Legal Officer - European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (FGIV, Budapest)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Conduct thorough legal and human rights due diligence to ensure compliance with the EU legal and policy framework across all project activities
• Identify potential legal and human rights risks and develop practical mitigation strategies
• Mainstream human rights considerations within the consortium's work
• Monitor and assess compliance with applicable international, regional, and EU human rights standards
• Provide legal advice and guidance to consortium partners on obligations related to regulatory compliance
• Support and deliver capacity-building initiatives, including training sessions on legal and human rights topics
• Ensure alignment of all activities with core principles of accountability, rule of law, and respect for fundamental rights
• Prepare and regularly update relevant risk assessments and privacy statements

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more in the field of law, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma in the field of law plus a master's degree of at least one year
• Experience: At least 3 years of relevant and proven professional experience gained after obtaining the diploma
• Languages: One of the languages of the Union (C1), Another language of the Union (B2), English (B2)
• Key skills: Interpreting and applying EU law, such as EU institutional law, EU public access to documents and personal data, Providing legal advice, drafting and reviewing legal documents such as internal decisions, agreements, and governance documents, Application of EU fundamental rights and international human rights standards, Designing and delivery of effective training on legal, compliance, and human-rights matters, Coordinating legal matters with multiple stakeholders both internal and external
• Eligibility: Be a national of a Member State of the Union; be entitled to full rights as a citizen; have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service; meet the character requirements for the duties involved; be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Written test on 09 November 2026
• Interview on 10-11 November 2026

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Limited duration (~4 years), may be extended, but no expectation of extension beyond the duration of the project.

Working arrangements: Online interview and written test.

Hiring unit: Strategic and Planning Directorate Unit, CEPOL.

Position details

Reference

CEPOL-2026-CA-02

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

21 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Legal Officer at CEPOL based in Budapest at the FGIV grade level (Contract Agent). The vacancy reference is CEPOL-2026-CA-02. The role falls under the Public Administration domain.

Staff category

Contract agent

Grade/Function Group

Function group IV

Annual Salary

40,000 € - 49,999 €

Job Summary

Under the supervision and the overall responsibility of the HoU Strategic and Planning Directorate Unit the Senior legal and human rights officer will provide legal assessments needed for the effective implementation of the Themis programme by the consortium. The role includes ensuring comprehensive due diligence on human rights compliance in line with the EU’s legal and policy framework, identifying potential legal and human rights risks, and proposing mitigation measures. The Officer will contribute to the mainstreaming of human rights considerations across all project activities, as well as monitor adherence to applicable international and regional standards. Additionally, the position entails advising consortium partners on legal obligations, supporting capacity-building efforts, and ensuring that all actions are aligned with principles of accountability, rule of law, and respect for fundamental rights.

Key accountabilities

1. Conduct thorough legal and human rights due diligence to ensure compliance with the EU legal and policy framework across all project activities.

2. Identify potential legal and human rights risks and develop practical mitigation strategies to address them.

3. Effectively mainstream human rights considerations within the consortium’s work.

4. Monitor and assess compliance with applicable international, regional, and EU human rights standards, ensuring consistent application across all actions.

5. Provide legal advice and guidance to consortium partners on obligations related to regulatory compliance.

6. Support and deliver capacity-building initiatives, including training sessions for staff and stakeholders on legal and human rights topics.

7. Ensure alignment of all activities with core principles of accountability, rule of law, and respect for fundamental rights.

8. Prepare and regularly update relevant risk assessments and privacy statements,

9. Offer independent legal support to ICT and other services on contractual matters, including cloud services (e.g. SaaS), and the use of relevant compliance tools such as questionnaires.

10. Manage requests for access to documents and support the Legal Officer/Data Protection Officer (DPO) in preparing and delivering training.

11. Draft and prepare Management Board (MB) and Executive Director (ED) decisions, as well as related legal and administrative documents.

Eligibility criteria

In addition, in order to be eligible the candidate must:

- Be a national of a Member State of the Union; - Be entitled to his or her full rights as a citizen; - Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service; - Meet the character requirements for the duties involved; - Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post; and - Have a thorough knowledge (min. level C1) of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge (min. level B2) of another language of the Union. One of the languages has to be English, as this is the official language of CEPOL.

Education

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more in the field of law,

Or

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma in the field of law plus a master’s degree of at least one year.

Professional Experience

In addition to the above at least 3 years of relevant and proven professional experience gained after obtaining the diploma.

