CALL FOR APPLICATIONS### Senior AI and Digital Services Officer#### (ELA/AD/2026/11)

The European Labour Authority

The European Labour Authority ('the Authority' or 'ELA') is a Union body in the area of cross-border labour mobility. Its aim is to facilitate access for individuals and employers to information on their rights and obligations; support cooperation between EU countries in the cross-border enforcement of relevant Union law, including by facilitating joint inspections; support Member States in tackling undeclared work; and mediate and facilitate a solution in cases of cross-border disputes between national authorities.

Further information on the Authority is available on its website: www.ela.europa.eu.

The job

The Authority is launching a call for applications to establish a reserve list of Temporary Agents for the position of Senior AI and Digital Services Officer.

1. Profile

Reporting to the Head of the Operations Department and/or Head of Sector, the Senior AI and Digital Services Officer will serve as the Department's lead business-side coordinator for operational digital tools and technology-enabled services, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence applications supporting labour mobility and social security coordination. The jobholder will work across operational Units and Sectors to identify common needs, strengthen coherence among existing tools, translate business requirements into clear priorities, and steer the development and improvement of user-centred digital solutions. As the principal operational counterpart to the Senior Digitalisation Support Officer, the jobholder will connect ELA's operational mandate, stakeholder needs and service ambitions with the technical expertise, governance and delivery capacity of the ICT and Digitalisation Support function. The role requires a strong understanding of digital technologies, including ICT, data, interoperability, and artificial intelligence, along with the ability to translate operational needs into viable AI use cases and

oversee their responsible development, validation, deployment, and continuous improvement. It also requires sound knowledge of EU labour mobility, ELA's operational activities and the needs of Member States and other stakeholders.

Tasks

The jobholder will play a central role in shaping a coherent portfolio of trusted, user-centred and interoperable AI-enabled applications that improve access to labour mobility and social security information, support cooperation between competent authorities and enhance the effectiveness of ELA's operational services.

The tasks of the Senior AI and Digital Services Officer will include, inter alia:

• • Coordinating, from the business side, the portfolio of operational digital tools and technology-enabled services across the Operations Department, promoting coherence, complementarity and reuse;
• • Establishing and maintaining an overview of existing and planned operational digital tools, their business purpose, users, ownership, dependencies and development needs;
• • Gathering, analysing and consolidating business needs from operational Units and Sectors, Member States and other relevant stakeholders, and translating them into structured business requirements, prioritised AI and digital use cases, functional specifications, user journeys and measurable expected outcomes;
• • Acting as the principal point of contact in the Operations Department for the CTO and the ICT and Digitalisation Support Sector, ensuring effective business-technical dialogue throughout the lifecycle of digital initiatives;
• • Supporting the prioritisation and portfolio governance of operational digital and AI initiatives, including the assessment of expected added value, feasibility, interoperability, data availability and quality, sustainability, cybersecurity, fundamental-rights implications, operational risks, resource requirements and long-term maintainability;
• • Advising the Head of Department and operational Units on opportunities to improve services and operational processes through appropriate use of digital technologies, data and artificial intelligence;
• • Monitoring relevant digital systems, services and initiatives developed by EU institutions, bodies and agencies, as well as developments in Member States, and identify opportunities for cooperation, interoperability, reuse and avoidance of duplication;
• • Promoting user-centred approaches by facilitating consultation, requirements validation, testing, feedback and adoption among operational users and external stakeholders;
• • Promoting the uptake and effective use of ELA operational digital solutions among Member States and other stakeholders, including by facilitating exchanges, identifying user needs, supporting engagement and encouraging the sharing of good practices;
• • Contributing to ELA's digital, ICT and AI strategies and planning from the operational business perspective, ensuring alignment with ELA's mandate, strategic priorities and operational needs;
• • Contributing to ELA's innovation governance from the operational business perspective, and support the development and coordination of pilots, proofs of concept and other innovation initiatives, including the definition of business objectives, success criteria and lessons learned;

• • Supporting coordination of pilots, proofs of concept and innovation initiatives, including the definition of business objectives, success criteria and lessons learned;

• Preparing briefings, analyses, roadmaps, decision notes and progress reports for management and relevant governance bodies, and represent the Department in internal and external coordination fora on operational digitalisation;

• Performing any other related tasks in the interest of the service.

Qualifications and experience required

2. Eligibility criteria

By the closing date for applications to this call for applications, candidates must fulfil the requirements below:

2.1. General conditions

• Be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or EFTA countries;
• enjoy their full rights as citizens¹;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service;
• meet the appropriate personal and professional requirements for the duties involved;
• be physically fit to perform their duties²;

2.2. Language skills

Candidates must have a thorough knowledge of one official language of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge³ (level B2) of another language of the Union⁴. As the predominant working language of ELA is English, candidates must have an excellent command of spoken and written English⁵.

