Information Technology

ICT Systems Specialist - Council of the European Union (AST4, Brussels)

Council of the European UnionCouncilBrussels, Belgium
GradeAST4
Contract TypeTemporary Agent
Salary Range€5,438 - €6,153/month
Deadline21 October 2026

Position details

Reference
CONS/6/2026/TA-AST
Vacancy Notice
Download PDF
Last Verified
1 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for ICT Systems Specialist at Council of the European Union based in Brussels at the AST4 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is CONS/6/2026/TA-AST. The role falls under the Information Technology domain.

Full responsibilities, eligibility criteria, language requirements, and the selection procedure are set out in the official vacancy notice (PDF available above).

  • Grade: AST4
  • Contract type: Temporary Agent
  • Duty station: Brussels
  • Domain: Information Technology
  • Vacancy reference: CONS/6/2026/TA-AST

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AST4 runs from €5,438 (step 1) to €6,153 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €65,256 to €73,836 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 €870 per month at step 1 of AST4) together with household, dependent-child, and education allowances where applicable. Take-home pay is then adjusted by the country correction coefficient for Brussels. For a worked example see our correction coefficients guide and the EU salaries overview.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 28 September 2026, 14 days ago.

The application deadline is 21 October 2026, 8 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 1 October 2026 (11 days ago).

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at AST4 see our AST4 grade page; for headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at Council of the European Union see the Council of the European Union institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Brussels see our Brussels location page; for related vacancies in the Information Technology field browse our Information Technology 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.

Net pay at this grade

At step 1 of AST4, gross monthly basic salary on the Assistants grid is €5,438. Eligible expatriate staff add a 16% expatriation allowance on top (roughly €870 per month) before two automatic deductions reduce the taxable base: the joint sickness insurance scheme (JSIS, ~3.6%, €227) and the EU pension contribution (~10.3%, €650). EU community tax (Council Reg. 260/68) is then applied progressively; for the AD7-equivalent band the effective rate sits in the 11 to 13% range, which works out to about €652 per month here.
Brussels carries a correction coefficient of 100.0% (Article 64 of the Staff Regulations), so the net is multiplied by 1.00 to reflect the local cost of living. On those assumptions take-home pay is approximately €4,779 per month, or about €57,353 per year, before household and dependent-child allowances, which can add several hundred euros monthly for staff with families. For the exact bracket-by-bracket computation see our net-pay methodology, and our correction coefficients guide for the full duty-station table.

Comparable recent roles

In the last twenty-four months Council of the European Union (and the wider Commission and agencies family) has filled several adjacent roles at the same AST4 grade level. The most recent comparable vacancies, with their actual application windows:
  • Administrative Coordinator at ENISA (published 2026-10-01, closed 2026-11-10)
  • Document management officer [deadline extended to 07.08.2026] at EUDA (published 2026-07-06, closed 2026-08-07)
  • ICT & Security Coordinator at ENISA (published 2026-07-01, closed 2026-08-03)
  • HR Coordinator at ENISA (published 2026-06-30, closed 2026-07-30)
  • Corporate Applications Software Developer at EUI (published 2026-06-12, closed 2026-07-13)
Pattern recognition matters here: recruiters at the same Directorate-General often re-advertise nearly identical profiles every six to nine months, so candidates who miss one window can typically position for the next one. Browse the live catalog: all AST4 openings, other vacancies at Council of the European Union, more roles in Information Technology.

Career trajectory

Career progression for AST4 staff is governed by Articles 44 to 46 of the Staff Regulations (consolidated text on EUR-Lex) and Annex IB on the promotion procedure. Step increases are automatic every two years (Art. 44); grade promotion is competitive, based on the appraisal exercise (Art. 45) and the Career Development Review. For roles at Council of the European Union, AST grades progress one level every three to five years on merit; AD reclassification via a CAST or internal competition is the longer-term route. Article 46 governs the classification at recruitment, which sets the starting step within the grade (usually step 1 for external recruits without prior EU service, step 2 or 3 where relevant professional experience is recognised).
Mobility within the institutions is encouraged via the inter-institutional and intra-institutional vacancy publication system: temporary agents who pass the probation period and reservists from EPSO laureate lists can typically apply to internal vacancies after one year of service. Lateral moves between Directorates-General reset the seniority clock for promotion only if the new post carries a different grade.

Language profile

Beyond the formal language requirements stated in the vacancy notice, the day-to-day working languages at this employer are English and French in roughly equal measure, with German appearing in some technical files. Internal meetings and most policy drafting in Brussels run in English; French remains the preferred internal language in Luxembourg-based services and parts of DG TRADE.

Application cadence

Council of the European Union has not advertised another AST4 role with the same grade and Information Technology signature in the past twenty-four months. This opening has rarely been seen on the EU Careers feed and may be the first such posting in our two-year window. Applicants who pass the eligibility checks should not assume the same profile will reopen on a predictable cadence.

Visit the official Council of the European Union website

Apply on EU Careers

Source: This job listing was sourced from the officialEU Careers portal (EPSO). First published: .Salary estimate based on EU Staff Regulations.

From the EU Jobs Alert guideHow to land a job at the EU institutionsA walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor.Read the guide →

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