Project 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:

• Assure the secretariat of the High-level group, including project management and effective coordination, drafting, strategic planning and delivery, communication and stakeholder engagement
• Provide input and analysis in support of the preparation of the final report, including specialist advice on HR reform
• Co-lead the communication and stakeholder engagement team, including defining strategy and clear objectives, with lead responsibility on external communication tasks

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: Prior experience in human resources reform and insight in public administration organisation and operations from both within and outside the Commission. Experience in internal and external communication.
• Languages: One of the 24 official EU languages (C1), A second official EU language (B2)
• Key skills: Fluency and excellent drafting skills in English, including the ability to convey complex issues clearly and concisely, Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and with relevant stakeholders, Strong analytical skills, including data and metrics analysis and experience in deploying data-driven tools, Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities, Problem solving skills and an ability to get things done, as well as a good eye for detail, Strong service culture and support-orientated attitude
• Eligibility: 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. 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:

• Submit CV and completed application form in a single PDF
• Applications from Commission officials, officials from other Institutions, and laureates of competitions have priority

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent position.

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

Hiring unit: Directorate-General Human Resources and Security (DG HR), HR.ADV.01 – Large-scale review of the Commission, Brussels.

Position details

Reference

HR/COM/2026/1790

Directorate-General

HR - Human Resources and Security

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

27 August 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Project Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the AD5 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is HR/COM/2026/1790. It is hosted by HR - Human Resources and Security, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Human Resources 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. 2HR/COM/2026/1790 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 under-represented in the European Commission ’s 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.

3HR/COM/2026/1790 Version: 16/04/2026

Project officer

Directorate-General Human Resources and Security (DG HR) of the European Commission

Selection reference: HR/COM/2026/1790

Domain*: Human Resources

Where : HR.ADV.01 – Large-scale review of the Commission, Brussels

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

Grade range: AD5-7

Publication deadline : 31.08.2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

The large-scale review team has been set up in DG Human Resources and Security (DG HR) to co-ordinate the work required to deliver the large-scale review of the European Commission’s

operations and organisation to help ensure that Europe can draw on a modern, efficient and attractive public administration. We support the preparation of the final report on the large-scale review, to be delivered before the end of 2026, including by:

- drawing upon relevant expertise from across the Commission to deliver the review.

- delivering the exercise to benchmark the European Commission against external organisations.

- providing the secretariat to the work of the High-level reflection group on the future of the

Commission’s civil service, which serves as an sounding board throughout the review process.

- assisting in ensuring appropriate interlinkage between internal, corporate HR initiatives and the large-scale review.

- contributing towards a more collaborative working culture, structures and methods across the European Commission.

- establishing appropriate consultation channels and means, under the guidance of the Director-Genal of DG HR.

- working closely with the corporate communication unit in DG HR to ensure the design and implementation of an effective stakeholder communication strategy to support the review.

We work in an agile, innovative and collaborative way to showcase the core values guiding organisational change in the European Commission. 4HR/COM/2026/1790 Version: 16/04/2026

WE PROPOSE

A challenging job as member of the team managing the large-scale review of the Commission’s

organisation and operations. The colleague will contribute to delivering on the above-mentioned tasks, with particular responsibility for:

- assuring the secretariat of the High-level group, including project management and effective coordination, drafting, strategic planning and delivery, communication and stakeholder engagement

- providing input and analysis in support of the preparation of the final report, including specialist advice on HR reform.

- co-leading the communication and stakeholder engagement team, including defining strategy and clear objectives, with lead responsibility on external communication tasks.

WE LOOK FOR

HR.ADV.01 is

looking for a dynamic and well-organised colleague to join our fast-moving team. As team member you will play a critical role in supporting the delivery on the large-scale review through effective collaborative work as well as autonomously delivering on key responsibilities. The ideal candidate has:

- prior experience in human resources reform and insight in public administration organisation and operations from both within and outside the Commission.

- Fluency and excellent drafting skills in English, including the ability to convey complex issues clearly and concisely.

- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and with relevant stakeholders.

- Experience in internal and external communication.

- Strong analytical skills, including data and metrics analysis and experience in deploying data-driven tools to that end.

- Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities.

- Problem solving skills and an ability to get things done, as well as a good eye for detail.

- Strong service culture and support-orientated attitude. 5HR/COM/2026/1790 Version: 16/04/2026

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 [email protected]

indicating the selection reference HR/COM/2026/1790 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6HR/COM/2026/1790 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.

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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➢ 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.

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 18 August 2026, 10 days ago.

The application deadline is 31 August 2026, 2 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 Human Resources field browse our Human Resources 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.