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European Health and Digital Executive Agency Jobs

HADEA

Manages EU funding programs for health, food, digital, industry, and space initiatives.

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European Health and Digital Executive Agency is currently advertising 1 open position on our EU Jobs Alert tracker. Every vacancy below is sourced from the official European Health and Digital Executive Agency careers portal, normalised into a consistent schema, and refreshed daily so you never miss a deadline.

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The European Health and Digital Executive Agency, known as HADEA, manages EU funding programmes on behalf of the European Commission across health, digital, industry, food safety, and space. Executive agencies like HADEA exist to run the day-to-day delivery of large spending programmes, from publishing calls and evaluating proposals to signing grants and following projects through to completion, so that the parent Commission departments can focus on policy. HADEA handles programmes such as EU4Health, the Digital Europe Programme, and parts of Horizon Europe and the single market and space work. The agency is based in Brussels, Belgium. Its staff are mainly project and financial officers, along with legal and support specialists. This page sets out HADEA's mandate, its location, the roles it recruits for, the eligibility rules for EU agency posts, the pay on the EU salary scale, and how to build an application if programme and grant management is the kind of work you want.

Mandate and what HADEA does

HADEA is an executive agency, a type of EU body set up to implement funding programmes under the control of the European Commission. It was created in 2021 by bringing together the management of several large programmes under one roof. Its portfolio spans public health through EU4Health, digital transformation through the Digital Europe Programme, research and innovation strands of Horizon Europe, the single market programme, food safety work, and space-related activities. In practice, that means HADEA runs the full life cycle of grants and procurement for these programmes: it prepares and publishes calls for proposals, organises expert evaluations, negotiates and signs grant agreements, makes payments, and monitors projects to check that the money delivers results and the rules are followed. It does not set policy itself; the parent Commission directorates decide priorities, and HADEA delivers them efficiently at scale. This delivery focus shapes the workforce. The agency needs people who can manage projects and budgets, read and apply financial rules, handle the legal side of grant agreements, and communicate with the thousands of beneficiaries who receive EU funding. Understanding that HADEA is an implementation engine rather than a policy shop explains why so many of its posts are project officers, financial officers, and advisers rather than researchers or scientists.

Where HADEA is based

HADEA is located in Brussels, Belgium, the working capital of the European Union and the base for the Commission departments whose programmes it delivers. Being in Brussels keeps the agency close to those parent directorates and to the wider network of EU bodies, which matters for an executive agency that works hand in hand with the Commission. For jobseekers, Brussels offers one of the largest EU labour markets in a single city, so it is a practical place to build a career that may move between bodies over time. The city has international schools, a large expatriate community, and strong rail and air links across Europe. Belgium's official languages are Dutch, French, and German, but the EU workplace runs mainly in English and French, and daily life in Brussels can be handled in English or French. The cost of living is moderate compared with cities such as London or Geneva. Staff who relocate from another country may be entitled to an expatriation allowance and installation support under the EU rules. To compare openings in the city, see the Brussels location page, and for live vacancies across the agencies use the job board. Other executive agencies in Brussels, such as the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, recruit very similar profiles.

Role categories and what HADEA hires for

As an executive agency built around programme delivery, HADEA recruits mainly for project and financial management. The project adviser and project officer roles are the backbone of the agency: these staff manage portfolios of grants, guide beneficiaries through the rules, review technical and financial reporting, and make sure projects deliver what they promised. Financial officers handle payments, budget monitoring, and financial controls, and legal officers deal with grant agreements, procurement, and compliance questions. Around this core sit the support functions that any EU body relies on, including human resources, ICT, communications, and administration, plus specialists who work on the specific themes in HADEA's portfolio, from health to digital to space. Because the agency manages several distinct programmes, it hires people with a range of subject backgrounds, but the common requirement is the ability to run projects and money to a high standard within EU financial rules. Candidates usually need a relevant degree and, for adviser and officer posts, experience in project management, grants, finance, or a related field. Familiarity with EU funding mechanisms is a real advantage. To see the exact titles and grades HADEA advertises at a given time, look at the current vacancies, where the balance between project, financial, and support roles becomes clear.

