JOB DESCRIPTION

Legal Assistant

in DG BUDG of the European Commission BUDG of the European Commission

Job title*: Legal Assistant

Domain**: Law

Where: Unit BUDG E.4 knowledge management and communication task force, Brussels

Function Group: FG III

Contract Type: 3b

Express your interest until: 28/11/2025 – 18.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

DG BUDG is committed to offer equal opportunities, foster a rich, diverse an equal and inclusive working environment.

Directorate E – the Central Financial Service (CFS) is the lead service as regards the Financial Regulation, its application and interpretation. The CFS develops and monitors the rules applicable to the actions implemented by the Commission through the various management modes. The CFS also provides guidance to Commission departments and other Institutions in the areas of internal control, risk management and financial and management reporting. In addition, it promotes the implementation and protection of the EU budget against fraud, conflict of interests and other rule of law deficiencies by developing a partnership with the Member States and by operating the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES).

Within Directorate E, we are the Knowledge Management Unit (Unit E.4). We are a service-oriented Unit that promotes the active sharing of knowledge and information on financial and budgetary matters within our Directorate-General and the Commission, as well as with Agencies, Bodies, and other EU Institutions.

Our Unit is an interface between DG BUDG and the rest of the finance community in the Commission and beyond. This means that our team is regularly exposed to external stakeholders and carries high visibility in the finance community. We carry out our mission by organising a wide array of communication, knowledge-sharing and training activities. We are responsible for centralised training on budgetary and financial knowledge (Central Financial Service Training Team), we operate the Financial Helpdesk answering questions on financial and budgetary issues (Central Financial Service Helpdesk Team) and we run the Finance Community Network (RUF Network, Réseau des Unités Financières) of the Commission and Executive Agencies (RUF Team).

We have also built and are operating a new corporate platform, BUDGpedia which aims to be a one-stop-shop for all finance and budget information in the Commission and beyond. We contribute to encouraging collaboration and best practices in the finance community through the creation of communities of practice and by promoting structured knowledge management.

Our Unit is matrix-based and we work together across teams. We are a friendly, dynamic and supportive team of approx. 30 colleagues, located in Brussels and working in close cooperation with other Units.

WE PROPOSE

Unit E.4 of DG BUDGET is seeking to hire a Legal Assistant – contract agent – FG III group.

Do you have experience in providing legal advice and interest in financial management/budget implementation? Do you enjoy finding solutions to practical problems, providing interpretation on complex financial and legal issues, making engaging presentations and explaining procedures clearly? Would you like to promote sound financial management and knowledge sharing across the EU Institutions as part of a great team? If yes, you may like working with us!

You will be primarily responsible for answering questions addressed to the Central Financial Helpdesk on the application of the financial rules. In addition to relying on your own expertise, you will also be called upon to liaise with a network of experts in the Directorate and in the whole Directorate-General. You will contribute ideas to enhance the clients’ satisfaction, develop smooth coordination and contribute to knowledge-building together with other Units in the DG, as well as Finance Units in the Commission and Agencies. This post offers an excellent opportunity to gain more in-depth knowledge of financial rules as well as a unique global view of their application throughout the Commission and Agencies.

You will contribute to the coordination and development of activities within both the Finance Community Network (RUF Network, Réseau des Unités Financières) and the Central Financial Service Learning Team. The position may involve supporting either project depending on corporate priorities.

In this role, you will help coordinate the RUF, which brings together Heads and Deputy Heads of Finance Units across the Commission and Executive Agencies to exchange information, share good practices, and continuously improve financial management. You will assist with the strategic agenda of meetings, organisational aspects, liaison with expert units, and coordination with the RUF President.

In addition, you will contribute to the design and coordination of corporate learning activities focused on budgetary and financial knowledge. This includes developing and implementing blended learning programmes composed of e-learning modules, workshops, information sessions, video capsules, and communities of practice. You will collaborate closely with multiple units within the Directorate-General, the finance community across the Commission, and other EU institutions, bodies, and agencies.

You may also be involved in the sharing of knowledge via BUDGpedia which is the European Commission’s corporate knowledge management platform for budget and finance, hosted by DG Budget. Over time, you may also be expected to deliver a selection of financial courses contained in the catalogue of the Central Financial Service to colleagues from the Commission, Agencies and other EU Institutions and to assist in developing new innovative learning activities.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for a Legal Assistant as a contract agent – FG III group.

The ideal qualities for the job are motivation and a proactive approach, for a colleague who enjoys work in a service with high visibility, reaching out to many colleagues across the financial community in the EU Institutions, Agencies and Bodies.

The skills we most value for this job are:

Excellent legal and analytical skills and the capacity to offer pragmatic and sound solutions to concrete questions/situations;

Experience with EU financial rules (the Financial Regulation) and management, especially in the field of procurement and grants, as well as knowledge of EU financial systems and procedures would be an asset;

A very good understanding of the Commission’s legal, financial and operational issues;

Proven ability to work across teams and projects, often working under tight deadlines and regularly exposed to external stakeholders;

Openness to adapt to changing working modes and working environments;

Excellent drafting and communication skills in English (French would be an asset);

Excellent oral communication skills; experience with delivering presentations or training to diverse audiences would be an asset;

Ability to cooperate and develop smooth coordination and networking with other Units in the DG, as well as other DGs and Agencies is essential;

Determination to provide good service in response to clients’ needs;

Digital skills;

Team spirit, interpersonal skills, a sense of responsibility, accountability, and a service-oriented approach are essential.

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:

If you are not registered yet in the open EPSO database, please do so at the following address: . Please select under selection procedures for contract agent the CAST permanent profile that best suits your education and experience.

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 indicating the call for interest reference EC/2025/BUDG/GFIII/269496 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline.