Secretary - European Commission (AST-SC1, 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:

• Management of correspondence (registration, attribution, filing) and follow-up
• Management of documents and translations
• Organisation of meetings of the Customs Code Committee, Customs Expert Group and Customs Laboratories European Network
• Handling reimbursement files of delegates
• Assistance in preparation of missions (mission orders, flights and hotel bookings, reimbursements)
• Preparation of documents for inter-services consultations and Commission adoption
• Answering and filtering phone calls
• Leadership in management of CIRCABC, Sinapse, PICS newsgroups and other communication channels with Member States and stakeholders

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education
• Experience: Minimum 2 years of professional experience in office management; or minimum 3 years of appropriate professional experience if only secondary education
• Languages: English
• Key skills: Strong understanding of secretariat management, Proficiency in electronic tools, Flexibility to adapt to new demands, Ability to integrate well into a team, Ability to work independently and proactively, Capable of effectively managing office tasks, Capable of organizing meetings
• 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 post; must produce appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

Working arrangements: Flexible working hours; flexible approach to work organisation within normal constraints.

Hiring unit: Unit TAXUD.B.5 – Customs Tariff, Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD).

Position details

Reference

TAXUD/COM/2026/1695

Directorate-General

TAXUD - Taxation and Customs Union

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

15 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Secretary at European Commission based in Brussels at the AST-SC1 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is TAXUD/COM/2026/1695. It is hosted by TAXUD - Taxation and Customs Union, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Customs & Taxation 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. 2TAXUD/COM/2026/1695 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.

3TAXUD/COM/2026/1695 Version: 16/04/2026

Secretary

Directorate - General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG

TAXUD) of the European Commission

Selection reference: TAXUD /COM/2026/1695

Domain*: Customs and Taxation

Where : Unit TAXUD .B.5 – “Customs Tariff “, Brussels

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

Grade range: AST/SC1 -2

Publication deadline : 18 .09 .202 6 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

The Directorate General Customs and Taxation (DG TAXUD) mission is to promote fair and

sustainable policies that generate revenue for the EU and its Member States and ensure that EU

citizens and businesses benefit from global trade and a safe and secure Single Market, protected at

its borders.

Directorate Digital delivery of Customs and Taxation Policies (Directorate B) is responsible for the

Common Customs Tariff, including classification, suspensions and quotas for goods entering the

EU. The directorate is also the digital powerhouse of TAXUD, dealing with digital policies aspects in

customs and taxation, as well as with digital delivery. The directorate is in the lead for the EU

Single Window Environment for Customs, and the digital delivery of the Union Customs Code, the

Customs Reform, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and all the initiatives in

customs, direct and indirect taxation, which have a daily impact on the lives of citizens and

businesses. As such, the directorate also runs a large -scale digital operation which is the second

largest in the Commission in terms of budget and size.

The European Parliament and Council have recently reached an agreement on a large strategic

overhaul of the Customs Union and in particular the creation of an EU Customs Authority which will

build and manage an EU Customs Data Hub, replacing all existing national customs systems.

The Directorate includes 130 staff with a good mix of officials, temporary and contract agents,

national experts, all supported by 115 intra/extra muros, and is working with a very large number

of contractors.

Within Directorate TAXUD.B, Unit B.5 "Customs Tariff' is a dynamic and motivated team of an

overall total of about 40 people in charge of an interesting and diverse set of activities starting

with the management of the Common Customs Tariff - the cornerstone of the Customs Union, key

for the design and implementation of tariff -related EU policy such as agricultural, industrial,

sanction, or commercial policies - as well as the legislative action on autonomous tariff

suspensions, quotas and duty reliefs. The Unit is also managing EU -wide databases related to the

above, used also by Member States and economic operators in their daily operations, and

coordinating the Customs Laboratories European Network.

The unit applies a flexible approach with respect to work organisation, within the normal

constraints of the work. The unit ensures integration of newcomers through mentoring and

teamwork. 4TAXUD/COM/2026/1695 Version: 16/04/2026

WE PROPOSE

An interesting and challenging position of Secretary to Unit B5.

The colleague will ensure various classical secretarial tasks to provide general administrative

support and management in the Unit and its different sectors, such as management (registration,

attribution, filing) and follow -up of correspondence, management of documents and translations,

organisation of meetings of the Customs Code Committee, Customs Expert Group and Customs

Laboratories European Network, handling the reimbursement files of delegates, assisting in the

preparation of missions (mission orders, flights and hotel bookings, reimbursements), preparing

documents for inter -services consultations and Commission adoption, answering and filtering the

phone calls and similar. He/she will take the leadership in management of the CIRCABC, Sinapse,

PICS newsgroups, and other channels of communications with MSs and stakeholders. On occasion

he/she may be asked to write short notes of administrative nature, provide targeted reports (e.g.

related to the work within the Comitology framework or on ongoing/completed tasks) and/or make

random linguistic contributions (e.g. spelling check of short phrases).

WE LOOK FOR

The ideal candidate should have a background in office management, supported by relevant

training and a minimum of 2 years of professional experience. We are looking for an official

who has a strong understanding of secretariat management and is proficient in using electronic

tools. Flexibility to adapt to new demands is essential. The candidate should be able to integrate

well into a team and also have the ability to work independently and proactively to meet

deadlines, particularly those related to meeting coordination. The candidate must be capable of

effectively managing office tasks and organizing meetings. In return, we offer a motivated and

supportive team environment, as well as the opportunity to benefit from flexible working hours.

The working language of the Unit is mainly English. 5TAXUD/COM/2026/1695 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 TAXUD -UNIT [email protected]

indicating the selection reference TAXUD/COM/2026/1695 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6TAXUD/COM/2026/1695 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 post -secondary education attested by a diploma, or

- a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post -secondary

education , and appropriate professional experience of at least three years .

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AST-SC1 runs from €3,292 (step 1) to €3,725 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €39,504 to €44,700 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 €527 per month at step 1 of AST-SC1) 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 7 September 2026, 8 days ago.

The application deadline is 18 September 2026, 1 day 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 AST-SC1 see our AST-SC1 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 Customs & Taxation field browse our Customs & Taxation 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.