Policy Officer - European Commission (AD5, 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:

• Prepare proposals for Council and/or Commission Regulations on sanctions and negotiate their adoption in Council
• Support uniform sanctions implementation through dialogue with Member States and stakeholders, drafting and issuance of Commission Guidance Notes and Opinions
• Monitor sanctions enforcement by the Member States, and monitor and assess the effects of sanctions
• Represent the unit in different internal/external fora in the EU, third countries and with the UN, including during missions, conferences and outreach events
• Work on horizontal issues, such as access to documents, data protection issues, expert group management, advice to candidate countries on sanctions issues
• Work on topics related to the circumvention of EU restrictive measures, including via third countries

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma
• Experience: At least three years of relevant professional experience; solid legal background; experience in or knowledge of EU external relations, international affairs, or sanctions policy; proven experience in policy/strategy-related tasks; proven experience in organization of Commission expert groups and/or participation in Council Working Groups
• Languages: English (C1), German
• Key skills: Solid knowledge of general EU policies and institutional functioning, Ability to coordinate decision-making processes, Very good interpersonal skills and capacity to interact with colleagues and external stakeholders, Ability to work autonomously and proactively, Capacity to ensure high quality, speed, accuracy and timeliness in performing a diversity of tasks in a complex, multicultural environment often under time pressure, Sense of initiative and well-developed political judgement, Excellent drafting and communication skills in English, Readiness to perform missions
• 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 linked to the post; produce appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties; must hold a valid security clearance certificate or require it immediately after recruitm…

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Submit CV and completed application form in a single PDF

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

Hiring unit: Unit E.5 - Sanctions, Directorate-General Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA).

Position details

Reference

FISMA/COM/2026/1546

Directorate-General

FISMA - Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

16 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Policy Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the AD5 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is FISMA/COM/2026/1546. It is hosted by FISMA - Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the External Relations domain.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE - JOIN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Do you want to help shape the future of the European Union? Make the planet greener, promote a fairer society, or support businesses and innovation across the EU? Then come and work for the European Commission where you can really make a difference!

Commission staff are a diverse group of people, who are motivated to help make Europe – and the world – a better place. They come from the 27 Member States of the European Union. Different nationalities, backgrounds, languages and cultures make the Commission a vibrant and inclusive place to work.

WE OFFER GREAT JOBS AND GREAT WORKING CONDITIONS:

- Interesting and challenging jobs with plenty of opportunities for training and acquiring new skills and competencies throughout your whole career

- Opportunities to move between different policy areas throughout your career

- A package of flexible working conditions including the possibility of teleworking – we care about your work-life balance

- A competitive financial package, including comprehensive healthcare, accident and pension schemes

- A multilingual, multicultural workplace where personal and career development are strongly promoted

- Multilingual schools for your children

We recruit from a wide range of backgrounds and actively promote diversity and inclusion:

We do not only recruit political scientists and lawyers but are also looking for all kinds of profiles, including scientists, linguists, IT experts, data analysts and economists, as well as drivers and engineers.

We are committed to equal opportunities and to fostering a rich, diverse and inclusive working environment. We aim for our workforce to be representative of European society and strongly welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We actively seek to create a workplace where each staff member feels valued and respected, can give their best and can develop to their full potential. 2FISMA/COM/2026/1546 Version: 16/04/2026

To promote diversity and establish a geographically balanced pool of candidates, we strongly encourage applicants from Member States which are currently underrepresented in the European Commission workforce to apply. These Member States are currently Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden 1. Recruitment will however remain strictly based on the merits of all applicants and no positions will be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.

For more information ec.europa.eu/work-with-us

STAFF RECRUITED ON CONTRACTS

In addition to permanent officials, the European Commission offers non-permanent positions. There are two categories of non-permanent staff:

temporary agents are recruited to fill vacant positions for a set amount of time or

to perform highly specialised tasks.

contract agents may provide additional capacity in specialised fields where an

insufficient number of officials is available or carry out a number of administrative or manual tasks. They are generally recruited for fixed-term contracts (maximum 6 years in any EU Institution), but in some cases they can be offered contracts for an indefinite duration (in offices, agencies, delegations or representations).

For more information on different staff categories

1 Please note that the list of underrepresented Member States may be subject to future amendment based on potential data changes over time.

