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:

• Provide administrative, logistic and secretarial support to Head of Unit and team of Policy Officers
• Attribute, follow up and file ARES documents and mail
• Apply document management rules
• Launch briefing requests in Basis
• Monitor deadlines
• Ensure calendar planning and organisation, preparation and follow-up of meetings
• Provide administrative and logistical support for organisation of meetings and events
• Maintain effective information flow and communication within services and external contacts

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 one year of related professional experience; previous experience as an executive secretary for middle and senior management is a must
• Languages: English (C1), French (B2)
• Key skills: Sound organisation skills, Flexibility, Ability to prioritise tasks, Handle high workload, Handle sensitive information with discretion, Familiar with Commission IT tools: Ares, MIPS, SYSPER, Decide, Eurolook, Basis, EASE, Respond rapidly to changing circumstances, Communicate effectively, Sense of initiative
• 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:

• 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.

Hiring unit: Unit INTPA G5: Resilience, Peace, Security, Directorate-General International Partnerships (DG INTPA).

Position details

Reference

INTPA/COM/2026/1958

Directorate-General

INTPA - International Partnerships

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

18 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 INTPA/COM/2026/1958. 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/2026/1958 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

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/2026/1958 Version: 16/04/2026

Secretary to the Head of unit

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

Selection reference: INTPA/COM/2026/1958

Domain*: Support Staff

Where : Un it INTPA G5: “Resilience, Peace, Security” - Brussels

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

Grade range: AST/SC1-2

Publication deadline : 30.09.2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

The framework of DG INTPA’s overall mandate, and within Directorate G 'Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace’, the thematic Unit G5 'Resilience, Peace, Security' formulates and coordinates sectoral policies in these fields by working on mainstreaming the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus in EU’s work in Headquarters and in the field; providing expertise and support to capacity building and ensuring conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding and resilience approaches in countries affected by crises and/or fragility(ies); acting as a centre of expertise for cooperation on Security Sector Reform (SSR) transnational organised crime; protection of critical infrastructure; preventing and countering violent extremism, illicit financial flows, anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing; Jointly managing EU crisis preparedness and analysis tools (e.g. EU Conflict Early Warning System and RPBAs/PDNAs); acting as focal point and coordination entity on the above issues with a number of partners such as the Bretton Woods institutions, the OECD, and the UN (UNDP, UN Peace Building Support Office, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Office on Counter Terrorism), as well as other specialised international bodies and organisations (Interpol, the Financial Action Task Force). The Unit’s work is inscribed in the overall EU priorities, including the Global Gateway strategy.

WE PROPOSE

We are looking for an experienced secretary to the Head of unit and and team of Policy Officers . The

successful candidate will be closely integrated in a friendly and dynamic team. She/he will provide

administrative, logistic and secretarial support. She/he will be given a broad range of administrative

responsibilities and flexibility in the organisation of his/her work in accordance with the priorities of

the Head of Unit. She/he is expected to attribute, follow up and file ARES documents and mail,

apply the document management rules, launch briefing requests in Basis, monitor deadlines,

ensure calendar planning and the organisation, preparation and follow-up of meetings. She/He will

provide administrative and logistical support for the organisation of meetings and events. She/he

will help to maintain an effective information flow and communication within the services and 4INTPA/COM/2026/1958 Version: 16/04/2026

external contacts. In particular, she/he will prepare documents and notes, assist with Sysper, ensure

document filing, arrange videoconferences and organize missions in MIPS. She/he will work in close

collaboration with other members of the directorate.

WE LOOK FOR

We look for a dynamic, flexible, proactive, service-oriented and open-minded team colleague. The

successful candidate should have sound organisation skills, be flexible, being able to prioritise

tasks, handle high workload and sensitive information with the necessary discretion. She/he must

have a minimum of one year of related professional experience. Written and spoken fluency in

English and a good knowledge of French is a requirement. Knowledge of Commission procedures

and administrative rules, and experience in document management would be an asset. The

successful candidate will need to be familiar with Commission IT tools: Ares, MIPS, SYSPER, Decide,

Eurolook, Basis, EASE etc.

Suitable candidates must be able to respond rapidly to changing circumstances and to

communicate effectively. We welcome the motivation and capacity to induce improvements in the

working environment and procedures. Sense of initiative would be particularly appreciated. Previous

experience as an executive secretary for middle and senior management is a must.

The ideal profile has at least 1 years of experience in a relevant field.

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/2026/1958 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 5INTPA/COM/2026/1958 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.

 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 17 September 2026, 3 days ago.

The application deadline is 30 September 2026, 9 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.