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:

• Coordinating with relevant entities on NDICI-GE, IPA III and new Facilities for Western Balkans and Moldova in programming and financial planning matters
• Liaising with EEAS, INTPA, BUDG, Secretariat General, Legal Service and other DGs on programming and planning of financial assistance
• Preparing programming and financial planning frameworks for financing instruments under the next Multi-annual Financial Framework
• Working on legal and policy challenges in preparation of financing instruments under next MFF
• Contributing to negotiations and work with candidates on implementation of EU acquis across different chapters
• Contributing to strategic evaluations and internal learning products for evidence-based policy-making
• Presenting projects and data in strategically effective way to wide public

Are you eligible?

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

• Experience: At least ten years of relevant work experience in external relations, aid cooperation, enlargement or neighbourhood, including at least three years in an EU delegation; at least five years of experience with both programming of financing instruments and programme/contract management; at least three years of formally recognized team leadership (team leader, deputy head of section, head of section…
• Languages: English (excelle…)
• Key skills: Proactive, curious and well-organised, Problem-solving in fast-paced environment, Team coordination and stakeholder management, Excellent knowledge of Commission functioning, procedures, decision-making and inter-institutional procedures, In-depth knowledge of EU financing instruments (IPA III, NDICI, Ukraine, Western Balkans and Moldova facilities), Excellent drafting and communication skills in English, Ability to articulate complex ideas in simple way

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Submit CV and completed application form in single PDF

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

Working arrangements: Flexible working conditions including possibility of teleworking.

Hiring unit: Unit ENEST.A.2 - Strategic programming and performance, Directorate-General for Enlargement and Neighbourhood East (DG….

Position details

Reference

ENEST/COM/2026/1491

Directorate-General

ENEST - Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

15 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 ENEST/COM/2026/1491. It is hosted by ENEST - Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood, 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. 2ENEST/COM/2026/1491 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.

3ENEST/COM/2026/1491 Version: 16/04/2026

Policy Officer

Directorate-General for Enlargement and Neighbourhood East (DG ENEST) of the European Commission

Selection reference: ENEST/COM/2026/1491

Domain: External Relations

Where : Unit ENEST.A.2 - „Strategic programming and performance“, Brussels

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

Grade range: AD5-7

Publication deadline : 23.09.2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

DG ENEST.A.2 ‘Strategic programming and performance’ is a horizontal unit strategically steering

the EU’s financial assistance to the Enlargement and Neighbourhood East regions as an integral

part of DG ENEST’s mission to develop and implement the EU's Enlargement and Neighbourhood

policies. A2 is the central coordination service for the preparation of our financing instruments

legally, including drafting and negotiation in the context of the next Multi-annual Financial

Framework (MFF), as well as working with senior management and geographical directorates to

ensure that policy priorities have sufficient budgetary resources and that these resources are

programmed and planned in a way that ensures both predictability and flexibility of these

allocations. In that function, we are also closely associated to the implementation of the reform

plans under the new facilities in both substance and process, based on which we pay significant

amounts of support to our partners. Following the lifecycle of implementation, the unit is also in

charge of learning from our past experience and ensuring that these lessons are used in the design

of our future programmes, in particular also those to be implemented under the next Multi-annual

Financial Framework. Finally, the unit contributes to the successful implementation of enlargement

policy by coordinating across the house on six different chapters of the EU aquis.

The unit, in total, currently employs 25 staff.

WE PROPOSE

Unit ENEST.A.2 is seeking to reinforce staff by one person for the following position:

- A position of Policy Officer in a highly strategic unit that is central to many of the key

deliverables of DG ENEST

- A coordinating role at the interface between all stakeholders, internally – geographic services

and delegations – and externally – other DGs, EEAS, Council, European Parliament

- A varied job spanning fields and all kind of partners providing a full set of learning and training

opportunities, targeted to the needs of the job, to support your professional growth and

development.

- A place in a fun work environment where we tackle our high-level challenges together as a 4ENEST/COM/2026/1491 Version: 16/04/2026

friendly and supportive team

In that general context, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to

- Coordinating with relevant entities of the DG on the Neighbourhood, Development and

International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-GE), Instrument for Pre-Accession

Assistance (IPA) III and the new Facilities for the Western Balkans and Moldova in all matters

related to programming and financial planning;

- Liaising with the EEAS, INTPA, BUDG, the Secretariat General and the Legal Service as well as

other DGs and services on matters concerning programming and planning of financial

assistance;

- Preparing the programming and financial planning frameworks for the relevant financing

instruments under the next Multi-annual Financial Framework;

The DG values and promotes cross-sectoral work. The successful candidate may therefore be called

to contribute to various tasks and projects in line with the needs of the unit, the directorate or the

DG, as guided by the DG’s political priorities, including on

- Working on legal and policy challenges in the context of the preparation of the relevant

financing instruments under the next MFF;

- Contributing to negotiations and work with candidates on the implementation of the EU acquis

across the different chapters of which the unit is in charge;

- Working on strengthening the evidence-based policy-making and DG ENEST as a learning DG by

contributing to strategic evaluations and internal learning products;

- Presenting projects and data in a strategically effective and digestible way to a wide public.

WE LOOK FOR

- Someone proactive, curious and well-organised who is motivated by solving complex problems

in a highly fast-paced environment working to tight deadlines

- Someone who enjoys making links between colleagues, working in teams and coordinating

potentially large groups of stakeholders

- Someone with excellent knowledge of the functioning and procedures of the Commission, its

decision-making and working methods and inter-institutional procedures.

- Someone with in-depth knowledge and sound experience of EU financing instruments such as

IPA III, NDICI or the three new facilities of Ukraine, Western Balkans and Moldova and their

implementation including experience in EU delegation.

- Someone with excellent drafting and communication skills in English, capable of articulating

complex ideas and proposals in a simple way targeted to the respective audience

Required experience relates to

- At least ten years of relevant work experience in external relations, aid cooperation,

enlargement or neighbourhood, including at least three years in an EU delegation;

- At least five years of experience with both programming of financing instruments and

programme / contract management; in-depth experience with processes related to

programming and financial planning is particularly important 5ENEST/COM/2026/1491 Version: 16/04/2026

- At least three years of formally recognized team leadership (team leader, deputy head of

section, head of section or higher) in a relevant policy field

If the above reflects you and your skills and sounds exciting to you, please consider applying – we

look forward to receiving your application! 6ENEST/COM/2026/1491 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 [email protected] indicating the selection reference ENEST/COM/2026/1491 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 7ENEST/COM/2026/1491 Version: 16/04/2026

ANNEX

1. Selection

 Am I eligible to apply?

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 8 September 2026, 7 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 15 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.