Head of Unit - ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management (AD9) - European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (AD9, The Hague)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation 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:

• Set vision, goals and objectives for the Unit in alignment with Europol's organisational strategy and inspire staff
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to facilitate seamless operations and ensure compliance with relevant legal framework
• Manage the delivery of relevant products and services included in the Europol work programme
• Manage staff within the Unit, establish and monitor key performance indicators
• Ensure effective management and efficient use of financial, human and other resources
• Manage conflicts by applying techniques and strategies to address conflicts early
• Ensure data protection and compliance with relevant Europol regulations
• Cultivate a culture of teamwork and cooperation with zero tolerance for harassment

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: Level of education corresponding to completed university studies attested by a diploma (4+ years) OR completed university studies attested by a diploma with 1+ year professional experience (3-year program) OR professional training of equivalent level in relevant area (e.g. Police Officer's School) with additional professional experience as specified
• Experience: At least 12 years of professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma
• Languages: Language of the Union (thoroug…), Language of the Union (satisfa…)
• Key skills: Leading in counter-terrorism at operational and strategic level, Staff management (at least 5 years), International law enforcement cooperation, Administration, finances and planning at management level, Change management, Sound knowledge of institutional framework at international level in counter-terrorism, In-depth knowledge of terrorism and violent extremism in the EU, Sound knowledge of core international crimes, Sound knowledge of different working methods and competence areas within CT operations, Sound knowledge of information management systems for law enforcement
• Eligibility: Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State; have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws on military service; produce appropriate character references; be physically fit to perform the duties; produce evidence of thorough knowledge of one language of the Union and satisfactory…

Contract and working arrangements

Working arrangements: This post might require participation in a shift system including weekends and nights as well as on-call duty.

Hiring unit: European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), Operations Directorate.

Position details

Reference

Europol/2026/TA/AD9/763

Directorate-General

O4 European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC)

Last Verified

24 July 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Head of Unit - ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management (AD9) at Europol based in The Hague at the AD9 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is Europol/2026/TA/AD9/763. It is hosted by O4 European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area.

_This selection procedure is intended to fill 1 currently available post._ _Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts within the organisation, should business needs require so._

1. Organisational Context

Organisational setting:

The post of Head of Unit - ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Mgmt Unit is located in the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), Operations Directorate.

The Operations Directorate deals with the core business of Europol, improving the effectiveness and cooperation of the competent authorities in the Member States (MS) in preventing and combating serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism affecting the Member States. This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the Member States.Europoldelivers a number of products and services to national law enforcement agencies to support them in their fight against international serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism.

The Operations Directorate hosts six distinct Departments: Operational and Analysis Centre (OAC), European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC), European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3), European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) and European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS).

The European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) is responsible for facilitating counter-terrorism cooperation and information exchange among the Counter Terrorism (CT) authorities as well as to provide operational analysis. It was established in 2016 with the aim of maximising operational, technical and overall information exchange capabilities in the area of counterterrorism. ECTC strives to ensure added value for EU MS and TPs CT cooperation by providing:

* An information hub for counter-terrorism with strong analysis and information sharing capabilities, effective operational support and expertise for MS and TPs CT investigations; * P roactive mitigation of the use of social media for radicalisation purposes through terrorist/violent (right-wing) extremist online propaganda, also promoting private-public partnerships; * A central strategic support capability to identify European wide CT implications and outreach with relevant international partners. A support office for the ATLAS network (Special Interventions Units) is also set up within ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit.

Purpose of the post:

The Head of Unit-ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management is responsible for the effective discharge of his/her responsibilities under the supervision of the Head of the Department ECTC.

This includes close contact with Heads of Teams and Specialists/Analysts as well as external counterparts in order to identify opportunities for operational support and to enhance operational cooperation and live information exchange with competent authorities in MS and Third Countries. Reporting lines:

The incumbent reports to the Head of Department, ECTC.Job environment:

This post might require participation in a shift system including weekends and nights as well as on-call duty.

