Secretary - to the Director - 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:

• Provide general administrative support to the Director/Head of Service of FPI
• Overall planning and coordination
• Business continuity management
• Organisation of meetings
• Internal communication
• Support implementation of document management policies within the service
• Support the assistant of the Director/Head of Service

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: Appropriate professional experience of at least three years
• Languages: English (C1), French (B2)
• Key skills: Experienced secretary, Dynamic and reliable, Well-organised, Good team spirit, Excellent planning and coordination skills, Ability to adjust to various tasks, Trustworthiness and discretion, Positive attitude, Excellent writing and communication skills, Excellent inter-personal skills
• 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; security clearance required if not already acquired

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Selection panel chooses limited number of candidates for interview based on CV and application form

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent position.

Hiring unit: Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), European Commission.

Position details

Reference

FPI/COM/2026/1795

Directorate-General

FPI - Foreign Policy Instruments

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

18 September 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Secretary - to the Director at European Commission based in Brussels at the AST-SC1 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is FPI/COM/2026/1795. It is hosted by FPI - Foreign Policy Instruments, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Support Staff 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. 2FPI/COM/2026/1795

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.

3FPI/COM/2026/1795

Secretary to the Director - Head of

Service - Document Management

Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI)

of the European Commission

Selection reference : FPI /COM/202 6/1795

Domain: Support Staff, Ext ernal Relations

Where : FPI - Service for Foreign Policy Instruments , Brussels

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

Grade range: AST/SC1 -2

Publication deadline : 02/10/2026 - 12.00 (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.

WE PROPOSE

An interesting and challenging position as Secretary to the Director/Head of Service and Document

Management for the service. The successful candidate will provide general administrative support

to the Director /Head of Service of FPI and to the service, including overall planning and

coordination, business continuity, organisation of meetings, and internal communication. Under the

supervision of the Unit responsible for Document Management, the jobholder shall also provide

support and contribute to the effective implementation of document management policies within

the service. The chosen candidate will be part of a friendly and motivated team with a strong

emphasis on collaboration, availability and teamwork.

WE LOOK FOR

We look for an experienced, dynamic, reliable, well -organised secretary with a good team spirit and

excellent planning and coordination skills to effectively support the Director/Head of Service to the

highest of standards. The successful candidate should be able to adjust to various tasks (support

the assistant of the Director/Head of Service, document management, business continuity). Given 4FPI/COM/2026/1795

the confidential and politically sensitive nature of some files, trustworthiness and discretion are

essential. A positive attitude, excellent writing and communication skills, excellent inter -personal

skills and a good judgement are also essential as well as a good knowledge of standard

Commission procedures and tools (ARES, Word, MIPS, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint). An excellent

knowledge of English is essential and a good knowledge of French is an asset.

Security clearance: If not already acquired, the selected candidate should request it when taking up

function.

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 FPI -HR [email protected]

indicating the selection reference FPI/COM/2026/ 1795 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 5FPI/COM/2026/1795

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 .

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).

6FPI/COM/2026/1795

➢ 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.

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. Due to the large volume of applications , we may receive,

only candidates selected for the next step of the selection phase will be notified.

For operational reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in

the interest of the candidates and of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in

English and possibly in a nother language.

2.

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 18 September 2026, 2 days ago.

The application deadline is 2 October 2026, 11 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 18 September 2026 (2 days ago).

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 Support Staff field browse our Support Staff 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.