Staff categories and eligibility

HADEA employs people under the EU Staff Regulations, and executive agencies rely heavily on contract agents, so many posts fall into the CAST function groups from FGI to FGIV. FGIV covers advisory and management work, which is where project adviser and many officer roles sit, while lower function groups handle more junior administrative and financial tasks. The agency also employs temporary agents for some professional and management posts and can host seconded national experts who bring experience from a national administration while remaining on their home payroll for the secondment. Eligibility follows the standard EU rules. Applicants normally must be nationals of an EU member state, enjoy full civic rights, and have completed any national service obligations. You need a knowledge of at least two official EU languages, and a strong command of English is expected in practice, since it is the main working language. The education and experience required depend on the function group and grade: FGIV posts generally call for a university degree, sometimes plus relevant experience, while lower groups accept a mix of qualifications and work experience. Many HADEA vacancies recruit from EPSO CAST reserve pools, so registering in the permanent CAST selection can be an important step. Selection combines an assessment against the criteria with tests and an interview.

Pay, grades, and benefits

HADEA pay is set by the EU salary scale according to function group, grade, and step. Because the agency leans on contract agents, the FGIV group is the most common band for adviser and officer posts, paying a monthly gross basic salary in the region of 3,637 to 8,225 euro across the full range of steps, with new recruits starting near the lower end and pay rising with seniority. FGIII posts, used for more junior work, run lower at roughly 2,954 to 5,932 euro gross per month. Where HADEA advertises temporary agent posts in the administrator grades, an entry-level AD5 role pays around 4,917 to 5,565 euro gross. These are basic figures before allowances. On top of the base, staff may receive a household allowance, dependent child and education allowances, and an expatriation allowance for those who relocated to take the job. EU salaries are subject to an internal Union tax rather than Belgian income tax, and staff join the EU pension scheme and the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme. Other benefits include generous annual leave, paid relocation, and family-related leave. You can look up the step-by-step bands for a grade such as FGIV to understand how basic pay grows over the course of a contract.

How to apply

HADEA publishes its job opportunities on its own recruitment pages, and because it is an executive agency, many contract agent roles draw on the permanent EPSO CAST selection pools. A practical two-step approach works well: register in the relevant EPSO CAST profile so your name is in the pool, and watch the HADEA job opportunities page for specific calls. Each notice sets out the function group or grade, the profile, the deadline, and the documents required, usually a CV in Europass format and a motivation letter matched to the selection criteria. Because the work is about running grants and budgets, it helps to give concrete evidence of project management, financial handling, or experience with EU funding rather than general statements. Shortlisted candidates are typically invited to a written test and a competency-based interview, and selection often produces a reserve list from which the agency recruits as posts open up. A reserve list place is not a job offer, but it keeps you in the running for a defined period. Since HADEA is one of several Brussels executive agencies hiring similar profiles, it is worth monitoring the wider job board and related bodies at the same time so you can apply to every opening that fits your background.

Career progression in an executive agency

Executive agencies like HADEA are a well-known entry point into the EU system, especially for people who join as contract agents. Because so much of the work is programme delivery, staff quickly build practical experience in grant management, financial rules, and project oversight that transfers across the Commission and the other agencies. Within HADEA, contract agents progress through the steps of their function group over time, and moving up between function groups or into temporary agent roles depends on new selections and available posts rather than automatic promotion. Many people use a first contract agent post to learn the EU environment, then apply for higher roles as their experience grows, either inside HADEA or at a parent directorate whose programmes they have helped run. The permanent EPSO CAST pools make this mobility easier, since being in the pool keeps you eligible for openings across several bodies. Training and internal mobility are part of the package, and the breadth of HADEA's portfolio, spanning health, digital, and space, means staff can gain exposure to different policy areas. For anyone planning a longer EU career, the practical approach is to get in through a delivery role, do it well, and keep applying through the job board as stronger posts appear.

Frequently asked questions

What is HADEA?
HADEA is the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. It manages EU funding programmes for the European Commission across health, digital, industry, food safety, and space, running grants and procurement rather than setting policy.
Where is HADEA based?
HADEA is located in Brussels, Belgium, close to the European Commission departments whose programmes it delivers. The main working languages in the office are English and French.
What kind of jobs does HADEA offer?
Most roles are project advisers, project officers, and financial officers who manage EU grants and budgets, supported by legal, HR, IT, and communications staff. Experience with project management and EU funding rules is valued.
Does HADEA recruit through EPSO CAST pools?
Yes. As an executive agency, HADEA fills many contract agent posts from the permanent EPSO CAST selection pools, so registering in the relevant CAST profile is a useful step alongside watching the agency's own vacancy page.
How much does a HADEA project adviser earn?
Project adviser posts usually sit in the FGIV group, paying a monthly gross basic salary of roughly 3,637 to 8,225 euro across all steps, with new starters near the lower end, plus allowances for household, children, and expatriation where they apply.
How do I apply for a HADEA job?
Apply through the HADEA job opportunities page for each published call, usually with a CV and a motivation letter matched to the criteria. Many roles also require registration in an EPSO CAST pool, followed by tests and an interview.

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