2.3. Education

Candidates must have, at the closing date for applications, a level of education which corresponds to:

¹ Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a certificate of good conduct, confirming the absence of any criminal record.

² Before taking up his/her duties, the successful candidate will undergo a medical examination by one of the institutions' medical officers.

³ The self-assessment of the candidate should be done in accordance with the Common European Framework of reference for Languages (CEFR).

⁴ Candidates must also have a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties. The European Union has 24 official languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.

⁵ Please note that candidates whose mother tongue is English, as well as candidates whose mother tongue is not an official language of the European Union, will be required to demonstrate, at the assessment phase, their ability to work in a second official language of the European Union, as indicated in their application.

a) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three (3) years attested by a diploma⁶ and appropriate professional experience of at least one (1) year;
or
b) a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at four (4) years attested by a diploma.

Candidates must indicate in their applications the official graduation dates for all the diplomas they have obtained.

2.4. Professional Experience

Candidates must have, at the closing date for applications, professional experience of at least nine (9) years (acquired after the education referred to in Section 2.3 Education).

3. Selection criteria

Essential:

• At least five years of professional experience in ICT, digital transformation, business analysis, digital product/service management or related fields;
• Professional experience in driving digital solutions and initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.

Advantageous:

• Professional experience relevant to ELA's mandate and operational activities;
• Professional experience with data-driven, AI-enabled or emerging-technology solutions;
• Professional experience with project, programme or product management methodologies, including agile approaches;
• Professional experience in an EU institution, body or agency, national public administration, or an organisation working with Member State authorities.

Moreover, the following competencies may be assessed during the selection process:

• Good knowledge of current and emerging digital technologies relevant to public services, including a general understanding of data-driven and AI-enabled solutions and their potential application in an operational context;
• Excellent drafting, analytical, communication and stakeholder-management skills in English.
• Prioritising and self-management;
• Strategic thinking and business acumen;
• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

⁶ Only study titles that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration. In case of qualifications issued by authorities outside EU Member States, the proof of recognition of equivalence by the relevant EU Member State authorities must be specifically mentioned in the online application form under 'Additional information'.

The selection process

4. How to apply

You must apply through the EU CV Online system$^{78}$ via this link: https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/personnel_administration/open_applications/CV_Cand/index.cfm?fuseaction=premierAcces&langue=EN

Before applying, you should carefully check whether you meet all the eligibility criteria.

Applications must include a motivation letter and a CV, both submitted in English to be considered. Applications not submitted in English will be excluded from the selection procedure.

To be able to apply via EU CV Online, you must first create an account or sign in to an existing account. If not done already, you must first fill in the electronic CV. Once the CV is completed, you may choose and apply to the call for expressions of interest of your choice. You are advised to fill out ALL relevant fields of the application. For guidance, please refer to the guidelines for applications to candidates in ELA's website.

It is your responsibility to complete your online registration in time. We strongly advise you not to wait until the last few days before applying, since heavy internet traffic or a problem with the internet connection could lead to your online registration being interrupted before you complete it, thereby obliging you to repeat the whole process.

After a correct submission of an application, you will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt of your application to the email account indicated in your application and, you will receive on screen a registration number. If you do not receive a number, it means that your application has not been registered. Please note it is your responsibility to verify that you provided the correct e-mail address.

All technical questions concerning EU CV Online must be sent through the contact page of EU CV Online.

Once the deadline has passed, you will no longer be able to apply.

Deadline for applications: 27$^{th}$ November 2026, at 12:00 (midday, Bratislava time)

If you require more information, please send an e-mail to: recruitment@ela.europa.eu.

5. Steps of the selection procedure

5.1. Admission to the selection procedure

After the deadline for online registration, the selection committee will check the submitted applications against the eligibility criteria described in Section 2.

The selection committee will analyse if the application was submitted in English. Applications not submitted in English will be excluded from the selection procedure.

Applications satisfying all these conditions will then be initially assessed against the selection criteria under Section 3.

5.2. Initial assessment of the eligible applications

The selection committee will assess each eligible application with reference to the selection criteria (“Essential” and “Advantageous”) described in Section 3.

Upon completion of the assessment, the selection committee will establish a shortlist of candidates to be invited to the assessment phase.

Please note that once the pre-assessment phase is completed, shortlisted candidates will be invited to the assessment phase. The remaining candidates will be notified, by email, that their application will no longer be taken into consideration.

5.3. The assessment phase

Following the initial assessment of the applications, shortlisted candidates will be invited to the assessment phase, which will be held online. The assessment phase will be conducted in English.