2. Functions and duties

The successful candidate will have to carry out the following main duties:

* Set vision, goals and objectives for the Unit in alignment with Europol’s organisational strategy and inspire staff; * Develop and implement policies and procedures to facilitate seamless operations and ensure compliance with relevant legal framework and fundamental rights outlined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; * Manage the delivery of relevant products and services included in the Europol work programme; ensure the quality and timeliness of the products and services delivered; * Manage staff within the Unit, establish and monitor the achievement of key performance indicators and identify and address areas for improvement; provide constructive feedback, guide and empower staff in order to grow and develop; * Ensure the effective management and efficient use of all financial, human and other resources, in support of Europol's program delivery; identify risks and ensure appropriate mitigation; * Manage conflicts by effectively applying techniques and strategies that identify and address conflicts early and to find satisfactory solutions that promote positive outcomes; * Ensure that data entrusted to the unit are protected and used in accordance with the relevant Europol regulations; * Cultivate a culture of teamwork and cooperation with zero tolerance for harassment; put into place effective communication and collaboration between the Unit and other Units/stakeholders inside or outside of Europol; * Make development opportunities available and ensure staff members have the know-how, resources, environment and support necessary to achieve results in an effective manner; * Represent the Unit in external and cross-departmental engagements and negotiations and provide advice on matters relating to area of responsibility; deliver presentations and prepare reports; * Act as role model for the Unit and champion diversity and inclusion matters inside and outside Europol; * Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management.

3. Requirements - Eligibility criteria a. Candidates must

* Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State; * Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service; * Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties; * Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post as further specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS); * Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

b. Candidates must have

* A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more;

OR

* A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is three years;

OR

* Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g. Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below:

Duration of professional training Additional professional experience required for equivalency

More than 6 months and up to 1 year 4 years

More than 1 year and up to 2 years 3 years

More than 2 years and up to 3 years 2 years

More than 3 years 1 year

* In addition to the above at least 12 years of professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

4. Requirements - Selection criteria

**a) Professional experience:

Essential:**

* Experience in leading in the field of counter-terrorism, both operational and strategic level; * Experience in managing staff of at least 5 years; * Experience in the field of international law enforcement cooperation; * Experience with administration, finances and planning at management level; * Change management experience.

Desirable:

* Experience in working in a multicultural environment; * Experience in project management.

b) Professional knowledge:

Essential:

* Sound knowledge of institutional framework at international level in the field of counter terrorism, including sound knowledge of the relationships between CT partners in law enforcement and intelligence/security services; * In-depth knowledge of terrorism and violent extremism in the EU and the key factors and trends in the current emerging threat picture; * Sound knowledge of core international crimes; * Sound knowledge of the different working methods and competence areas required within CT operations; * Sound knowledge in information management systems for collecting, sharing and storing data for law enforcement; * Sound knowledge of the EU and Europol’s legal framework, specifically in relation to counter-terrorism.

c) General management skills, including:

Essential:

* The ability to set and revise objectives for the unit within the overall strategic framework and priorities of the Agency; * The ability to determine and focus on priorities and to monitor and evaluate the progress made towards achieving the Department’s and Units/Team members’ objectives set, in cooperation with managers;

* The ability to organise, assign and manage the Department’s work among the members of the Units/Teams and to set them challenging but realistic objectives; * The ability to empower members of the Units and Teams while ensuring that they understand what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the unit’s objectives; * The ability to choose co-workers and to build strong teams with complementary strengths suited to the efficient pursuit of the Department’s objectives; * The ability to motivate members of the team to achieve the desired results and also to provide regular feedback, acknowledge success and the need for improvement in order to enable them to achieve their objectives and greatest potential; * The ability to develop and support career development and learning opportunities for the members of the team.

Communication skills

* The ability to communicate clearly and present complex subjects simply, both orally and in writing, including to the members of the team; * The ability to solicit inputs from and lis

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AD9 runs from €10,083 (step 1) to €11,408 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €120,996 to €136,896 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 €1,613 per month at step 1 of AD9) together with household, dependent-child, and education allowances where applicable. Take-home pay is then adjusted by the country correction coefficient for The Hague. For a worked example see our correction coefficients guide and the EU salaries overview.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 6 July 2026, 20 days ago.

The application deadline is 3 August 2026, 7 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 AD9 see our AD9 grade page; for headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at Europol see the Europol institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in The Hague see our The Hague location 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.