Press and External Communication 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:

• Draft press and communication materials
• Organise press briefings on technical and sensitive topics related to EU budget
• Work on communication campaigns related to EU budget
• Organise high-level events
• Manage external and internal communication matters across DG BUDG
• Work with Cabinet and SPP as well as external stakeholders

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: Proven experience in drafting press and communication materials and organising press briefings on highly-technical and sensitive topics related to EU budget, including MFF negotiations, annual budget procedure, borrowing and lending activities, and anti-fraud matters; experience in organising high-level communication and press campaigns on technical and sensitive topics; experience in organising…
• Languages: One of the 24 official EU languages (C1), A second official EU language (B2)
• Key skills: Excellent communication and drafting skills in English, both written and orally, Excellent drafting skills for social media, Excellent knowledge of budgetary matters, including MFF negotiations and annual budget procedure, Very good analytical and problem-solving skills, Ability to translate complex ideas into clear and concise language, Very good coordination and time-management skills, Strong sense of initiative and ability to work autonomously, Ability to communicate convincingly and defend positions in meetings and written exchanges
• Eligibility: Citizen of an EU Member State 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

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Selection panel will choose a limited number of candidates for interview based on CV and application form

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent position.

Hiring unit: Unit 02 – Communication and Knowledge Management, Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG).

Position details

Reference

BUDG/COM/2026/1656

Directorate-General

BUDG – Budget

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

27 August 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Press and External Communication Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the AD5 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is BUDG/COM/2026/1656. It is hosted by BUDG – Budget, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Budget And Finances 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. 2BUDG/COM/2026/1656 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

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

3BUDG/COM/2026/1656 Version: 16/04/2026

Press and External Communication

Officer

Directorate - General for Budget (DG BUDG ) of the European

Commission

Selection reference: BUDG /COM/ 202 6/ 1656

Domain *: Budget an d Finance

Where : Unit 02 – Communication and Knowledge Management , Brussels

Staff category and Function Group : Temporary agent 2b

Grade range: AD5 -7

Publication deadline : 10/09/2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

DG BUDG is responsible for managing the budget of the European Union and plays a central role in

achieving the Commission’s political priorities. As domain leader on financial management, DG

BUDG has a growing strategic role at the heart of the Commission. Within DG BUDG, we are unit 02, the Communication and Knowledge Management Unit. We are a team of 25 colleagues, who manage all external and internal communication matters across the DG, including press and media work as well as the organisation of events. We also promote the active sharing of knowledge on financial and budgetary matters within the Commission, as well as with Agencies, Bodies, and other EU institutions. We report directly to the Director-General. Our team is regularly exposed to external stakeholders and carries high visibility in the Commission and beyond.

WE PROPOSE

Unit 02 of DG BUDG is seeking to hire a Press and External Communication Officer.

This is an exciting and challenging position for an experienced press and external communication officer with solid knowledge of budgetary matters and a strong interest in media relations, events and communication campaigns. The successful candidate should have proven experience in drafting press and communication materials and organising press briefings on highly-technical and other sensitive topics related to the EU budget, including MFF negotiations, the annual budget procedure, borrowing and lending activities, and anti-fraud matters. He/she should have the ability to work closely with Cabinet and SPP, as well as with external stakeholders. The job holder will be expected to work on campaigns related to the EU budget, as well as on high-level events organised by our Directorate-General. 4BUDG/COM/2026/1656 Version: 16/04/2026

WE LOOK FOR

A highly motivated and proactive candidate with excellent writing skills, who can demonstrate

sound knowledge of and a strong interest in communicating on the EU budget as well as an

excellent understanding of Commission procedures.

More specifically, the right candidate should have:

- excellent communication and drafting skills in English, both written and orally. Other languages

are a clear asset;

- excellent drafting skills for social media;

- excellent knowledge of budgetary matters, including on the MFF negotiations and the annual

budget procedure;

- experience in organising high -level communication and press campaigns on technical and

sensitive topics;

- experience in organising high -level events;

- very good analytical and problem -solving skills as well as the ability to translate complex ideas

into clear and concise language;

- very good coordination and time -management skills;

- a strong sense of initiative and the ability to work autonomously, with little guidance;

- the ability to communicate convincingly and to defend positions in meetings and written

exchanges;

- the willingness to work outside of regular working hours during peak moments.

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 BUDG -MAILBOX [email protected] .

indicating the selection reference BUDG /COM/ 202 6/1656 in the subject .

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 5BUDG/COM/2026/1656 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).

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.

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.

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).

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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.

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 27 August 2026, today.

The application deadline is 10 September 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 27 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 Budget And Finances field browse our Budget And Finances 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.