External Audit Assistant - European Commission (FGIII, Brussels)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Commission 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:

• Ensure that required management and control systems for the implementation of cohesion policy programs are set up and functioning correctly through desk review, remote and on-the-spot missions
• Assess the work of the audit authority, including annual control reports, annual accounts and national audit reports
• Support the geographical desks in both DG REGIO and DG EMPL in charge of Germany with relevant audit expertise
• Assist other auditors
• Accompany other auditors in Member States not principally in charge of
• Carry out 3-4 audit missions per year

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Post-secondary education attested by a diploma OR secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education
• Experience: Appropriate professional experience of at least three years (if secondary education only); professional experience of audit work with EU funds is an asset
• Languages: German (C1), English (C1)
• Key skills: Strong analytical skills, Communication skills, Drafting abilities, Common sense, Ability to work both independently and as part of an audit team, Sense of responsibility and initiative, Constructive service-oriented approach, Strong team spirit
• Eligibility: Citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen; have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service; physically fit to perform the duties; produce appropriate character references; thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one official EU language and satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of a second official EU language

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Registration in EPSO database (CAST Permanent profile)
• Submission of CV and completed application form
• Selection of candidates from EPSO database
• Interview with selection panel

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 1 year, renewable one or more times up to a maximum duration of 6 years.

Working arrangements: Place of employment will be in Brussels.

Hiring unit: Joint Audit Directorate for Cohesion (DAC), Unit DAC.3, DG EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL AFFAIRS and INCLUSION.

Position details

Reference

EC/2026/EMPL/419159

Directorate-General

EMPL - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

16 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for External Audit Assistant at European Commission based in Brussels at the FGIII grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is EC/2026/EMPL/419159. It is hosted by EMPL - Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Employment domain.

External audit assistant

Germany

DG EMPLOYMENT SOCIAL AFFAIRS and INCLUSION

European Commission

Job title *: External audit assistant –Germany Domain: Employment –Cohesion –External Audit Where :Joint Audit Directorate for Cohesion (DAC), Unit DAC.3, Brussels Function Gr oup :FG I II Contract Type : 3b Express your interest until :23.09.202 6-12 .00 (noon, Brussels time )

WE ARE

The Joint Audit Directorate for Cohesion (Direction d’audit de la Cohésion - DAC) provides

assurance and audit results to both Directors -General - of DG EMPL and DG REGIO - for all

funds under Cohesion policy as well as indirect and direct management. The DAC is

entrusted to test the effectiveness of management and control systems, ensure the

respect of applicable rules for all programmes. These are key factors that will contribute to

the success and good reputation of the Funds.

The successful candidate will be part of the DAC Directorate, while remaining on a

functional post in EMPL. The DAC unit (DAC 3), to which the successful candidate chosen

will be assigned, is notably in charge of auditing the Cohesion policy funds [European

Regional Development Fund (ERDF) , Cohesion Fund ( CF ), European Social Fund (ESF ), Fund

for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) ] in the Member States Austria, Belgium,

Germany, Lithuania and the Netherlands .

WE PROPOSE

We propose a post of external audit assistant for Germany . The work consists of:

a) ensuring that required management and control systems for the implementation of the

cohesion policy programs are set up and functioning correctly (through desk review, remote

and on -the -spot missions);

b) assessing the work of the audit authority, including annual control reports, annual

accounts and national audit reports, (Reference: Call for interest EC -2026 -EMPL -419159 )

c) support the geographical desks in both DG REGIO and DG EMPL in charge of Germany

with the relevant audit expertise, assist other auditor(s); and

d) accompany other auditors in Member States he/she is not principally in charge of.

The successful candidate will be required to carry out 3-4 audit missions per year.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for a motivated, results -oriented and proactive candidate who will

contribute to the audit work on Germany . The work requires strong analytical skills ,

communication skills and drafting abilities , as well as common sense and the ability to

work both independently and as part of an audit team.

A sense of responsibility and initiative as well as a constructive service -oriented approach

and strong team spirit are also looked for. Professional experience of audit work with EU

funds, knowledge of Cohesion policy or experience in relation to project management,

public procurement, State aid or fraud prevention and detection gained inside or outside

the Commission services are assets for the post. A good command of German and English ,

as well as excellent drafting skills , are essential.

HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?

With a view to guarantee ing equal access to all, the Commission recruits from an open

database of spontaneous applications. The present call for interests aims at helping the

recruiters to identify potentially interested candidates within this database.

