Policy Officer - European Commission (FGIV, 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.
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 positions 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. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
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.
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.
(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
# Policy officer
# in DG Research & Innovation of the European Commission
Job title: Policy Officer
Domain: Science and Research
Where : Unit RTD.02 – Science Policy, Advice, and Ethics Brussels
Function Group : FG IV
Contract Type : 3b
Express your interest until : 18.08.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)
WE ARE
Unit RTD.02 is part of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European
Commission and forms an interface between the world of science and policymaking. Unit RTD.02
provides scientific advice to the European Commission; advises the College on questions relating to
ethics and values; promotes the highest standards of Ethics and Integrity in the performance of
Research and Innovation in the EU; sets the scene for a European Science for Policy ecosystem; and
supports the functioning of the European Research Council for excellence in frontier research. The
unit coordinates:
• The Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM), delivering transparent, high quality, timely and
independent scientific advice for policy and/or legislation to the College of European
Commissioners.
• The development of a coherent EU research ethics and integrity framework within the
context of the European Research Area and the development and implementation of the FP
Ethics appraisal scheme
• The Ethics Advice Mechanism (EthAM), advising on all aspects of Commission policies and legislation where ethical, societal and fundamental rights dimensions intersect with the development of science and new technologies
• Science for Policy (S4P) action within the context of the European Research Area (ERA) and for which close collaboration with Member States and other Commission services is required.
WE PROPOSE
Unit RTD. 02 is seeking to hire a policy officer responsible for supporting the activities of the unit related to science for policy, science and ethics advice, research ethics and integrity. The position will consist of:
• Scientific and/or ethical analysis on selected topics (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
• Policy development (strategic thinking, design of actions)
• Policy analysis (e.g. review and analysis of relevant policy documents)
• Drafting (e.g. conception and preparation of documents and briefings)
• Organisation of and participation to internal and external meetings and events
• Communication, outreach and advocacy
The job requires frequent interactions with other European Commission services and agencies,
other EU institutions, members states, independent experts and stakeholders, to provide timely input and analysis on diverse research topics and processes.
WE LOOK FOR
We are looking for a motivated, dynamic colleague with a relevant background having a service-orientated approach, combined with very good analytical, organisational, coordination and communication skills, and excellent interpersonal skills to work well in and across teams.
In particular, the candidate should have experience in:
- Developing R&I policy and/or conducting scientific research and/or science communication and/or ethics and science;
- Consensus building and co-operating with others, experience with participatory methods is an asset
- Communication to deliver outcomes that effectively target relevant audiences
- A very good command of English is essential; any other language would be an asset
Experience with any of the following is considered an advantage:
- Providing scientific and or ethical advice to policy
- Implementing research ethics and integrity policy (including addressing ethical challenges in science and new technologies);
- The EU legislative process, strategic policies and procedures of the Commission, including evidence-based policy making;
- Policy analysis and drafting;
- Coordinating expert advisory processes or member state committees
HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?
With a view to guaranteeing 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, to 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. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
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/RTD/521742 in the subject.
No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
# 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 position;
• Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.
• Have passed an EPSO CAST in the relevant Function Group for this position. At the stage of the application, it is sufficient to be registered in the EPSO CAST data base.
Qualifications:
(a) Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three 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.
Languages:
• have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the EU 2
• AND have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) 3 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 4 candidates with the
Position details
- Reference
- EC-2026-RTD-521742
- Directorate-General
- RTD - Research and Innovation
- Vacancy Notice
- Download PDF
- Last Verified
- 6 August 2026
Position overview
This is the official EU Careers listing for Policy Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the FGIV grade level (Contract Agent). The vacancy reference is EC-2026-RTD-521742. It is hosted by RTD - Research and Innovation, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Science And Research 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 positions 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. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
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.
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.
(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
# Policy officer
# in DG Research & Innovation of the European Commission
Job title: Policy Officer
Domain: Science and Research
Where : Unit RTD.02 – Science Policy, Advice, and Ethics Brussels
Function Group : FG IV
Contract Type : 3b
Express your interest until : 18.08.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)
WE ARE
Unit RTD.02 is part of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European
Commission and forms an interface between the world of science and policymaking. Unit RTD.02
provides scientific advice to the European Commission; advises the College on questions relating to
ethics and values; promotes the highest standards of Ethics and Integrity in the performance of
Research and Innovation in the EU; sets the scene for a European Science for Policy ecosystem; and
supports the functioning of the European Research Council for excellence in frontier research. The
unit coordinates:
• The Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM), delivering transparent, high quality, timely and
independent scientific advice for policy and/or legislation to the College of European
Commissioners.
• The development of a coherent EU research ethics and integrity framework within the
context of the European Research Area and the development and implementation of the FP
Ethics appraisal scheme
• The Ethics Advice Mechanism (EthAM), advising on all aspects of Commission policies and legislation where ethical, societal and fundamental rights dimensions intersect with the development of science and new technologies
• Science for Policy (S4P) action within the context of the European Research Area (ERA) and for which close collaboration with Member States and other Commission services is required.
WE PROPOSE
Unit RTD. 02 is seeking to hire a policy officer responsible for supporting the activities of the unit related to science for policy, science and ethics advice, research ethics and integrity. The position will consist of:
• Scientific and/or ethical analysis on selected topics (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
• Policy development (strategic thinking, design of actions)
• Policy analysis (e.g. review and analysis of relevant policy documents)
• Drafting (e.g. conception and preparation of documents and briefings)
• Organisation of and participation to internal and external meetings and events
• Communication, outreach and advocacy
The job requires frequent interactions with other European Commission services and agencies,
other EU institutions, members states, independent experts and stakeholders, to provide timely input and analysis on diverse research topics and processes.
WE LOOK FOR
We are looking for a motivated, dynamic colleague with a relevant background having a service-orientated approach, combined with very good analytical, organisational, coordination and communication skills, and excellent interpersonal skills to work well in and across teams.
In particular, the candidate should have experience in:
- Developing R&I policy and/or conducting scientific research and/or science communication and/or ethics and science;
- Consensus building and co-operating with others, experience with participatory methods is an asset
- Communication to deliver outcomes that effectively target relevant audiences
- A very good command of English is essential; any other language would be an asset
Experience with any of the following is considered an advantage:
- Providing scientific and or ethical advice to policy
- Implementing research ethics and integrity policy (including addressing ethical challenges in science and new technologies);
- The EU legislative process, strategic policies and procedures of the Commission, including evidence-based policy making;
- Policy analysis and drafting;
- Coordinating expert advisory processes or member state committees
HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?
With a view to guaranteeing 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, to 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. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
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/RTD/521742 in the subject.
No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/521742)
# 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 position;
• Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.
• Have passed an EPSO CAST in the relevant Function Group for this position. At the stage of the application, it is sufficient to be registered in the EPSO CAST data base.
Qualifications:
(a) Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three 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.
Languages:
• have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the EU 2
• AND have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) 3 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 4 candidates with the
Salary at this grade
Basic monthly salary at FGIV runs from €4,449 (step 1) to €5,034 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €53,388 to €60,408 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 €712 per month at step 1 of FGIV) 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 31 July 2026, 6 days ago.
The application deadline is 18 August 2026, 11 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 6 August 2026.
Where to learn more
For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at FGIV see our FGIV 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 Science And Research field browse our Science And Research 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
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Career trajectory
Language profile
Application cadence
Visit the official European Commission website
Source: This job listing was sourced from the officialEU Careers portal (EPSO). First published: .Salary estimate based on EU Staff Regulations.