3FISMA/COM/2026/1546 Version: 16/04/2026

Policy Officer

Directorate-General Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA) of the European Commission

Selection reference: FISMA/COM/2026/1546

Domain*: Financial Markets

Where : Unit E.5 - Sanctions, Brussels

Staff category and Function Group : Temporary agent 2b – Administrator

Grade range: AD5-7

Publication deadline : 17/09/2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

The sanctions unit consists of a team of dedicated, enthusiastic and highly co-operative colleagues.

The core business of the unit is to design and negotiate, in a fast and flexible manner, one of the

most visible and active foreign policy tools: sanctions. The unit builds bridges between, on the one

hand, the political decisions taken by the European Council and the Council of the EU, and, on the

other hand, the EU internal market. The unit plays a crucial role in translating the European

Commission’s political priorities into action, in line with the EU’s Global Strategy for Foreign and

Security Policy (CFSP). In addition, the unit is responsible for the legal application of the Blocking

Statute, the EU’s main tool against extra-territorial sanctions of third countries. The unit works in

close cooperation with other Commission services, as well as with the European External Action

Service (EEAS) and the Council. Externally, the unit is in contact with Member States, economic

operators, third countries and international actors, such as the United Nations or multilateral

development banks. The environment is thriving and stimulating, and we frequently experience high

workloads.

WE PROPOSE

A dynamic, challenging and rewarding work environment.

A varied job carried out with a wide range of partners inside and outside of the EU.

An opportunity to learn and grow in accordance with the needs of the job.

The new colleague will take an active role in shaping and implementing the Commission's priorities

in the area of sanctions policy.

S/he will prepare proposals for Council and/or Commission Regulations on sanctions and negotiate

their adoption in Council; support uniform sanctions implementation through dialogue with Member

States and stakeholders, drafting and issuance of Commission Guidance Notes and Opinions;

monitor sanctions enforcement by the Member States, and monitor and assess the effects of

sanctions.

S/he will represent the unit in different internal/external fora in the EU, third countries and with the

UN, including during missions, conferences and outreach events. 4FISMA/COM/2026/1546 Version: 16/04/2026

The new colleague will also work on horizontal issues, such as access to documents, data

protection issues, expert group management, advice to candidate countries on sanctions issues, etc.

S/he will also work on topics related to the circumvention of EU restrictive measures, including via

third countries. Due to the current international context, it is likely that a substantial part of the

recruited colleague's workload will be related to the EU sanctions concerning the Russian invasion

of Ukraine.

WE LOOK FOR

An outstanding candidate with…

- at least three years of relevant professional experience;

- a solid legal background;

- experience in or knowledge of EU external relations, international affairs, or sanctions policy; and

solid knowledge of general EU policies and institutional functioning;

- proven experience in policy/strategy-related tasks (drafting guidance/concept notes, critical

analysis of reports etc.);

- ability to coordinate decision-making processes;

- proven experience in organization of Commission expert groups and/or participation in Council

Working Groups;

- very good interpersonal skills and capacity to interact with colleagues within the unit and from

outside, and to maintain professional, meaningful contacts with external stakeholders;

- ability to work autonomously and proactively, while forming part of a very close-knit, dynamic

and hard-working team;

- capacity to ensure high quality, speed, accuracy and timeliness in performing a diversity of tasks

in a complex, multicultural environment often under time pressure;

- sense of initiative and well-developed political judgement;

- readiness to perform missions.

Excellent drafting and communication skills in English are essential; good German is an advantage,

as is knowledge of other languages.

Experience in or knowledge of financial matters related to asset freeze and/or EU policies related to

media and intellectual property would be important assets.

All members of the Unit must hold a valid security clearance certificate. In the absence thereof, the

selected official will need to require the certificate immediately after recruitment. 5FISMA/COM/2026/1546 Version: 16/04/2026

HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?

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 FISMA-E5-

[email protected] @ec.europa.eu indicating the selection reference

FISMA/COM/2026/1546 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6FISMA/COM/2026/1546 Version: 16/04/2026

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 temporary 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 post

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

Qualifications:

In order to be recruited for this position, you must have at least a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma.

Only qualifications issued or recognised as equivalent by EU Member State authorities (e.g. by the Ministry of Education) will be accepted. Furthermore, before recruitment, you will be required to provide the documents that corroborate the eligibility criteria (diplomas, certificates and other supporting documents).

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AD5 runs from €6,153 (step 1) to €6,961 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €73,836 to €83,532 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 €984 per month at step 1 of AD5) 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 4 September 2026, 12 days ago.

The application deadline is 18 September 2026, 1 day 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 AD5 see our AD5 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 External Relations field browse our External Relations 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.