Policy Officer

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 ATTRACTIVE WORKING CONDITIONS AND MUCH MORE:

•

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.

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 Sweden1. 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.

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.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)

Policy Officer

in the Directorate-General for Communications
Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT)

Policy Officer
European Policy
Unit C3 – Microelectronics and Photonics, Brussels

Job title:
Domain:
Where:
Function Group: FG IV
Contract Type:
Express your interest until: 23/07/2026, 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

3b

WE ARE

DG CONNECT supports the digital transformation of our economy and society and conceives and
implements the policies required to foster the internal market, to make Europe fit for the Digital
age and to gain technological autonomy.

Unit C3 (Microelectronics and Photonics) in DG CONNECT is responsible for the definition of the
European microelectronics and photonics industrial strategy and its implementation.

The mission of the unit is:

• To strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the electronics and the photonics value
chains and ecosystems in the Union by implementing the three pillars of the European
Chips Act and the Chips Act 2.0, which is currently under negotiation.

• To implement the European electronics and photonics industrial strategies and develop the

best framework for attracting investments in electronics and photonics in Europe.

• To implement international collaboration activities on semiconductors with relevant third

countries that are beneficial to the European Union.

The main policy initiative of the unit at present is the European Chips Act, which aims to create a
resilient European semiconductor ecosystem. Its revision, Chips Act 2.0, is currently under
negotiation by the Council and the Parliament. These acts are complemented by work aimed at
strengthening Europe’s competitiveness in microelectronics and photonics. In this context, the unit
is also responsible for three Important Projects of Common European Interest, the Chips Joint
Undertaking, the Public-Private Partnership on Photonics, the Industrial Alliance on Processors and
Semiconductor Technologies, as well as activities to promote skills in microelectronics and
photonics, to support start-ups and SMEs, to address economic security concerns, and international
cooperation.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)

We are a multidisciplinary team of 20 people at the intersection of legislation, policy, market
analysis, investment, and research/innovation in semiconductor technologies. The Unit is dynamic,
committed, multi-cultural, team-oriented, and has a friendly atmosphere.

WE PROPOSE

We propose a position as Policy Officer to play a key role in the achievement of the unit’s
objectives, specifically in the implementation of the European Chips Act, the Chips Act 2.0, and
related policies. The work will combine policy development and implementation activities via the
above instruments.

The work will entail frequent contacts with external stakeholders from industry, academia and
Member States, as well as colleagues from other units in the DG, and other services of the
Commission (e.g. COMP, DEFIS, GROW, RTD, and TRADE).

General tasks:

• handle intensive exchanges with Member States’ relevant authorities and private sector
stakeholders (industry) in the preparation of policy proposals and their implementation;
strengthen the team’s capabilities in areas such as semiconductor technologies, AI,
quantum technologies, competition, and/or trade policy;

•

• handle exchanges and conduct joint work with other relevant Commission services on policy

related to semiconductors, and the preparation and follow-up of relevant initiatives;
carry out market analyses;

•
• draft policy notes and participate in the drafting of documents.

The final allocation of tasks will depend on the profile of the successful candidate.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic colleague to join the team and particularly to
work on the European Chips Act, the Chips Act 2.0, and related policies.

The colleague is expected to have a background in engineering, economics and/or policy
development; a very good understanding of the semiconductor industry and market; a good insight
in geopolitical factors and economic security; and a good grasp of technology trends.

Furthermore, extensive knowledge of European R&D&I instruments and programmes would be
welcomed. Experience in standardisation is an asset.

In terms of personal qualities, we expect the colleague to be at ease with working autonomously;
be prepared to develop their own initiatives; have a high sense of responsibility; be able to
cooperate efficiently with colleagues from different backgrounds; show organisational skills; have

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)

effective drafting skills to translate complex technical matters in intelligible policy papers; be able
to effectively communicate with external stakeholders in different contexts; and actively contribute
to a pleasant working environment.

Finally, the main working language of the unit is English. French is an asset.

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:

2. completed application form.

1. your CV
Please send these documents by the publication deadline to [email protected] and
[email protected] indicating the call for interest reference EC/2026/CNECT/467267
in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline.

The selection process will consist of two interview rounds and small written essays. The first
interview round is planned from 30 July to 12 August 2026. The best candidates from the first
round will be invited for the written essays and the second interview round, which are planned
between 13 and 28 August 2026. Interviews will be conducted via video-conference. Candidates
are requested to take into account these dates; no exceptions will be granted.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)

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 education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least

three years attested by a diploma.

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

EU2

• AND have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2)3 of a second official language of

the EU, to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

2 The 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 (Slovenian), SV (Swedish).
3 For details on language levels, please see the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/resources/european-language-levels-cefr).

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)

 What about the selection steps?

The selecting unit chooses from the EPSO database4 candidates with the appropriate profile and
invites them to an interview. For the interview a selection panel is set-up to assess the best
candidates. Due to the large volume of applications that we may receive only candidates selected
for the interview will be notified.

For operational reasons and in order to complete the selection procedure as quickly as possible in
the interest of the candidates and of the institution, the selection procedure will be carried out in
English and possibly in a second official language.

2. Recruitment

The candidate selected for recruitment will be requested to provide documentary evidence in
support of the statements made in the database and, where relevant, the call for interest.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a mandatory pre-recruitment medical check-
up carried out by the Commission.

 Type of contract and working conditions

The place of employment will be in Brussels.

The successful candidate will be engaged as a contract agent under Article 3(b) of the
Conditions of Employment of Other Servants, in function group FG IV. General information on
Contract Agents can be found at this link.

The grade or proposed grade range, as well as the step in that grade, will be defined on the basis
of the candidates’ previous professional experience, in accordance with Commission Decision
C(2017)6760 laying down the criteria applicable to classification in step on engagement.

The duration of the first contract will be of 1 year. Subject to the interest of the service, the
contract can be extended to a maximum duration of 6 years.

The duration of the extension will be defined according to the General Implementation Rules in
force at that moment, in accordance with Commission Decision C(2017)6760 on policies for the
engagement and use of contract agents.

4 Therefore, candidates who did not pass already a CAST on the level Function Group IV, should register their
profile at this address.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)

All new staff have to successfully complete a 9-month probationary period.

The pay of staff members consists of a basic salary supplemented with specific allowances,
including, where applicable, expatriation and family allowances. The provisions guiding the
calculation of these allowances can be consulted in the Conditions of Employment of Other
Servants. As a member of staff of the European institutions, your pay is subject to a tax raised by
those institutions.

The European Commission applies a policy of equal opportunities and non-discrimination in
accordance with Article 1d of the Staff Regulations.

Should you need further information on working conditions, please refer to Working conditions and
benefits of EU Careers.

For information related to Data Protection, please see the Specific Privacy Statement under “7.
Information to data subjects on their rights”, to find your rights and how to exercise them in
addition to the privacy statement, which summarises the processing of your data.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2026/CNECT/467267)