Details of the date and time of the assessment will be communicated to the shortlisted candidates in due time.

The assessment phase involves an interview with the selection committee and one or more test(s) related to the field of this call for applications. This phase will enable the selection committee to carry out an assessment of the pre-selected candidates according to the selection criteria described in Section 3.

5.4. Verification of documents and scrutiny

If, at any stage in the procedure, it is established that the information in an application has been knowingly falsified or incorrect, the candidate will be disqualified from the selection process. Candidates will also be disqualified if they do not meet all the eligibility criteria.

Prior to the signature of the contract, the successful candidates must present the documents proving the eligibility criteria and of their experience.

5.5. Reserve list

The selection committee will place the most suitable eligible candidates on a draft reserve list. This draft will be submitted to the Executive Director of ELA for approval. The adopted reserve list will be valid until 31 December 2028. The validity of the reserve list may be extended by decision of the Executive Director of ELA. The information on valid reserve lists of ELA is published on ELA's website.

Prior to being offered a post, candidates on a reserve list may be required to undergo further evaluation by ELA (e.g. including a further interview with the Executive Director).

ELA is a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding on the sharing of reserve lists of suitable candidates among EU Agencies and Joint Undertakings. Accordingly, the reserve list established through this selection procedure may also be used by the participating EU Agencies and Joint Undertakings listed in the Annex to this call for applications notice.

Only the participating EU Agencies and Joint Undertakings listed in the Annex may use the reserve list established through this selection procedure. Candidates placed on the reserve list will be duly informed of any request to share their application documents, and their prior explicit consent will be obtained before any application documents are shared with another participating Agency or Joint Undertaking.

Candidates should note that the inclusion on the reserve list does not imply any entitlement to employment in ELA.

Other important information

6. General information

6.1. Equal opportunities

The Authority is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility criteria and interested in the position. ELA ensures that its recruitment procedures do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, colour, race, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, nationality, age, sexual orientation or gender identity.

ELA is committed to inclusion and accessibility. If you require any reasonable accommodation or adjustment to participate fully in the selection process, please contact recruitment@ela.europa.eu. We encourage you to let us know of any specific arrangements that may support your participation, so that ELA can help ensure an accessible and inclusive interview and testing process, and equal opportunities for all candidates.

6.2. Selection committee

A selection committee is appointed for each selection procedure. The selection committee is composed of at least three (3) members, including a member designated by the Staff Committee.

Please note that the selection committee's internal proceedings are strictly confidential and that any contact with its members is strictly forbidden. Under no circumstances should candidates

approach the selection committee, either directly or indirectly, concerning the selection procedure. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure.

6.3. Approximate timetable

The selection process may take some months to be completed. The selection committee intends to finalise the recruitment process for this call for applications by February 2026, with a view to the selected candidate taking office by May 2027.

Please note that once the pre-assessment phase is completed, shortlisted candidates will be invited to the assessment phase. The remaining candidates will be notified by email that their application will no longer be considered.

6.4. Engagement and Conditions of employment

The Authority's Executive Director, as the Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts of employment, will make the appointment decision based on the reserve list of the most suitable candidates.

Before engaging a temporary agent, the Executive Director will examine whether the candidate has any personal interest such as to impair his/her independence or any other conflict of interest. The candidate will inform the Executive Director, using a specific form of any actual or potential conflict of interest$^{9}$. If necessary, the Executive Director shall take any appropriate measures.

A contract as a temporary agent may be offered pursuant to Article 2(f) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS) for an initial period of 5 years, renewable once. After the second period, the contract may be renewed indefinitely. The jobholder will be subject to a 9-month probationary period.

6.5. Interagency mobility

Filling a post by means of mobility between EU agencies in the grade bracket AD7-AD8 is also possible, with a view to attracting temporary staff 2(f) that are currently employed at other EU agencies. ELA is following the procedure for interagency mobility and engagement as outlined in the European Labour Authority Decision of 03.12.2019 laying down general implementing provisions on the procedure governing the engagement and use of temporary staff under Article 2(f) of the CEOS.

6.6. Job environment

The place of employment is Bratislava, Slovakia. Residence within reasonable distance of ELA's office is required in accordance with the Staff Regulations (Article 20).

The jobholder will work in a multicultural, respectful and appreciative environment, which offers the possibility to shape the work of the authority, where collaboration and open and constructive dialogue is encouraged, while building effective work relations.

Working time is based on a 40-hour working week. ELA offers flexible working arrangements such as teleworking, part-time work, and flexible working hours.

6.7. Pay and welfare benefits

The successful candidate who is offered a contract of employment will, on their entry into service, be placed in step 1 or 2 of grade AD8, according to the length of their professional experience.

