Secretary to the Head of Unit - European Commission (FGII, 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:

• Strategically manage the Head of Unit's daily schedule and anticipate priorities
• Coordinate meetings and organize missions including booking arrangements and encoding in MIPS
• Act as central point of contact to streamline internal clerical workflows and maintain operational efficiency
• Oversee and follow up on lifecycle of incoming and outgoing official correspondence
• Ensure precise archiving, tracking, and registration within ARES application
• Provide backup support to unit's other secretary for management of Interservice consultations and briefing requests
• Perform administrative tasks to provide back-up support to Director's secretariat or other units within Directorate as necessary

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 qualification); solid administrative track record in executive assistance or advanced office management; prior experience within public administration or EU institution highly valued
• Languages: English or French or other EU official… (C1), second EU official language (B2)
• Key skills: Strong working knowledge of European Commission's administrative rules and procedures, Familiarity with ARES (Document management), BASIS (Briefing tool), MIPS (Travels tool), DECIDE (Decision-making tool) or equivalent systems, Strong verbal and written communication skills, Diplomacy and discretion, Teamwork, Operational excellence, Ability to work rapidly, accurately, and autonomously under tight deadlines, Ability to manage competing priorities, Strong sense of initiative, Service-minded attitude
• Eligibility: Citizen of an EU Member State and 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; have passed an EPSO CAST in Function Group II

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Register in EPSO CAST Permanent database if not already registered
• Submit CV and completed application form as single PDF to [email protected]

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Fixed-term contract (maximum 6 years in any EU Institution).

Hiring unit: Unit H.1 - Common Legal Support Service, DG RTD (Research & Innovation), Brussels.

Position details

Reference

EC/2026/RTD/84250

Directorate-General

RTD - Research and Innovation

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

24 July 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 FGII grade level (Contract Agent). The vacancy reference is EC/2026/RTD/84250. It is hosted by RTD - Research and Innovation, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Science And Research 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 positions 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. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

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 (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

# Secretary to the Head of Unit

# in DG RTD - European Commission

Job title: Secretary - to the Head of Unit

Domain: Science and Research

Where : Unit H.1- “Common Legal Support Service“, Brussels

Function Group : FG II

Contract Type : 3b

Express your interest until : 21.08.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

WE ARE

The Common Legal Support Service (CLSS) is part of Directorate RTD (Research & Innovation)/H "Common Implementation Centre" in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. It drafts the Rules for Participation of the Framework Programmes and ensures their coherent interpretation for all implementing bodies. It acts as a liaison between the R&I DGs and the Legal Service and DG BUDGET. It provides legal advice on the programme design and implementation, drafts legal acts, and provides support during inter-institutional procedures. It also drafts commission decisions and guidelines. The CLSS offers legal advice and support covering the entire project life cycle and complaints. In addition, it provides legal advice on horizontal issues such as legal procedures, international cooperation, intellectual property rights, ethics and research integrity, and inter-institutional matters.

WE PROPOSE

A dynamic and central administrative role as Secretary to the Head of Unit, providing executive support directly to the management and serving as the operational backbone of the unit to ensure seamless daily workflows and optimal resource management. Main responsibilities include strategically managing the Head of Unit’s daily schedule, anticipating priorities, coordinating meetings and organising missions (including booking arrangements and encoding in MIPS, internal tool for the management of the travels). This role acts as a central point of contact to streamline internal clerical workflows, foster smooth communication, and maintain operational efficiency across the entire team. Additionally, the position involves overseeing and following up on the lifecycle of incoming and outgoing official correspondence, ensuring precise archiving, tracking, and registration within the ARES application (document management tool). The chosen candidate will also provide essential backup support to the unit's other secretary by assisting with the management and follow up of Interservice consultations and briefing requests. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

Furthermore, the successful candidate may also be required, as necessary, to perform administrative tasks to provide back-up support to the Director's secretariat or the secretariats of other units within the Directorate.

WE LOOK FOR

A highly organized, resilient, and proactive professional with a solid administrative track record in executive assistance or advanced office management who thrives in a fast-paced, structured environment. The ideal candidate has a strong working knowledge of the European Commission’s administrative rules and procedures. Familiarity with corporate IT tools such as ARES (Document management), BASIS (Briefing tool), MIPS (Travels tool) and DECIDE (Decision-making tool) — or equivalent systems — would be considered a asset. Prior experience within a public administration or EU institution is highly valued. This role requires strong verbal and written communication skills in both English and French, with a natural talent for diplomacy, discretion, and teamwork. Candidates must demonstrate proven operational excellence, including the ability to work rapidly, accurately, and autonomously under tight deadlines while managing competing priorities. Finally, a strong sense of initiative, a dedicated service-minded attitude, and the flexibility to step in as a reliable backup for colleagues are essential for success in this position.

HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?

With a view to guaranteeing equal access to all, the Commission recruits from an open database of spontaneous applications. The present call for interests aims at helping the recruiters to identify potentially interested candidates within this database.

In practice, to express your interest, please follow the subsequent two steps:

1. If you are not registered yet in the open EPSO database, please do so at the following address: CAST Permanent . Please select under selection procedures for contract agent the

CAST permanent profile that best suits your education and experience.

2. You should send your documents in a single pdf in the following order: 1. your CV 2. completed application form. Please send these documents to [email protected] by the

publication deadline indicating the call for interest reference EC-2026/RTD/84250 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. (Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/RTD/84250)

## 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 contract 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 position;

• Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.

• Have passed an EPSO CAST in the relevant Function Group for this position. At the stage of the application, it is sufficient to be registered in the EPSO CAST data base.

Qualifications:

(a) Have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma OR

(b) 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.

Languages:

• have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the EU 1

• AND have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) 2 of a second official language of the EU, to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

> 1The 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

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at FGII runs from €2,715 (step 1) to €3,072 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €32,580 to €36,864 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 €434 per month at step 1 of FGII) 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 13 July 2026, 13 days ago.

The application deadline is 21 August 2026, 24 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 24 July 2026 (2 days ago).

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at FGII see our FGII 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 Science And Research field browse our Science And Research 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.