Financial Assistant - Initiation - European Commission (AST1, Brussels)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Commission 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:

• Financial initiation of transactions (commitments, payments, recovery orders, forecast of revenue, etc.)
• Financial analysis of documents related to procurement contracts
• Assistance to DG AGRI Operational Units on financial rules and procedures
• Provide advice and technical support to operational initiating and verification agents
• Draft Financing Decisions and their amendments, and their adoption process
• Liaise with Operational Units and budget unit
• Contribute to definition and simplification of financial and administrative procedures
• Assist in distribution, monitoring and follow-up of financial files

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education
• Experience: At least 3 years of professional experience in financial management; knowledge of EU Financial Regulation and Public Procurement Directives; rich experience in EU decision-making procedures, notably the adoption procedure for Commission implementing regulations; knowledge of public procurement procedures; good knowledge of budget rules
• Languages: English (B2), French (B2)
• Key skills: Strong sense of duty, Eye for detail, Spirit of initiative, Ability to work independently, Ability to perform under pressure and within tight deadlines, Ability to prioritise assigned workload, Very good inter-personal skills, Sound judgement, Excellent knowledge of Commission IT tools (SUMMA, eProcurement, ARES, Decide)
• Eligibility: 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; physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post; produce appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Submit CV and completed application form in single PDF

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent position.

Hiring unit: Unit AGRI.R.2 - Direct financial management and Accounting, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (….

Position details

Reference

AGRI/COM/2026/1492

Directorate-General

AGRI- Agriculture and Rural Development

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

6 August 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Financial Assistant - Initiation at European Commission based in Brussels at the AST1 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is AGRI/COM/2026/1492. It is hosted by AGRI- Agriculture and Rural Development, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Budget And Finances domain.

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> AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 Version: 16/04/2026

# 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 GREAT JOBS AND GREAT WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Interesting and challenging jobs 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 foster ing 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. 2

AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 Version: 16/04/2026

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 Sweden 1. 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.

For more information ec.europa.eu/work -with -us

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 ti me 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

> 1Please note that the list of underrepresented Member States may be subject to future amendment based on potential > data changes over time.

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AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 Version: 16/04/2026

# Financial Assistant – Initiation

# Directorate - General for Agriculture and Rural Development

# (DG AGRI ) of the European Commission

Selection reference: AGRI/COM/2026/1492

Domain*: Budget & Finances, Agriculture

Where : Unit AGRI.R.2 - „Direct financial management and Accounting “, Brussels

Staff category and Function Group : Temporary agent 2b –Assistant

Grade range: AST1 -3

Publication deadline : 17 .08 .202 6 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

We are the central financial Unit for direct financial management and accounting in DG AGRI -

Agriculture and Rural Development, making sure that taxpayers’ money is used correctly. Being a

Unit with 22 members of staff we cover diverse areas of financial work related notably to public

procurement, grants, agricultural research expenditure, and supervision of an international

organisation, and we provide advice and ensure control. We are looking for a new colleague in our

team of financial initiating agents.

WE PROPOSE

We propose to the successful candidate to be part of a connected team that gives diversity and

inclusion a priority as they have a direct impact on the Unit’s performance. We focus on the team

cohesion and close collaboration, all striving towards correct spending of public money. We offer an

interesting and challenging position of a financial assistant to ensure the regularity and legality of

financial operations. You will be part of the financial team comprising twelve colleagues, handling

financial operations under direct management (mainly procurement and grants). Your tasks will

include the financial initiation of transactions (commitments, payments, recovery orders, forecast

of revenue, etc.); the financial analysis of documents related to procurement contracts; the

assistance to DG AGRI Operational Units on financial rules and procedures. The latter includes

frequent contacts with the operational initiating and verification agents in these Units, to provide

advice and technical support during the whole financial process. In addition, you will be responsible

for drafting the Financing Decisions and their amendments, and their adoption process. With this

aim you will liaise with the Operational Units to get their input and with the budget unit. You will

contribute to the definition and simplification of financial and administrative procedures and assist

in the distribution, monitoring and follow -up of financial files.

WE LOOK FOR

We look for a colleague who likes the financial work and sees this work area as an opportunity for

personal development. A colleague who is a dynamic and motivated financial agent with at least 3 4

AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 Version: 16/04/2026

years of experience in financial management and knowledge of the EU Financial Regulation and

Public Procurement Directives as well as rich experience in EU decision -making procedures, notably

the adoption procedure for Commission implementing regulations. You should know the public

procurement procedures. A good knowledge of budget rules is also required. You should have a

strong sense of duty, an eye for detail, spirit of initiative and ability to work independently. You

should be able to perform under pressure and within tight deadlines, yet in a smoothly organised

Unit ensuring an excellent balance between professional and personal life. You should be able to

prioritise the assigned workload and carry out the tasks with a sense of commitment and

responsibility. The nature of the tasks requires very good inter -personal skills and sound judgement.

Excellent knowledge of the relevant Commission IT tools (SUMMA, eProcurement, ARES, Decide) is a

pre -requisite. Good knowledge of English and French is required .5

AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 Version: 16/04/2026

HOW TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST?

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 AGRI -HR -

CORRESPONDENT@ec.europa.eu indicating the selection reference AGRI/COM/2026/1492 in the

subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6

AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 Version: 16/04/2026

## 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 temporary 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 post

• Produce the appropriate character references as to suitability for the performance of the duties.

Qualifications:

In order to be recruited for this position, you must have at least

• a level of post -secondary education attested by a diploma, or

• a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post -secondary

education , and appropriate professional experience of at least three years .

Only qualifications issued or recognised as equivalent by EU Member State authorities (e.g. by the

Ministry of Education) will be accepted. Furthermore, before recruitment, you will be required to

provide the documents that corroborate the eligibility criteria (diplomas, certificates and other

supporting documents).

Languages:

> •

have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1) of one of the 24 official languages of the

EU 2

• AND a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of a second official language of the EU,

to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

➢ What about the selection steps?

> 2The 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).

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AGRI /COM/20 26 /1492 V

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AST1 runs from €3,754 (step 1) to €4,248 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €45,048 to €50,976 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 €601 per month at step 1 of AST1) together with household, dependent-child, and education allowances where applicable. Take-home pay is then adjusted by the country correction coefficient for Brussels. For a worked example see our correction coefficients guide and the EU salaries overview.

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 3 August 2026, 2 days ago.

The application deadline is 17 August 2026, 10 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 6 August 2026.

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at AST1 see our AST1 grade page; for headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at European Commission see the European Commission institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Brussels see our Brussels location page; for related vacancies in the Budget And Finances field browse our Budget And Finances domain 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.