In practice, t o express your interest ,please follow the subsequent two steps: 1. If you are not registered yet in the open EPSO database, please do so at the following address: CAST Permanent .Please select under selection procedures for contract agent the CAST permanent profile that best suits your education and experience. 2. You should send your documents in a single pdf in the following order: 1. your CV 2. completed application form. Please send these documents by the publication deadline to [email protected] indicating the call for interest reference EC/2026/EMPL/419159 in the subject . No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline.

(Reference: Call for interest EC -2026 -EMPL -419159 )

ANNEX

1. Selection

➢ Am I eligible to apply?

You must meet the following eligibility criteria when you validate your application :

Our rules provide that you can only be recruited as a contract agent at the European Commission if

you :

General criteria:

- Are a citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen ;

- Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service;

- Are physically fit to perform the duties linked to the pos ition ;

- Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the

duties .

Qualifications:

(a) Have a level of post -secondary education attested by a diploma OR

(b) a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post -secondary

education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years .

Only qualifications issued or recognised as equivalent by EU Member State authorities (e.g. by

the Ministry of Education) will be accepted.

Languages:

- have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the

EU 1

- AND have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) 2 of a second official language of

the EU , to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

➢ What about the selection steps?

The selecting unit chooses from the EPSO database 3 candidates with the appropriate profile and

invites them to an interview . For the interview a selection panel is set -up to assess the best

1The official languages of the European Union are: BG (Bulgarian), CS (Czech), DA (Danish), DE (German), EL (Greek), EN (English), ES (Spanish), ET (Estonian), FI (Finnish), FR (French), GA (Irish), HR (Croatian), HU (Hungarian), IT (Italian), LT (Lithuanian), LV (Latvian), MT (Maltese), NL (Dutch), PL (Polish), PT (Portuguese), RO (Romanian), SK (Slovak), SL (Slovenian), SV (Swedish). 2For details on language levels, please see the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european -language -levels -cefr). 3Therefore, candidates who did not pass already a CAST on the level Function Group I II , should register their profile at this address https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/Cast-Permanent

candidates. Due to the large volume of applications that we may receive only candidates selected

for the interview will be notified.

For operational reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in

the interest of the candidates and of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in

English and possibly in a second official language (Geman ).(Reference: Call for interest EC -2026 -EMPL -419159 )

2. Recruitment

The candidate selected for recruitment will be requested to provide documentary evidence in

support of the statements made in the database and, where relevant, the call for interest .

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a mandatory pre -recruitment medical check -

up carried out by the Commission.

➢ Type of contract and working conditions

The place of employment will be in Brussels .

The successful candidate will be engaged as a contract agent under Article 3(b) of the

Conditions of Employment of Other Servants , in function group FG I II . General information on

Contract Agents can be found at this link .

The grade or proposed grade range , as well as the step in that grade , will be defined on the basis

of the candidates’ previous professional experience, in accordance with Commission Decision

C(201 7)6760 laying down the criteria applicable to classification in step on engagement .

The duration of the first contract will be 1 year . Subject to the interest of the service, the

contract may be renewed one or more times up to a maximum duration of 6 years.

The duration of the renewal (s) will be defined according to the General Implement ing Rules in force

at that moment (currently , Commission Decision C(2017)6760 on policies for the engagement and

use of contract agents ).

Contract agents recruited in Function Group III ha ve to successfully complete a 9-month

probationary period.

The pay of staff members consists of a basic salary supplemented with specific allowances,

including, where applicable, expatriation and family allowances. The provisions guiding the

calculation of these allowances can be consulted in the Conditions of Employment of Other

Servants. As a member of staff of the European institutions, your pay is subject to a tax raised by

those institutions.

The European Commission applies a policy of equal opportunities and non -discrimination in

accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations.

Should you need further information on working conditions, please refer to Working conditions and

benefits of EU Careers .(Reference: Call for interest EC -2026 -EMPL -419159 )

For information related to Data Protection, please see the Specific Privacy Statement under “7.

Information to data subjects on their rights”, to find your rights and how to exercise them in

addition to the privacy statement, which summarise s the processing of your data.

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at FGIII runs from €3,476 (step 1) to €3,932 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €41,712 to €47,184 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 €556 per month at step 1 of FGIII) 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 9 September 2026, 6 days ago.

The application deadline is 23 September 2026, 6 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 16 September 2026.

Where to learn more

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