Senior Specialist – Europol Liaison Office in Brussels (AD7), EU Affairs Team, Strategy & External Relations Unit - European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (AD7, 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:

• Provide strategic policy advice and recommendations to senior management on key dossiers in the EU JHA area
• Monitor and report on EU legislative and policy developments relevant to Europol's interests
• Establish and foster contacts with relevant Brussels stakeholders such as EU Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU, Member States and EU agencies
• Monitor, analyse and perform background research on EU JHA-related topics
• Prepare or contribute to preparation of high-level briefing notes for Council preparatory bodies and meetings
• Draft weekly reports on JHA developments, high level briefings and policy papers for senior management
• Represent Europol in relevant Council preparatory bodies, Commission and other meetings and conferences
• Develop clear and consistent policy positions and messaging aligned with Europol's objectives

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: 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 at least three years; OR prof…
• Experience: At least 6 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma. Essential: extensive experience in EU Affairs with particular focus on Justice and Home Affairs area; extensive experience in leading negotiations on legislative and non-legislative files in Council preparatory bodies; experience providing strategic advice and support to senior management; experience in…
• Languages: one of the languages of the Union (thoroug…), another language of the Union (satisfa…)
• Key skills: Excellent communication skills in English, both orally and in writing, Excellent presentation skills, Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences, Structured approach to work aimed at getting results, Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills, Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet, High degree of commitment and flexibility, High level of customer and service-orientation, Excellent organizational skills including ability to plan workload, establish clear priorities and exercise initiative, Ability to manage projects and familiarity with project management terminology and methodology
• Eligibility: Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen; have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws on military service; produce appropriate character references as to suitability for performance of duties; be physically fit to perform the duties as specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European U…

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Submit application through online recruitment system accessible via Europol's website

Contract and working arrangements

Working arrangements: The post is allocated, for at least a limited duration, to Europol Headquarter in The Hague (Netherlands).

Hiring unit: EU Affairs Team (G2-11), Strategy & External Relations Unit, Institutional and Legal Affairs Department, Governance Dir….

Position details

Reference

Europol/2026/TA/AD7/781

Directorate-General

G2 Institutional and Legal Affairs

Last Verified

18 October 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Senior Specialist – Europol Liaison Office in Brussels (AD7), EU Affairs Team, Strategy & External Relations Unit at Europol based in The Hague at the AD7 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is Europol/2026/TA/AD7/781. It is hosted by G2 Institutional and Legal Affairs, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area.

This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list in Q1-Q2 of 2027.

1. Organisational context

Organisational setting: The post of Senior Specialist – Europol Liaison Officer in Brussels, is located in the EU Affairs Team (G2-11), Strategy & External Relations Unit, Institutional and Legal Affairs Department in the Governance Directorate.

The Institutional and Legal Affairs Department deals with tasks central to Europol's corporate functioning. It is the interface between the organisation and the political sphere assisting Europol’s senior management with up-to-date information, legal and strategic assessments, managing external relations and preparing interactions with the Management Board and other stakeholders, as well as planning, monitoring and process functions.

The Governance Directorate is responsible for supporting and assisting Europol Management and the rest of the organisation by providing advice and maintaining strategic links with relevant EU bodies and law enforcement agencies of the Member States. Maintaining close cooperation with other directorates, particularly on key corporate matters and monitor business planning and performance management, are also among the Directorate’s task. Additionally, the Governance Directorate is responsible to ensure Europol’s physical and information security and business continuity. Governance directorate comprises of two Departments, Institutional and legal affairs and Corporate Security.

The Strategic and External Relations Unit, within the Institutional and Legal Affairs Department, is responsible for assisting Europol’s Executive Director and senior management team in providing leadership and strategic direction to Europol, developing and monitoring the implementation of the Europol Strategy and the annual Europol Work Programmes and to ensure that an external relations strategy is developed and implemented in a coherent way.

The post of Senior Specialist – Europol Liaison Officer in Brussels is allocated, for at least a limited duration, to Europol Headquarter in The Hague (Netherlands).

Purpose of the post: The Senior Specialist - Europol Liaison Officer in Brussels, plays a pivotal role in shaping Europol’s external engagement with its cooperation partners located in Brussels, ensuring alignment with EU legislative and policy developments and driving initiatives that support Europol objectives. The main task of the Europol Liaison Officer in Brussels will be to represent the agency towards the EU institutions, Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies, EU Member States and other strategic stakeholders and to advocate for Europol’s interests, building a positive external image.

