting records and/or archives management.

ANNEX III

EXAMPLES OF MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

(Examples of minimum qualifications per Member State and the United Kingdom (1) and per grade corresponding, in principle, to those required by the notices of competition)

Please click here for an easy-to-read version of these examples

(1)  Applies to qualifications awarded by 31 December 2020.