Policy Officer - European Commission (AD5, 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:

• Developing and identification of medical countermeasures for serious cross border health threats
• Conception, development, coordination, preparation and monitoring of stockpiling policies
• Project management and related activities
• Frequent contacts with stakeholders, Commission services, EU agencies, ECDC, EMA, Member States, WHO and NATO
• Representing the Commission in internal and international meetings and conferences

Are you eligible?

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

• Education: Medical background
• Experience: Ideally hands on experience and/or sound knowledge in one or more of the following domains: health management, medical countermeasures for serious cross border health threats, CBRN, security, policy work in the European institutions, public health, crisis management, stockpiling
• Languages: English (very go…)
• Key skills: Strategic thinking, Proactive work approach, Political priorities awareness, EU institutional awareness, Analysis and prioritisation, Cooperative work within diverse teams, Flexibility, Adaptability, Resilience, Very good drafting and communication skills
• 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; Are physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Submit CV
• Submit completed application form

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Temporary agent contract.

Hiring unit: HERA.02, Dual Use and Civil Military Cooperation, DG HERA.

Position details

Reference

HERA/COM/2026/897

Directorate-General

HERA - Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority

Vacancy Notice

Download PDF

Last Verified

23 July 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Policy Officer at European Commission based in Brussels at the AD5 grade level (Temporary Agent). The vacancy reference is HERA/COM/2026/897. It is hosted by HERA - Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, the Directorate-General responsible for this policy area. The role falls under the Health domain.

> COM/2026/897 HERA.02_380984

# 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 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. 2

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, Cyprus, the Czech

Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta,

Poland, Portugal, 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 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

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

3

# Policy Officer - for stockpiling of

# medical

# Directorate-General - Health Emergency Preparedness and

# Response Authority (DG HERA) of the European Commission

Selection reference: DG HERA/COM/2026/897

Domain*: Health;

Where : Unit HERA.02, Dual Use and Civil Military Cooperation, Brussels

Staff category and Function Group : Temporary agent 2b - Administrator

Grade range: AD5-7

Publication deadline : 27.07.2026 - 12.00 (Brussels time)

WE ARE

We are Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) -a relatively new

Directorate-General of the European Commission. HERA 's mission is to assist the Commission to

improve preparedness and response to serious cross-border threats in the area of medical

countermeasures, in particular:

· strengthening health security coordination within the Union involving all relevant actors

during preparedness and crisis response times and bringing together the EU Member States,

industry and relevant stakeholders in a common effort;

· addressing vulnerabilities and strategic dependencies within the Union related to the

development, production, procurement, stockpiling and distribution of medical

countermeasures;

· contributing to reinforcing the global health emergency response architecture.

HERA is responsible for the following tasks which shall be exercised in close cooperation with the

Member States:

· assessment of health threats and intelligence gathering relevant to medical

countermeasures;

· promoting advanced research and development of medical countermeasures and related

technologies;

·

countermeasures production;

· swift procurement and distribution of medical countermeasures;

· increasing stockpiling capacity of medical countermeasures;

· strengthening knowledge and skills in preparedness and response related to medical

countermeasures.

HERA.02, dedicated to Dual Use Medical Countermeasures and Civil-Military Cooperation, is at the 4

forefront of advancing the EU's preparedness and resilience against increasing security risks and

threats, including Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents. The Unit is

spearheading an evidence-based prioritisation of CBRN threats and quantification of corresponding

medical countermeasures based on scenarios and is investing in developing new CBRN medical

countermeasures and in specific strategic reserves of CBRN medical countermeasures. To further

strengthen Europe's security landscape with medical countermeasures, the unit is fostering

comprehensive civil-military arrangements through strategic coordination and consultation with

civilian and military needs in case of conflict. To ensure effective and immediate response in case

of serious cross-borders health threats of natural, man-made or intentional origin, the Unit will

develop robust EU-level stockpiles of medical countermeasures by identifying the most relevant

MCM to be stockpiled, by ensuring the establishment of relevant stockpiles and their sustainable

management through innovation and cutting-edge solutions. By its actions, the Unit aims to bolster

public health and security, contributing to a resilient European Defence Union and ensuring

effective responses during crises.

https://ec.europa.eu/health/hera/overview_en

WE PROPOSE

We propose a policy officer position for a highly motivated and experienced colleague in the

stockpiling team in DG HERA. The person recruited will be responsible for developing and

identification of medical

counter measures for serious cross border health threats. This job will entail the conception,

development, coordination, preparation and monitoring of stockpiling policies, project management

and related activities. The assignment comprises frequent contacts with a large variety of different

stakeholders, with other Commission services, EU agencies, the European Centre for Disease

Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Member States, and external

stakeholders such as WHO and NATO.

WE LOOK FOR

We look for a person, with a medical background, who shows genuine interest and ideally has

hands on experience and/or sound knowledge in one or more of the following domains: health

management, medical countermeasures for serious cross border health threats, CBRN, security,

policy work in the European institutions, public health, crisis management, stockpiling. The position

requires ability to think strategically and to drive forward work proactively with a keen eye on

political priorities and good EU institutional awareness. The person recruited will have the ability to

analyse and prioritise and to work cooperatively within diverse teams. The person should

demonstrate flexibility, adaptability and resilience. The job requires very good drafting and

communication skills including public speaking skills, the capacity to represent the Commission in

internal and international meetings and conferences. Good organisation skills, allowing channelling

of important information streams towards the different participants in the crisis management

processes is considered as essential for this position.

A very good Knowledge of English is needed.

HERA being a DG that ensures preparedness and response to Health crisis, the colleague recruited 5

will have to show flexibility both in tasks and working hours. Some atypical working hours (evening,

weekend) may be requested.

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 Damiet.ONDERSTAL@ec.europa.eu and

HERA-HR-CORRESPONDENT@ec.europa.eu indicating the selection reference DG

HERA/COM/2026/897 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline. 6

## 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

P

Salary at this grade

Basic monthly salary at AD5 runs from €6,153 (step 1) to €6,961 (top step), giving an annual range of roughly €73,836 to €83,532 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 €984 per month at step 1 of AD5) 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 13 July 2026, 9 days ago.

The application deadline is 27 July 2026, 3 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 23 July 2026.

Where to learn more

For full responsibilities, requirements, and career progression at AD5 see our AD5 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 Health field browse our Health 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.