JOB DESCRIPTION

Policy Assistant in Food Systems

in DG RTD – European Commission

Job title: Policy Assistant
Domain: Science and Research
Where: Unit B.2 – Bioeconomy and Food systems, Brussels
Function Group: FG III
Contract Type: 3b
Express your interest until: 20.11.2025 – 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)

WE ARE

The mission of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) is to develop
and implement European Research and Innovation (R&I) policy. The DG supports R&I through
European Framework Programmes, coordinates and supports national and regional R&I
programmes, contributes to the creation of the European Research Area, and supports the
cooperation of European organisations and researchers in Europe and in an international context.

Our unit RTD B.2 “Bioeconomy and Food systems” supports the transition to a Healthy Planet,
which is climate-neutral by 2050 and operating within safe planetary boundaries. The unit will
support this objective by accelerating the deployment of a circular and sustainable Bioeconomy
across Europe and by developing R&I solutions for the transition towards sustainable,
competitive and resilient food systems.

The unit builds bridges across the DG, interacting closely with other policy DGs (e.g.; Agriculture and
Rural Development, Environment, Climate Action, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Internal Market,
Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Energy, Health and Food Safety, Regional and Urban Policy,
Communications Networks, Content and Technology) and ensures an open and constant dialogue
with the Member States, the research community, industrial and societal stakeholders and relevant
international partners for maximising synergies and impact of EU R&I and bioeconomy-related
policies. The unit employs and advocates an interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach, in
partnership with EU Member States and international partners (e.g.; Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), World Health Organisation (WHO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD)).

Key activities are: Implementation of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the EU Life Sciences
Strategy, and follow-up and contribution to other policy initiatives and development of R&I policy
through Horizon Europe, in particular on food systems via Food 2030. The unit contributes to EU
policy development in the field of food, biomanufacturing and biotechnology, climate, natural
resources and other bioeconomy-relevant policies. Its R&I activities foster uptake of the

precautionary and innovation principles where needed and include communication.

The unit’s objectives are:

• Contributing to the implementation of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan, to the

Life Science Strategy and to the Biotechnology Act.

• Development and deployment of our R&I policy framework Food 2030 based on foresight,
analysis and evidence, feedback to policy, co-developed with core DGs, Member States and
key stakeholders, within the Horizon Europe work programme and beyond

• Contributing to the Horizon Europe Partnership “Sustainable Food Systems for People

Planet and Climate” and the Mission “A Soil Deal for Europe”.

• Explore, launch and deploy research and innovation-based solutions for sustainable,
competitive and resilient food systems and circular bioeconomies through Horizon Europe,
including through novel approaches such as support for start-ups, multi-actor and citizen
engagement, living labs and place-based innovations.

• Contributing to transition analysis and outreach in the above areas within the Directorate,

across the matrix of DG activities and with other DGs, institutions and actors.

• Contributing to the development and implementation of other food system and
bioeconomy-related policy initiatives, such as the Innovation Act, the Biotechnology Act and
the Circular Economy Act.

WE PROPOSE

B2 unit is seeking to hire a Policy Assistant for its Food Systems team for a wide range of
administrative and operational tasks in the unit including:

• Editorial and administrative support for the unit’s communication activities; including news

items, fact sheets, reports, website updates;

• Support for Dissemination and Exploitation (D&E) and feedback to policy (F2P); in
cooperation with the Research Executive Agency in relation to Horizon project outcomes;
• Support in the organisation and hosting of internal and external events; workshops,

conferences, seminars; which could be hybrid, virtual or in-person;

• Support for reimbursement of experts and administrative support for procurement

contracts;

• Monitoring workflows and performing quality checks of files for signatures in line with the

latest procedures and deadlines while always ensure high quality standards;
• Compile the unit’s contributions to the “Weekly updates” of the Directorate;
• Support the content-related work of the Food 2030 implementation within Cluster 6 of

Horizon Europe;

• Support the work on the EU strategic research and innovation agenda for Food Systems as

announced in the Life Science Strategy;

• Work with IT-based tools (ARES, BASIS, DECIDE, MIPS, WebDOR, ePass) and with Word,

Excel and PowerPoint, MS Teams, and videoconferencing platforms.

(Reference: Call for interest EC/2025/RTD/317353)

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for a Policy Assistant for our Food Systems team experienced, dynamic, pro-
active and highly motivated with a strong sense of responsibility. She/he has excellent
organisational, social and communication skills and ability to work autonomously within a team.
She/he has well developed planning, coordination and drafting skills and an experience in human
resources and/or budgetary matters. Capacity to prioritise and deliver effectively are essential.
Accuracy and attention to details and ability to anticipate and address problems are key assets.

A background, or qualifications, in a mix of the following fields would be a strong asset: life
sciences, microbiology/biotechnology, environmental
law or related social science studies.
Experience in EU policy processes and the Commission’s internal procedures would be beneficial.

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:

send

2. completed application form.
these documents by

1. your CV
to RTD-B2-CA-
Please
[email protected] indicating the call for interest reference EC/2025/RTD/317353
in the subject.

the publication deadline

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline.