Programme 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:

• Manage portfolio in thematic areas including identification and design of actions
• Prepare and manage calls for proposals and tenders, including evaluations
• Negotiate contracts and monitor projects
• Coordinate with Commission line DGs and EEAS on EU policies and their projection abroad
• Maintain relations with EU Member States, EEAS, Commission DGs, implementing partners and partner countries
• Contribute to briefings and presentations
• Represent the European Commission as required
• Ensure coherence of EU's external action in implementing policies addressing external security threats

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma
• Experience: At least five years' proven experience in programme and/or project management in the field of external cooperation. At least three years' proven professional experience in external cooperation on security matters, including support to policy implementation and coordination and engagement with international partners, in hybrid and cyber threats (Post 1) or counterterrorism (Post 2).
• Languages: English (C1), French (B2)
• Key skills: Strong team spirit, Excellent planning and coordination skills, High level of professional integrity, Proactive and flexible, Able to organise work independently, Strong sense of responsibility, Positive attitude and strong motivation, Openness to new demands, Excellent writing and communication skills, Outstanding interpersonal skills
• Eligibility: Must be a citizen of a Member State of the EU and enjoy full rights as a citizen. Must have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service. Must be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the position. Must produce appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties. Must have passed an EPSO CAST in the relevant Function Gr…

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Registration in EPSO CAST permanent database
• Submission of CV (Europass format) and completed application form
• Selection of candidates from EPSO database with appropriate profile
• Interview with selection panel to assess best candidates

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Contract Type 3b.

Hiring unit: Unit FPI.01 – Global Security, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), European Commission.

Position details

Reference

EC/2026/FPI/521744

Directorate-General

FPI - Foreign Policy Instruments

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

15 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Programme Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the FGIV grade level (Contract Agent). The vacancy reference is EC/2026/FPI/521744. It is hosted by FPI - Foreign Policy Instruments, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the External Relations domain.

Programme Officer

Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI)

of the European Commission

Job title: Programme officer

Domain: External relations

Where : Unit FPI.01 – “Global Security”, Brussels

Function Group : FG IV

Contract Type : 3b

Express your interest until : 22.09.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

WE ARE

FPI staff around the globe are proud of the work that they are achieving and have a strong sense

of purpose and motivation. They take, and value, a high level of personal responsibility. A policy-

driven approach, a focus on priorities, solutions and impact, combined with a welcoming and

supporting atmosphere, are part of the service’s corporate culture. The service promotes

professionalism and teamwork, encourages commitment and promotes respect. It also seeks to

embed trust and fairness while prioritising effective communication at all levels.

The Service reports directly to the HR/VP. The Service works in close cooperation with the other

Commission services, as well as with the EEAS, both in headquarters and in delegations.

Within the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, FPI.1 manages thematic actions in partner

countries worldwide under NDICI–Global Europe, with a focus on cooperation to address global and

transregional security threats and challenges. Thematically, the Unit leads FPI’s work on security

and security sector governance (SSG).

The thematic scope of the Unit’s actions includes counterterrorism and countering violent

extremism; security sector governance; organised crime, including environmental crime; the illicit

trafficking of small arms and light weapons, drugs and other commodities; the climate change–

security nexus; threats to critical infrastructure and public health; maritime security; cybersecurity

and hybrid threats, including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI); and threats

stemming from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials, knowledge and

technologies. The Unit can also respond to new and emerging threats and challenges in the external

dimension.

The Unit manages the identification, preparation and implementation of actions under its

responsibility, in coordination with the European External Action Service, Commission line DGs,

Member States and relevant Member States’ organisations, partner countries and, where

appropriate, other donors. The Unit also acts as a focal point for relations with the United Nations

and other international organisations on global, transregional and emerging security threats.

Within the Unit the “Task Force Global Challenges” delivers rapid response to external threats Reference: Call for interest EC/FPI/2026/521744

against Europe and builds strategic autonomy through foreign policy action. It will inter alia develop

and implement measures to help mitigate and overcome the impact of hybrid and kinetic threats,

support societal resilience and help sustain critical governance foundations. In doing so, the

taskforce contributes to the defence of sovereign democracies in Europe’s neighbourhood and

beyond and to sustain a rules-based international order.

WE PROPOSE

FPI.1 is seeking to hire two (2) programme officers to work in the unit.

The work involves coordination with Commission line DGs and the EEAS on EU policies and their

projection abroad. The successful candidates will be part of a dynamic, friendly and motivated

team with a strong emphasis on collaboration.

Under the supervision of the Head of Unit and the Head of Sector, the jobholders will help ensure

the coherence of the EU’s external action in implementing policies and activities that address

external security threats to the EU, with a particular focus on:

(1) hybrid and cyber threats; and

(2) counterterrorism .

The jobholders will manage the portfolio in their respective thematic areas, including the

identification and design of actions; the preparation and management of calls for proposals and

tenders (including evaluations); the negotiation of contracts; and the monitoring of projects.

The jobholders will play an active role in maintaining relations with EU Member States, the EEAS

and Commission DGs, implementing partners and partner countries. They will contribute to briefings

and presentations and represent the European Commission, as required.

We offer:

- A dynamic and rewarding work environment focused on putting EU foreign policy into

action.

- A varied role carried out with a wide range of partners inside and outside the EU.

- Opportunities for learning and professional development in line with the needs of the job.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for two (2) experienced , dynamic, reliable and well ‑organised programme officers

with strong team spirit and excellent planning and coordination skills, as well as a high level of

professional integrity.

The candidates should be proactive, flexible and able to organise work independently,

demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility.

A positive attitude, strong motivation, openness to new demands, excellent writing and

communication skills, outstanding interpersonal skills and sound judgement are essential. S/he

should also have a good knowledge of EU financial and contractual procedures. Reference: Call for interest EC/FPI/2026/521744

The candidates must have at least five years’ proven experience in programme and/or

project management in the field of external cooperation.

In addition, the candidates must have at least three years’ proven professional experience

in external cooperation on security matters, including support to policy implementation and

coordination and engagement with international partners, in one of the following areas:

Post 1: hybrid and cyber threats ;

Post 2: counterterrorism.

Experience working in EU Delegations and/or international organisations in partner countries will be

considered an advantage.

Excellent knowledge of English and good knowledge of French is essential.

In addition, the following elements will be considered strong assets:

- Very good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact effectively with colleagues and

contribute to a positive team spirit;

- Strong communication and presentation skills;

- Proven capacity to analyse and structure complex information;

- A clear interest in working in a diverse, dynamic and hard-working team.

The candidate/jobholder must either be a holder of a valid security clearance up to the level of

"SECRET UE/EU SECRET" or be willing to undergo the national security vetting procedure (to be

allowed to perform her/his job).

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 (Europass CV) 2. completed application form. Please send these documents by the publication deadline to FPI-1-

[email protected] indicating the call for interest reference EC/FPI/2026/521744 in

the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. Reference: Call for interest EC/FPI/2026/521744

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 appropriate profile and

invites them to an interview. For the interview a selection panel is set-up to assess the best

2 The 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). 3For details on language levels, please see the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr).

Reference: Call for interest EC/FPI/2026/521744

candidates. Due to the large volume of applications that we may receive only candidates selected for the interview will be notified.

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 9 September 2026, 6 days ago.

The application deadline is 22 September 2026, 5 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 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 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.