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To promote diversity and establish a geographically balanced pool of candidates, we strongly encourage applicants from Member States which are currently underrepresented in the European Commission workforce to apply. These Member States are currently Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden¹. Recruitment will however remain strictly based on the merits of all applicants and no positions will be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.
For more information ec.europa.eu/work-with-us
STAFF RECRUITED ON CONTRACTS
In addition to permanent officials, the European Commission offers non-permanent positions. There are two categories of non-permanent staff:
- temporary agents are recruited to fill vacant positions for a set amount of time or to perform highly specialised tasks.
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For more information on different staff categories
¹ Please note that the list of underrepresented Member States may be subject to future amendment based on potential data changes over time.
Policy Officer
Secretariat-General of the European Commission
Selection reference: SG/COM/2026/1972
Domain*: External Relations
Where: Unit SG G.2 – „SG.G.2 – G7/G20, Global Issues and Partnerships“, Brussels
Staff category and Function Group: Temporary agent 2b – Administrator
Grade range: AD5-7
Publication deadline: 05.11.2026 – 12.00 (Brussels time)
WE ARE
SG.G.2 ‘G7/G20, global issues and international partnerships’ is a dynamic unit (of around 15 colleagues currently) at the very interface between political decision-making and operational reality in a fast-moving international environment. It contributes to making “geopolitical Europe” a reality. We ensure coordination on strategic external policy issues, including but not limited to the G7 and G20 processes, as well as bilateral relations with 3$^{rd}$ country partners in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America. We are involved in policy development and liaise closely with Cabinets and services dealing with international relations including foreign policy (EEAS, FPI), international partnerships (INTPA), the Southern Neighbourhood (MENA) as well as humanitarian aid policy (ECHO). We work on the next MFF external instrument(s) and follow closely the implementation of the Global Gateway Strategy; the team is also in charge of coordinating FAC development.
We provide comprehensive support to the President of the Commission, including contacts with international partners and participation in international fora.
Key working languages are English and French.
WE PROPOSE
The Unit SG G.2 is seeking to hire a Policy Officer in the area of external relations, dealing with, India, South-East Asian countries, as well as Central Asian countries.
The successful candidate would work closely with colleagues from EEAS and Commission services. S/ he would advise the hierarchy of the Secretariat General and the Cabinet of the President on the files falling under her/ his responsibility and in particular take the lead in coordination of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Secretariat-General. This will require drawing on contributions from different Commission services and the capacity to place the issue(s) at stake into a broader context, and to convert complex technical questions into clear and concise political messages to advise the SG hierarchy and the Cabinet of the President including on possible arbitration.
WE LOOK FOR
We are looking for a highly motivated colleague with 5 years proven experience in EU external relations and policy analysis, obtained by working in all EU institutions. A very good and practical understanding of the political, institutional and operational context of EU cooperation with third country partners in Asia is essential. Significant previous experience in EU-India relations is mandatory.
The ideal profile for the job is
- • Extensive experience in the preparation of EU external relations policy documents, such as notably Communications, action plans and strategies; proven drafting skills for briefings, policy papers, speeches, summaries, etc;
- • Practical experience in EU-third country Leaders' meeting / Summit preparation;
- • Capacity to contribute to policy analysis and strategies, in coordination with other services, EU institutions and relevant stakeholders, ensuring coherence with EU priorities;
- • Strong coordination and consultation skills, with proven experience in participating in inter-service and inter-institutional processes involving multiple Commission services, political actors and external actors;
- • Very good knowledge of EU Member States positions on external relations files, notably EU-Asia relations, and India in particular;
- • Excellent analytical, organisational and drafting skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities accurately and efficiently in a demanding and multicultural environment;
- • Strong communication, negotiation and representational skills, combined with sound judgement, initiative, resilience and the ability to address urgent and sensitive matters effectively;
- • Ability to deliver under pressure and willingness, in certain cases (especially in the run up to Summits), to deal with atypical working hours;
- • A proactive mentality, with the capacity to work autonomously;
- • Excellent drafting skills in English; good knowledge of French (level B2) would be a strong advantage.
HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?
You should send your documents in a single pdf in the following order:
- your CV
- completed application form.
Please send these documents by the publication deadline to SG-G-2-HR@ec.europa.eu indicating the selection reference SG/COM/2026/1972 in the subject.
No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline.
1. Selection
➤ Am I eligible to apply?
You must meet the following eligibility criteria when you validate your application:
Our rules provide that you can only be recruited as a temporary agent at the European Commission if you:
General criteria:
- Are a citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen
- Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service
- Are physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post
- Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.
Qualifications:
FOR AD jobs: In order to be recruited for this position, you must have at least a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma.
FOR AST and AST/SC jobs: In order to be recruited for this position, you must have at least
- a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or
- a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years.
Only qualifications issued or recognised as equivalent by EU Member State authorities (e.g. by the Ministry of Education) will be accepted. Furthermore, before recruitment, you will be required to provide the documents that corroborate the eligibility criteria (diplomas, certificates and other supporting documents).
Languages:
- have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the EU²
- AND a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of a second official language of the EU, to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.
² The official languages of the European Union are: BG (Bulgarian), CS (Czech), DA (Danish), DE (German), EL (Greek), EN (English), ES (Spanish), ET (Estonian), FI (Finnish), FR (French), GA (Irish), HR (Croatian), HU (Hungarian), IT (Italian), LT (Lithuanian), LV (Latvian), MT (Maltese), NL (Dutch), PL (Polish), PT (Portuguese), RO (Romanian), SK (Slovak), SL (Slovenian), SV (Swedish).
➤ What about the selection steps?
The post was published internally within the Commission, inter-institutionally, and brought to the attention of competition laureates.
In accordance with Article 29 of the Staff Regulations, applications from Commission officials, officials from other Institutions, and laureates of competitions have priority$^{3}$. If these candidates do not best fit the requirements for the position, the Commission can recruit a temporary agent.
For temporary agents under Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, the post is published directly on the EPSO website, without mandatory prior internal publication.
A selection panel will choose a limited number of candidates for interview, based on the CV and application form that they submitted. Due to the large volume of applications, we may receive, only candidates selected for the next step of the selection phase will be notified.
For operational reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in the interest of the candidates and of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in English and possibly in another language.
2. Recruitment
The candidate selected for recruitment will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements made in their application.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo a mandatory pre-recruitment medical check-up, carried out by the Commission. Candidates are required to undergo a security vetting that is conducted with the national administration of the Member State.
➤ Type of contract and working conditions
The place of employment will be Brussels.
In case the successful candidate is not an official or a competition laureate, they will be recruited as a temporary agent under Article 2(b) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, in function group AD.
➤ Grade
The recruitment grade, as well as the step in that grade, will be determined in accordance with Commission Decision C(2025)4716 on policies for the engagement and use of temporary agents and with Commission Decision C(2013)8970 laying down the criteria applicable to classification in step on engagement.
The recruitment grade will be calculated based on the qualifications and the number of years of professional experience, according to Art. 13 of the Commission Decision C(2025)4716. Higher grades may be granted exceptionally.
The duration of the 1$^{st}$ contract will be up to 4 years. The contract might then be extended only once for a maximum of 2 years and in the interest of service, in accordance with Commission Decision C(2025)4716 on policies for the engagement and use of temporary agents.
All new staff have to successfully complete a 9-month probationary period.
The pay of staff members consists of a basic salary supplemented with specific allowances, including, where applicable, expatriation and family allowances. The provisions guiding the calculation of these allowances can be consulted in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants. As a member of staff of the European institutions, your pay is subject to a tax raised by those institutions.
The European Commission applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations.
Should you need further information on working conditions, please refer to Working conditions and benefits of EU Careers.
For information related to Data Protection, please see the Specific Privacy Statement under “7. Information to data subjects on their rights”, to find your rights and how to exercise them in addition to the privacy statement, which summarises the processing of your data.