Working conditions

CEPOL implements capacity building actions for law enforcement officials in third countries with a limited duration (~4 years). For this reason CEPOL is establishing a reserve list to ensure availability of human resources. A contract offer will be made as a member of the Contract Agent staff of the agency in accordance with the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities for the implementation period of the project. The contract may be extended. However, as the advertised position is project-funded, with limited duration, there shall be no expectation on the side of the candidate that an employment contract may be extended beyond the duration of the project. The successful candidate will be recruited as Legal Officer– FG IV.

The basic monthly net pay for this post is EUR 2,875.86 (grade 13), EUR 3,021.12 (grade 14) or EUR 3,777.07 (grade 16). The correction coefficient (on the date of publication of this vacancy notice is 76,6%for Hungary and is already taken in consideration for these amounts.

The grade is determined on the basis of professional experience gained after obtaining the diploma of an education required for the position and in line with applicable implementing rules.

In addition, based on personal situation, the following allowances might be granted:

- Expatriation or foreign residence allowance: 16% or 4% of the basic pay. - Annual travel allowance: staff who are entitled to the expatriation (16%) or foreign residence (4%) allowance are entitled to be paid each calendar year a sum representing the cost of travel from the place of employment to the place of origin for themselves and, if they are entitled to the household allowance, for their spouse and dependents (less than age of 2) - Household allowance - Allowance for a dependent child or person treated as such: - Pre-school allowance: - Education allowance: - School fees: paid by CEPOL for dependent children who joined the staff member in changing the residence to fully respect the article 20 of the Staff Regulations. The school shall be considered as non-fee paying and the staff member concerned shall not receive the education allowance mentioned in the bullet point(s) above.

The costs covered by CEPOL shall be:

- The registration and attendance fees at international schools - The transportation costs - Excluding all other costs as described on the Commission decision C(2004)131-53-2004 on general implementing provisions for the grant of the education allowance.

In addition, CEPOL will provide benefits and entitlements in line with those of European Union Civil Servants. Such entitlements will be established based on the necessary documents provided by the newly recruited staff member upon taking up duty with CEPOL.

The successful candidate shall undergo a probation period of 9 months.

For reasons related to CEPOL’s operational requirements, the candidate may be required to be available at short notice.

Additional information

The highest scoring candidates exceeding the threshold defined in advance by the Selection Committee shall be invited for interview and written test. Maximum number of candidates to be invited for interview shall not exceed 12. Interview and written test will be arranged online.

Planned schedule: Written test 09 November 2026, Interviews 10-11 November 2026.

The information provided in applications is subject to EU legislation on protection of personal data and confidentiality of information.

Privacy statements: Privacy statement for processing of personal data related to recruitment

Only candidates who achieve 65% of the total scores available for the interview and written test might be included in a Reserve List. The reserve list will be valid until 31 December 2028 and may be extended by the decision of the Appointing Authority of CEPOL. (Please be aware that placement on a reserve list in no way guarantees future employment at CEPOL.)

Essential Criteria

Min. 3 years of proven experience interpreting and applying EU law, such as EU institutional law, EU public access to documents and personal data. Please describe the duration and provide examples;

Min. 3 years of experience in providing legal advice, drafting and reviewing legal documents such as internal decisions, agreements, and governance documents. Please describe the duration and provide examples;

Proven work experience in application of EU fundamental rights and international human rights standards. Please describe the duration and provide examples;

Proven experience in designing and delivery of effective training on legal, compliance, and human-rights matters. Please describe the duration and provide examples;

Proven experience in coordinating legal matters with multiple stakeholders both internal and external. Please describe the duration and provide examples;;

Advantageous Criteria

Proven work experience with the EU legal and financial framework applicable to budget implementation under indirect management and the implementation of contribution agreements;

Studies in the field of human rights, gender, international relations;

Experience in interpreting and applying rules on access to documents, as well as data protection principles;

Work experience in an EU body in a legal role;

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at FGIV runs from €4,449 (step 1) to €5,034 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €53,388 to €60,408 before tax and allowances. Steps increase automatically every two years; the figures here are taken from the salary grid in the EU Staff Regulations.

Eligible staff posted away from their country of nationality also receive an expatriation allowance worth 16% of basic salary (around €712 per month at step 1 of FGIV) together with household, dependent-child, and education allowances where applicable. Take-home pay is then adjusted by the country correction coefficient for Budapest. For a worked example see our correction coefficients guide and the EU salaries overview.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 21 September 2026, today.

The application deadline is 18 October 2026, 26 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 21 September 2026.

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at FGIV see our FGIV grade page; for headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at CEPOL see the CEPOL institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Budapest see our Budapest location page; for related vacancies in the Public Administration field browse our Public Administration domain page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.