VACANCY NOTICE - CONTRACT AGENT

| Job title | Legal Officer |
| Reference | EC-2026-DEFIS-525757 |
| Application deadline | 10.11.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time) |
| Directorate-General (full name) | Defence Industry and Space |
| Unit | DEFIS.A.1 |
| Place of assignment | Brussels |
| Domain* | Defence |
| Contract type and

Function Group | Contract Agent 3b - FG IV |
| Other useful information (contract duration, other ...) | |
| About us |
| # The Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) is the European Commission's department tasked with strengthening the competitiveness and innovation of the European Defence industry by ensuring the evolution of an able European defence technological and industrial base. The mission of Directorate A “Defence Policy” (composed of 3 Units) is:

- To impulse and coordinate development and delivery of comprehensive EU defence policy agenda across innovation, military mobility, hybrid threats and single market integration.

- To drive forward the defence policy agenda through the promotion of the sustainable competitiveness of the EU Defence industrial and technological base, including through achieving better coordination of capability development, strengthening crisis response, and supporting cross-border defence cooperation overall.

- To create enabling conditions for market integration and innovation while ensuring coherence in the policy agenda regarding defence industrial programmes.

DEFIS.A.1 - Industry Policy & Innovation - The mission of DEFIS A1 is to:

- Develop and coordinate EU defence policy, regulatory and innovation initiatives, while ensuring strategic coordination with the European Defence Agency;

- Shape industrial policy and drive defence innovation to accelerate the emergence of an innovative defence ecosystem (EU Defence Innovation Scheme, AGILE, Defence Transformation Roadmap). |

| About the role |
| Unit DEFIS.A.1 of Directorate-General Defence Industry and Space is seeking to hire a Legal Officer.

Your task will be to provide legal support for the development, negotiation and / or implementation of policy initiatives and legislation in the area of EU defence industry and contribute to the implementation of defence innovation actions (EUDIS. AGILE)

  • Provide legal advice on the implementation of current and future programmes and / or projects in the area of defence industry and innovation, including contract preparation and contract management.
  • Provide legal analysis and follow up legislative proposals through the inter-institutional decision-making process, including adoption by the Commission, European Parliament and / or the Council of the European Union.
  • Analyse and / or assess relevant data and information in order to develop, support, implement and / or monitor policymaking, European strategies, negotiations and / or management and planning decisions.
  • Prepare, run, carry out and / or manage studies, open and internal consultations, extended ex-ante impact assessments and / or inter-active policy-making instruments aimed at the preparation of new EU policies and / or amendments thereof.
  • Analyse results of stakeholder consultations and integrate them into EU policies.
  • Draft and update comprehensive analysis reports, annual reports, synthesis reports and / or briefings.
  • Reply to inter-service consultations, EP questions and / or citizens queries on topics relevant to the activities of the Unit.
  • Maintain regular contacts and exchanges with other Commission services, European Institutions, Member States, public and / or private international organisations, research institutions, industry and the academic community in the assigned policy area.
  • Organise, participate in meetings with stakeholders, including European Institutions, industries and / or other (international) organisations. | | Qualifications, experience and skills | | Essential requirements:

Education:

A recognised university degree (or equivalent) in law.

Professional experience:

At least 2 years of professional job-related experience, at national and/or international level.

Experience in designing and/or implementing policy or legislative instruments in support of industrial competitiveness.

Knowledge of the European defence sector.

Experience in defence / defence-related programmes would be considered a plus.

Technical knowledge:

A sound knowledge of the EU law, financial and budgetary rules of the Commission will be considered a plus.

Key competences:

Legal drafting skills.

Ability to conceptualise complex legal/policy challenges, structure information, and propose pragmatic solutions.

Strong resilience and ability to deal with complex and sensitive policy files.

Communication and drafting:

Excellent written and oral communication skills, including ability to draft clear, concise legal/policy documents, briefings, and speeches for high-level audiences.

Capacity to explain technical or specialised information to diverse stakeholders (e.g., Member States, industry, citizens).

Delivery and results orientation:

Proactive and autonomous work style with a strong eye for detail and accuracy.

Ability to prioritise tasks, manage deadlines, and deliver structured outputs in a dynamic environment.

Collaboration and adaptability:

Team player with proven ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary and multicultural settings.

Flexibility to adapt to evolving priorities and new demands.

Coordination of complex files will be considered an advantage.

Languages:

Oral fluency and advanced legal text drafting in English are essential (level C1).

Working knowledge of French (level B2) is required.

Personal qualities:

Commitment to EU values.

Diplomacy and tact in managing politically sensitive files.

Initiative and creativity in developing forward-looking policy solutions. |
| How to express your interest? |
| You should send your documents in one single pdf in the following order:

  1. Your CV 2. Completed application form

Please send these documents by the publication deadline to DEFIS-A1@ec.europa.eu indicating the selection reference EC-2026-DEFIS-525757 |
| Eligibility, recruitment steps, contract and working conditions |
| Please consult the pdf document at the end of this page |

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.