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.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Contribute to the implementation of the CRCF Regulation, including management of the Carbon Removal Expert Group
• Develop an EU market for carbon farming and carbon removals
• Recognize certification schemes and develop certification methodologies
• Establish the CRCF registry
• Engage with other Commission services on relevant policy files
• Collaborate with EEA, Member State counterparts and the Carbon Removal Expert Group
• Write briefings for senior managers
• Launch and manage studies and contracts related to funding instruments

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Economist, political scientist, lawyer, scientist, engineer, or person with a similar degree
• Experience: Strong experience in applied areas of environmental, economic, legal, social, or natural sciences, related to carbon markets, land use, agriculture, forestry, or bio-economy; background in developing policies for transition to climate neutrality
• Languages: English (C1)
• Key skills: Structured, systematic and thorough approach to work, Stakeholder management (organisation of large meetings and information management), Strong collaboration with team members, Curiosity, flexibility, ability to prioritise and work to deadlines, Continuous learning, Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, Ability to explain complex issues in non-technical and comprehensible way, Strong sense of initiative, Inter-personal and networking skills
• Eligibility: Citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen; fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service; physically fit to perform the duties; appropriate character references; passed an EPSO CAST in Function Group IV

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Register in the open EPSO database and select CAST permanent profile
• Submit CV and completed application form as single PDF

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Maximum 6 years.

Hiring unit: Unit CLIMA.C.3 - Land Economy and Carbon Removals, DG CLIMA.

Position details

Reference

EC-2026-CLIMA-454748

Directorate-General

CLIMA - Climate Action

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

24 July 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-CLIMA-454748. It is hosted by CLIMA - Climate Action, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the European Policy 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-CLIMA-454748)

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-CLIMA-454748)

# Policy Officer

# in DG CLIMA of the European Commission

Job title*: Policy Officer

Domain**: European Policy

Where : Unit CLIMA.C.3 - „Land Economy and Carbon Removals“, Brussels

Function Group : FG IV

Contract Type : 3b

Express your interest until : 25.08.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

WE ARE

The Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) leads the Commission’s efforts to fight

climate change and turn the EU into a climate-neutral and resilient society. It develops and

implements policies and legislation to help the EU reach its 2030 climate targets and net-zero

greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in a way that enables clean growth for the EU economy, is an

integral part of its industrial strategy, and ensures a social and fair transition for all. Unit CLIMA.C.3

(Land Economy and Carbon Removals) is a highly motivated team of 20 professionals made up of

economists, lawyers, and scientists, developing and implementing policies for a climate-neutral

land economy, which produces food and biomass from sustainable agriculture and forestry, and for

industrial processes that remove carbon from the atmosphere. The unit is:

• Responsible for the implementation of the revised Regulation for Land Use, Forestry, and

Agriculture (LULUCF Regulation) and the development of post-2030 climate targets for

carbon removals and carbon farming

• Responsible for the implementation of the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF)

Regulation

• Developing policies to reward land managers for their climate actions on agricultural land

and in forest (“carbon farming”)

• Developing the EU policy on carbon removals in industry, including bio-based carbon

capture and storage (Bio-CCS), Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS), biochar, as

well as use of biomass in long-lived products

WE PROPOSE

We propose a challenging position for an administrator to develop and implement, together with a

dynamic team, policies for agriculture, forestry, and carbon removals in a climate-neutral economy.

The post offers a stimulating, fast-moving work environment and an opportunity to contribute to

the implementation, shaping and advancement of innovative climate policies.

Among the tasks of the new colleague will be the following:

• Contribute to the implementation of the CRCF Regulation, including the management of the

Carbon Removal Expert Group, the development of an EU market for carbon farming and (Reference: Call for interest EC-2026-CLIMA-454748)

carbon removals, the recognition of certification schemes, the development of the

certification methodologies, the establishment of the CRCF registry

• Engage with other Commission services on relevant policy files, such as DG AGRI (Common

Agricultural Policy), DG COMP (state aid), and DG ENV (nature credits)

The tasks will involve regular collaboration with other Commission services, the EEA, Member State

counterparts and the Carbon Removal Expert Group, through frequent meetings, workshops, and

other stakeholder engagement activities.

The work takes place at the crossroads of technical elements, stakeholder engagement and project

management, covering the whole of the EU geography and related to policies of high importance to

European citizens in a rapidly evolving policy and innovation context. The responsibilities of the

contract agent will also include writing briefings for senior managers and launching and managing

studies and contracts related to the various funding instruments available to DG CLIMA.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for an economist, a political scientist, a lawyer, a scientist, an engineer, or a person

with a similar degree. The ideal profile for the job is:

• Strong experience in applied areas of environmental, economic, legal, social, or natural

sciences, related to carbon markets, land use, agriculture, forestry, or bio-economy

• A background in developing policies that will help the transition to climate neutrality

• A structured, systematic and thorough approach to work, in particular as regards

stakeholder management (organisation of large meetings and information management)

• Strong sense of collaboration with team members

• Curiosity, flexibility, ability to prioritise and work to deadlines, and desire to continuously

learn

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, including the capacity to explain

complex issues in a non-technical and comprehensible way

• A strong sense of initiative and very good inter-personal and networking skills

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.

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] and (Reference: Call for interest EC-2026-CLIMA-454748)

[email protected] indicating the call for interest reference EC-2026-

CLIMA-454748 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. (Reference: Call for interest EC-2026-CLIMA-454748)

# 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 app

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 16 July 2026, 10 days ago.

The application deadline is 25 August 2026, 28 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 24 July 2026 (2 days ago).

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 European Policy field browse our European Policy 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.