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:

• Contribute to policy dimensions of the Ukraine Support Loan instrument
• Manage relations with other EU bodies and external stakeholders, including third countries
• Provide information to multiple audiences
• Plan and organise awareness-raising activities
• Follow policy developments under the remit of the Task Force
• Prepare briefings, speeches, articles, position papers

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 5 years of experience in defence and defence industrial policy
• Languages: One of the 24 official EU languages (C1), A second official EU language (B2)
• Key skills: Excellent organisational skills, High level of resilience, Good knowledge of the defence industry and related Union's programmes and policies, Ability to work autonomously, Strong sense of teamwork, Discrete and able to handle sensitive information
• Eligibility: Citizen of an EU Member State with full rights as a citizen; fulfilled obligations concerning military service; physically fit; appropriate character references; security clearance at EU secret level required

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Selection panel reviews CV and application form
• Limited number of candidates selected for interview

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

Working arrangements: Flexible working conditions including the possibility of teleworking.

Hiring unit: Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS), DEFIS.C.2 – Ukraine Support Loan, Brussels.

Position details

Reference

DEFIS/COM/2026/345

Directorate-General

DEFIS - Defence Industry and Space

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

13 August 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 DEFIS/COM/2026/345. It is hosted by DEFIS - Defence Industry and Space, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Defence 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. 2DG/COM/2026/345 Version: 29/06/2026

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

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

3DG/COM/2026/345 Version: 29/06/2026

Pol icy Officer – Ukraine Support Loan

Directorate - General for Defence Industry and Space (DG

DEFIS ) of the European Commission

Selection reference: DEFIS /COM/ 202 6/345 – 1 POLICY OFFICER – Ukraine Support Loan

Domain : Defence Industry – Policy, Analysis, Advice and Statistics

Where : DEFIS. C.2 – Ukraine Support Loan , Brussels

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

Grade range: AD5 -7

Publication deadline : 13.07 .202 6 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

Currently, this position is part of our DEFIS Task Force SAFE Unit DEFIS.TF.1 with the following

mission statement:

- Manage the Security Action for Europe and the Ukraine support loan Instrument s,

supporting Member States and Ukraine in making strategic public investments in the

European defence sector.

- Oversee the implementation and regulatory compliance of the Security Action for Europe

and Ukraine support loan .

- Foster collaboration across DG DEFIS units and engage with national, international, and

industry stakeholders to enhance the coherent implementation of the Security Action for

Europe and Ukraine Support Loan initiatives, in line with EU defence policy priorities.

Soon, the post will be part of new unit DEFIS.C.2 Ukraine Support loan, responsible for:

- Manag ing the defence window of the Ukraine Support Loan instrument.

- Oversee ing the implementation of Ukrainian product schedules and requests for funds for

defence -related procurement and investment.

WE PROPOSE

A motivating and challenging post of Policy Officer within the Task Force 1 - Security Action for

Europe (SAFE) Implementation Unit (Future Unit DEFIS.C.2 Ukraine Support Loan) , with a focus on

the implementation of the Ukraine Support Loan.

The successful candidate will be asked to contribute in particular to the policy dimensions of the

instrument and relations with other EU bodies as well as with external stakeholders , including third

countries .

This includes providing information to multiple audiences, plan and organise awareness -raising

activities and follow policy developments under the remit of the Task Force. The future colleague

will also prepare briefings, speeches, articles, position papers, etc. in accordance with instructions

and requirements. 4DG/COM/2026/345 Version: 29/06/2026

WE LOOK FOR

A dynamic, proactive colleague, with a strong interest and motivation to work in a dynamic

environment, offering in particular:

- excellent organisational skills and a high level of resilience;

- at least 5 years of experience in defence and defence industrial policy.

- good knowledge of the defence industry and related Union’s programmes and policies - ability to

work autonomously but also with a strong sense of teamwork;

- discrete and able to handle sensitive information.

SECURITY CLEARANCE: The successful candidate will be required to undergo security

vetting if she or he does not already hold security clearance at an appropriate level (EU

secret), in accordance with the relevant security provisions.

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 DEFIS -TF [email protected] indicating

the selection reference DEFIS /COM/ 202 6/345 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 5DG/COM/2026/345 Version: 29/06/2026

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).

Languages:

> •

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

EU 2

• AND a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of a second official language of the EU,

to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

➢ What about the selection steps?

The post was published internally within the Commission, inter -institutionally, and brought to the

attention of competition laureates.

> 2The 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).

6DG/COM/2026/345 Version: 29/06/2026

In accordance with Article 29 of the Staff Regulations, applications from Commission officials,

officials from other Institutions , and laureates of competitions have priority 3. If these candidates do

not best fit the requirements for the position, the Commission can recruit a temporary agent.

For temporary agents under Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants , the

post is published directly on the EPSO website, without mandatory prior internal publication .

A selection panel will choose a limited number of candidates for interview, based on the CV and

application form that they submitted. Due to the large volume of applications , we may receive,

only candidates selected for the next step of the selection phase 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 .

2. Recruitment

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 12 August 2026, today.

The application deadline is 26 August 2026, 12 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 13 August 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 Defence field browse our Defence 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.