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:

• Manage incoming/outgoing mails/documents for the Head of Unit
• Allocate assignments for the unit in Ares
• Allocate briefings in Basis
• Monitor respect of deadlines
• Follow up on external requests including citizens requests and Parliamentary questions
• Provide support for handling ISC in Decide
• Handle launch of legislative procedures in Decide
• Assist with organisation of the secretariat

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: At least 2 years in the Commission working as secretary or administrative assistant (mandatory); at least 3 years appropriate professional experience if secondary education diploma
• Languages: One of the 24 official EU languages (C1), A second official EU language (B2)
• Key skills: Excellent planning skills, Excellent organisational skills, Excellent communication skills, Good knowledge of Commission IT tools (MIPS, Ares, Decide, Basis, Sysper), Knowledge of Commission procedures, Mastery of standard IT tools (Word, Excel, Outlook), Comfortable with Microsoft Teams and Webex, Team spirit, Initiative, Flexibility
• Eligibility: Citizen of an EU Member State; enjoy full rights as a citizen; fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service; physically fit to perform the duties; produce appropriate character references

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Post published internally within the Commission, inter-institutionally, and brought to the attention of competition laureates

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

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

Hiring unit: Unit C.2 – Ukraine Support Loan, Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS).

Position details

Reference

DEFIS/COM/2026/1840

Directorate-General

DEFIS - Defence Industry and Space

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

15 September 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 DEFIS/COM/2026/1840. It is hosted by DEFIS - Defence Industry and Space, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Defence 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. 2DEFIS/COM/2026/1840 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.

3DEFIS/COM/2026/1840 Version: 16/04/2026

Secretary to the Head of Unit

Directorate - General for Defence Industry and Space (DG

DEFIS ) of the European Commission

Selection reference: DEFIS COM/ 202 6/1840

Domain : Defence Industry – Research, Development and Innovation – Operational and Administrative

Support and Resources

Where : Unit C.2 – Ukraine Support Loan, Brussels

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

Grade range: AST/SC1 -2

Publication deadline : 25 .09 .202 6 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

Currently, this position is part of our DEFIS Task Force SAFE Unit DEFIS.TF.1 with the following

mission statement:

- Manage the Security Action for Europe and the Ukraine support loan Instruments,

supporting Member States and Ukraine in making strategic public investments in the

European defence sector.

- Oversee the implementation and regulatory compliance of the Security Action for Europe

and Ukraine support loan.

- Foster collaboration across DG DEFIS units and engage with national, international, and

industry stakeholders to enhance the coherent implementation of the Security Action for

Europe and Ukraine Support Loan initiatives, in line with EU defence policy priorities.

Soon, the post will be part of new unit DEFIS.C.2 Ukraine Support loan, responsible for:

- Managing the defence window of the Ukraine Support Loan instrument.

- Overseeing the implementation of Ukrainian product schedules and requests for funds for

defence -related procurement and investment.

WE PROPOSE

We are offering an interesting and challenging position for a dynamic, experienced and well -

organised secretary, able to work with the Head of Unit and in close cooperation with the policy

officers. The successful candidate will act proactively and in cooperation with the other 2

administrative assistants of the unit.

He/she will be responsible to run efficiently the management of incoming/outgoing

mails/documents for the Head of Unit, in a fast changing environment, and will also be responsible

for the allocation of assignments for the unit in Ares and for the allocation of briefings in Basis,

monitoring the respect of deadlines and ensuring that all external requests including citizens

requests and Parliamentary questions are being followed up. 4DEFIS/COM/2026/1840 Version: 16/04/2026

He/she will provide support for the handling of ISC in Decide in cooperation with responsible policy

officers and when needed will handle the launch of legislative procedures in Decide.

He/she will assist with the organisation of the secretariat and be responsible for planning and

organising missions for the Head of U nit and Unit in MIPS, also monitoring the use and

consumption of respective budget lines over the year.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for a dynamic, pro -active, and motivated colleague with excellent planning,

organisational, communication skills.

The position requires good knowledge of Commission IT tools (MIPS, Ares, Decide, Basis, Sysper),

and of Commission procedures. Prior experience of at least 2 years in the Commission, working as

secretary or administrative assistant, is mandatory.

Team spirit, initiative, flexibility and reliability are key given the role of the unit in a politically

sensitive area, where the unit regularly works under pressure. Previous experience of work in highly

sensitive policy areas is desirable.

We seek a candidate who can organise his/her work independently, pays attention to details, and

has the ability to adjust to fast -changing priorities. Reliability, discretion and a sense of service are

essential.

The successful candidate is expected to master standard IT tools (Word, Excel, Outlook) and be

comfortable with tools such as Microsoft Teams and Webex. A good command of English (written

and oral) is essential. 5DEFIS/COM/2026/1840 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 DEFIS -TF -HR @ec.europa.eu indicating

the selection reference DG/COM/202 6/1840 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6DEFIS/COM/2026/1840 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 .

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).

7DEFIS/COM/2026/1840 Version: 16/04/2026

➢ What about the selection steps?

The post was published internally within the Commission, inter -institutionally, and brought to the

attention of competition laureates.

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 11 September 2026, 4 days ago.

The application deadline is 25 September 2026, 8 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 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 Defence field browse our Defence 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.