The Junior Professionals in Delegation programme, or JPD, offers young EU graduates a paid posting inside an EU Delegation abroad. Run jointly by the European External Action Service and the Commission, it gives early-career professionals hands-on experience of EU external action and diplomacy.
JPD placements send selected graduates to work in one of the EU Delegations that make up the Union's diplomatic network. A junior professional is attached to a section of the delegation, for example political affairs, trade, cooperation or press, and supports the work of experienced staff: drafting reports, following local developments, helping to manage projects and preparing meetings. A posting normally lasts one year and can be renewed once, and selection takes place on a biennial cycle, so the call for applications does not open every year. Applicants are typically recent graduates who are nationals of an EU member state, with a relevant degree, strong language skills and little or no prior professional experience with the EU institutions. The programme is paid and includes an allowance geared to living in the host country, but a JPD posting does not confer official or temporary-agent status and is not a route that automatically converts into a permanent contract. It is best seen as a structured first step: many former junior professionals go on to sit an EPSO competition, join CAST, or apply for temporary-agent posts in the external-relations field.
Frequently asked questions
- How long is a JPD posting?
- A Junior Professionals in Delegation posting normally lasts one year and can be renewed once, for a maximum of about two years. Selection runs on a biennial cycle, so the call for applications does not open every year, and timing depends on the published round.
- Does the JPD lead to a permanent EU job?
- Not automatically. A JPD posting is a paid early-career placement, not official or temporary-agent status, and it does not convert into a permanent contract. Many participants later use EPSO competitions, CAST or temporary-agent posts to build an EU career.