Reporting lines: The incumbent reports to the Head of the Strategy & External Relations Unit.

2. Functions and duties

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

- Provide strategic policy advice and make recommendations to senior management on key dossiers in the EU JHA area; - Monitor and report on the EU legislative and policy developments relevant to Europol’s interests and analyse the potential impact of EU policies and regulations on Europol and its stakeholders;

- Establish and foster contacts with relevant Brussel’s stakeholders, such as the EU Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, Member States and relevant EU agencies; - Monitor, analyse and perform background research on EU JHA-related topics; prepare or contribute to the preparation of high-level briefing notes for relevant Council preparatory bodies, expert and high-level Commission meetings or conferences organised by EU stakeholders; - Draft weekly reports on developments in the JHA environment, high level briefings and policy papers for the attention of senior management; - Represent Europol in relevant Council preparatory bodies, Commission and other meetings and conferences and advocate for Europol’s interests based on direction provided by management; - Develop clear and consistent policy positions and messaging that align with Europol’s objectives; - Facilitate an effective working relationship between the Strategy & External Relations Unit and the Directorates, Departments and Units within Europol, also through direct contacts with the Operations Directorate and the Corporate Affairs Bureau for matters within their tasks; - Support Europol senior management when participating in meetings or other events in the framework of the Council and the Commission; - Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by line management.

3. Requirements - Eligibility criteria

a. Candidates must

- Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and enjoy full rights as a citizen; - 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 at least three years;

- Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area 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 6 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

4. Requirements - Selection criteria

a. Professional experience

Essential:

- Extensive experience in EU Affairs, with particular focus on the Justice and Home Affairs area; - Extensive experience in leading negotiations on legislative and non-legislative files, in particular in Council preparatory bodies; - Experience providing strategic advice and support to senior management; - Experience in policy research and analysis; - Experience drafting a wide range of strategic documentation in English.

Desirable:

- Experience working in an EU institution/body or an international organisation; - Experience supporting strategic decision-making processes obtained in a law enforcement context.

b. Professional knowledge

- In depth knowledge of EU institutions, EU policies, EU legislation, and decision-making processes affecting the EU JHA area; - Ability to manage and engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders; - Ability to analyse complex policy and legislative issues and to provide strategic recommendations to management; - Ability to develop and execute successful advocacy strategies to achieve organisational goals; - Knowledge of Europol’s legal framework, in particular in relation to EU and external cooperation.

c. General competencies

Communicating:

- Excellent communication skills in English, both orally and in writing; - Excellent presentation skills; - Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various audiences.

Analysing & problem solving:

- Structured approach to work aimed at getting results; - Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills; - Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet.

Delivering quality and results:

- High degree of commitment and flexibility; - High level of customer and service-orientation.

Prioritising and organising:

- Excellent organizational skills including the ability to plan own work load, establish clear priorities and exercise initiative; - Ability to manage projects and familiarity with project management terminology and methodology.

Resilience:

- Strong ability to work well both independently and in a team; - Very good interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively liaise with other departments, groups and teams as well as with external partners; - Ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and demonstrate resistance to stress.

Living diversity:

- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers in an international and multi-disciplinary work environment.

Advising:

- Ability to synthesise various data into a coherent and relevant whole, transforming it into a valuable and correct conclusion; - Building constructive relationships with clients, adequately identifying and managing their needs and expectations, and giving well-grounded advice.

Team supervision:

- Ability to manage a diverse team including the ability to motivate staff, effectively plan and monitor the work of other staff members and to provide guidance.

d. Additional conditions: Fulfil the condition stipulated in Article 5 of the Decision of the Executive Director on the Duration of contracts of employment for Temporary Agents, on the start date of the possible contract of employment which may be offered.

5. Selection procedure

All applications for Temporary Agent posts must be submitted through the online recruitment system accessible via Europol’s website. For further information, please consult the Europol Recruitment Guidelines.

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AD7 runs from €7,876 (step 1) to €8,911 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €94,512 to €106,932 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 €1,260 per month at step 1 of AD7) 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 9 October 2026, 9 days ago.

The application deadline is 6 November 2026, 18 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 October 2026.

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at AD7 see our AD7 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.