Secretary - to the 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.

Position details

Reference

EC/2026/MENA/469911

Directorate-General

MENA - Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

24 July 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Secretary - to the Unit at European Commission based in Brussels at the FGII grade level (Contract Agent). The vacancy reference is EC/2026/MENA/469911. It is hosted by MENA - Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, 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 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 (Reference: EC/2026/MENA/469911)

each staff member feels valued and respected, can give their best and can develop to their full potential.

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: EC/2026/MENA/469911)

# Secretary to the Unit and Head of Unit

# in DG MENA of the European Commission

Job title*: Secretary to the Unit and Head of Unit

Domain**: Middle East, North Africa and Gulf

Where : Unit C2 - Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen , Brussels

Function Group : FG II

Contract Type : 3b

Express your interest until : 11/09/2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

WE ARE

DG MENA – Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf

DG MENA was established on 1 February 2025 as the European Commission’s dedicated entry

point for all countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf regions. Its mission is to build

strong, strategic partnerships based on mutual interest, aiming to promote shared prosperity,

stability, and resilience.

To achieve this, DG MENA coordinates and integrates the Commission’s policies across sectors,

while leveraging the EU’s technical and financial instruments to support partner countries. It works

in close cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the relevant thematic

Directorates-General.

Within DG MENA, Unit MENA C2 is one of three units in the Directorate for the Gulf (Directorate C).

The Unit is responsible for deepening and broadening the EU’s relations with the Kingdom of Saudi

Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while also contributing to stability and resilience

in Yemen and the Red Sea region.

Acting as a coordination hub, MENA C2 ensures policy coherence, mobilises EU funding instruments,

and drives forward the EU’s strategic engagement with these key partners. The Unit advances

Strategic Partnership Agreements (SPAs) with KSA and UAE, promotes triangular cooperation in the

broader MENA region, and addresses shared global challenges such as climate change, water and

energy security, digital transformation, and inclusive economic growth.

MENA C2 also oversees and supports DG MENA staff in the EU Delegations in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh,

and Amman, working closely with other Commission services and external partners to ensure

effective implementation of EU policies and programmes. (Reference: EC/2026/MENA/469911)

WE PROPOSE

Unit MENA C2 – DG MENA is seeking to hire a secretary.

The position will consist of carrying out secretarial tasks for Unit MENA C2, to provide general

administrative support, including document management, internal communication, organisation of

meetings, logistic needs and information provision.

The contract agent II position will work for the team members and for the Head of Unit as well as

some of the horizontal tasks.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for a highly organised, motivated, reliable, resilient and proactive professional with

a solid administrative track record who thrives in a fast-paced, structured environment. Genuine

interest in secretarial and administrative support is also sought after. 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 as an asset.

Candidates must demonstrate ability to work rapidly, accurately and autonomously under tight

deadlines while managing competing priorities. Finally, a strong sense of initiative, good

communication skills, 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 by the publication deadline to [email protected]

indicating the call for interest reference EC/2026/MENA/469911 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. (Reference: EC/2026/MENA/469911)

## 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.

 What about the selection steps?

The selecting unit chooses from the EPSO database 3 candidates with the appropriate profile and

invites them to an interview. For the interview a selection panel is set-up to assess the best

> 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), LT (Lithuanian), LV (Latvian), MT (Maltese), NL (Dutch), PL (Polish), PT (Portuguese), RO (Romanian), SK (Slovak), SL (Slove

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 24 July 2026, 2 days ago.

The application deadline is 11 September 2026, 45 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 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.