The staff member's remuneration consists of a basic salary and allowances. It is paid in euro adjusted by the applicable correction coefficient (in Slovakia the correction coefficient is currently 85,1% compared to Belgium).

The gross basic salary, after correction coefficient is applied, is as follows¹⁰:

In addition to the basic salary, staff may be entitled to various allowances depending on their particular situation. These may include:

• Household allowance (e.g. if you have a dependent child or you are married and your spouse's income is below a defined threshold);
• Dependent child allowance (e.g. if you have a child under the age of 18 or between 18 and 26, if in specified training programme);
• Education allowances (Pre-school or Education allowance) or Payment of the education fees applicable to selected educational institutions;
• Expatriation allowance or foreign residence allowance (16% of the sum of basic salary and other applicable allowances) or foreign residence allowance (4 %).

The salary is subject to a Community tax deducted at source and is exempt from national tax. The salary package includes contributions to the EU social security and pension schemes. Candidates are invited to familiarise themselves with the employment conditions as stated in the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union.

Under certain circumstances, in particular where the jobholder is obliged to change his/her place of residence in order to take up employment, the Agency may also reimburse some expenses incurred on recruitment, notably removal expenses.

Additional benefits:

• Annual leave entitlement of two days per calendar month plus additional days for age, grade, 2.5 days' home leave, if applicable, and in addition on average 18 public holidays per year;
• Special leave granted for certain circumstances: e.g. removal, marriage, birth of a child, etc.;
• Various training opportunities;
• Social measures;

¹⁰ Amounts are indicated for information purposes and may vary by the time the selected candidate takes up his/her duties following the annual revision of the remuneration.

• EU Pension scheme (granted after 10 years of service);
• EU Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS), accident and occupational disease coverage, unemployment and invalidity allowance and insurance.

6.8. Protection of personal data

Personal data shall be processed exclusively for the purpose of this selection procedure. The purpose of processing the data submitted by candidates is to evaluate applications in view of possible recruitment at ELA.

As the body responsible for organising the competition, the Authority ensures that applicants' personal data are processed as required by 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, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data (Official Journal of the European Union, L 295/39 of 21 November 2018). This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data. In this regard, please see ELA Privacy Statement on selection procedures.

6.9. Appeal procedure

Administrative complaints

If a candidate considers that they have been adversely affected by a particular decision, they can lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union.

Complaints shall be submitted at executive-director@ela.europa.eu.

Or by mail at the following address:

European Labour Authority

For the attention of the Executive Director of ELA, Mr Cosmin BOIANGIU

Landererova 12,
811 09 – Bratislava
SLOVAKIA

The complaint must be lodged within 3 months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure (see Staff Regulations as modified by Council Regulation No 723/2004 of 22 March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27 April 2004 – http://europa.eu/eur-lex) starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting him/her. The complainant shall clearly indicate the selection procedure reference number and the decision they wish to contest and on what grounds.

Judicial appeals

Should the complaint be rejected, the candidate may request judicial review of the act adversely affecting him/her pursuant to Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations, before the General Court:

Court of Justice of the European Union

Rue du Fort Niedergrünewald
L-2925 Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG

Please note that appeals against decisions taken by ELA will not be admissible before the General Court unless an administrative complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations has first been submitted and rejected by express decision or by implied decision.

European Ombudsman

It is also possible to complain to the European Ombudsman. Any citizen of the European Union or any natural or legal person residing in a Member State may direct a complaint concerning instances of maladministration to the European Ombudsman pursuant to Article 228(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Decision of the European Parliament of 9 March 1994 on the regulations and the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman's duties, published in the Official Journal of the European Union L113 of 4 May 1994:

European Ombudsman

1 Avenue du Président Robert Schuman – CS 30403
F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex FRANCE
https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu

Please note that complaints made to the Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the period laid down in Articles 90(2) and 91 of the Staff Regulations for lodging, respectively, a complaint or an appeal with the General Court of the European Union under Article 270 TFEU. In addition, please note the European Ombudsman cannot open an inquiry on a complaint that is simultaneously subject to proceedings before the General Court of the European Union.

ANNEX

List of EU Agencies or Joint Undertakings which signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

• European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC)
• European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU)
• Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)
• Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU)
• Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA)
• European Centre for the Development of Vocational training (Cedefop)
• European Banking Authority (EBA)
• Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CA JU)
• European Union Agency for Railways (ERA)
• European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (EUROJUST)
• European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)
• Clean Hydrogen Partnership (Clean Hydrogen JU)
• Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)
• European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA)
• The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL)
• Global Health EDCTP3 Joint Undertaking (GH EDCTP3 JU)
• SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR 3 JU)
• Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU)
• European Labour Authority (ELA)
• Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU)