Secretary - to the Head of Unit - 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:

• Administrative, organisational and secretarial duties
• Document management (registration and attribution and follow-up of correspondence)
• Organisation of meetings and missions
• Use of Commission IT tools
• Ensure smooth functioning of the Unit
• Monitor workflows and deadlines
• Other duties within the Unit as required

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 (if secondary education diploma only)
• Languages: One of the 24 official EU languages (C1), A second official EU language (B2)
• Key skills: Motivated, dynamic, well-organised, Eye for detail, Multi-tasking capability, Strong sense of initiative and work ethic, Ability to work in a team, Excellent inter-personal and communication skills, PC-literate, Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office software, Knowledge of Commission IT tools (Ares, Sysper, MIPS, Webdor, Syslog), Knowledge of Decide, E-domec and web editing (strong asset)
• 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 chooses limited number of candidates for interview based on CV and application form

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

Hiring unit: Unit INTPA.D3 - Coordination and oversight of Financing Instruments, Directorate-General for International Partnerships….

Position details

Reference

INTPA/COM/2026/1783

Directorate-General

INTPA - International Partnerships

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

27 August 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Secretary - to the Head of Unit at European Commission based in Brussels at the AST-SC1 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is INTPA/COM/2026/1783. It is hosted by INTPA - International Partnerships, 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. 2INTPA/COM/2026/1783

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

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

3INTPA/COM/2026/1783

Secretary to the Head of Unit and the Unit

Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission

Selection reference: INTPA/COM/2026/1783

Domain*: Support Staff

Where : Unit INTPA D.3. - – “Coordination and oversight of Financing Instruments”, Brussels

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

Grade range: AST/SC1-2

Publication deadline : 04.09.2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

The mission of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) is to contribute to sustainable development, the eradication of poverty, to peace and to the protection of human rights, through international partnerships that uphold and promote European values and interests. DG INTPA has a leading role in formulating EU policies in the area of international cooperation and building partnerships with countries and international organisations across the globe.

Unit INTPA.D3 “Coordination and oversight of Financing Instruments” is a policy Unit dealing with strategic, cross-cutting issues. It leads for DG INTPA the Multi-annual Financial Framework file, in particular matters related to external action and financing instruments, coordinates the multi-annual programming in coordination with the EEAS and other relevant Commission services, monitors the priorities and allocations at multi-annual programming level, and coordinates the allocation of reserves.

WE PROPOSE

We are looking for an experienced secretary to the Head of Unit and the Unit.

The successful candidate will be joining a friendly, challenging and rewarding working environment.

The day-to-day duties involve administrative, organisational and secretarial duties, including document management (registration and attribution and follow-up of correspondence), organisation of meetings and missions, making use of Commission IT tools.

S/he will ensure a smooth functioning of the Unit and monitoring workflows and deadlines. 4INTPA/COM/2026/1783

The successful candidate may also be required to carry out other duties within the Unit.

WE LOOK FOR

The person we are seeking to recruit should be motivated, dynamic, well-organised, have an eye for detail, and be fully capable of multi-tasking. S/he should have a strong sense of initiative and work ethic, as well as the proven ability to work in a team.

S/he should have excellent inter-personal and communication skills and be able to maintain cordial relations with the colleagues with whom s/he will be dealing within the Unit, the Directorate-General and other services, offering help and assistance whenever possible, while at the same time ensuring prompt and high-quality service delivery.

S/he should be PC-literate, with an excellent knowledge of the Microsoſt office soſtware and Commission IT tools (Ares, Sysper, MIPS, Webdor, Syslog). Knowledge of Decide, E-domec and web editing is a strong asset.

The successful candidate should be fully capable of working in both English and French (oral and written).

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 INTPA/COM/2026/1783 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 5INTPA/COM/2026/1783

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.

 What about the selection steps?

The post was published internally within the Commission, inter-institutionally, and brought to the attention of competition laureates.

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).

6INTPA/COM/2026/1783

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 French.

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 17 August 2026, 11 days ago.

The application deadline is 4 September 2026, 6 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 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.