Joint Research Centre is looking for a Policy Officer

Employer: European Commission - Joint Research Centre (JRC)

Reference: 2026-JRC.B.4-BRU-FGIV-003309

Contract type: Auxiliary Contract Staff

Grade: FGIV

Location: Brussels

Unit: New European Bauhaus

Deadline: 10 November 2026 23:59 (Brussels time)

The current vacancy is with Directorate Fair and Sustainable Economy, in Unit New European Bauhaus.

For complete information please consult the Vacancy Notice.

• Type of contract: Member of the European Commission's contract staff, Function Group IV (article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants)
• Duration of contract: 36 months (renewable up to maximum 6 years)
• Area: Innovation and competitiveness
• Place of employment: Brussels (BE)
• Indicative basic salary: 4.449,31 - 6.444,59 € (applicable as of 1st of July 2025) For more detailed information please consult: Working Conditions

WE ARE

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) provides independent, evidence-based knowledge and science, supporting EU policies to positively impact society.

The current vacancy is with Directorate Fair and Sustainable Economy. The mission of the Directorate is to provide first-class analysis and data to support the EU's aim for today's and tomorrow's Europeans to enjoy fair and sustainable prosperity. It takes a systemic view of the relationships between economic activities, the environmental impacts of human activities and the societal needs of the EU's citizens. The Directorate develops and carries out macroeconomic analysis and supports policy making with its unique analytical and modelling tools. It boosts EU innovation-driven competitiveness in the global context, turning territorial diversity and urban-rural interactions into value. It drives European markets, industry and services, including construction and the built environment, towards environmental sustainability.

Specifically, the vacancy is in Unit New European Bauhaus, that coordinates the delivery of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, which was launched in 2020 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to empower people and communities to regenerate their neighbourhoods through an approach that combines inclusion, sustainability and quality of life. With its vision and essential tools in place, the mission of the NEB Unit in the coming years is to lead and coordinate the development and the implementation of the NEB initiative as delineated in the Commission Communication 'New European Bauhaus: from vision to implementation' - COM(2025) 1026 final. The Unit works in close cooperation with the President's Cabinet, the Cabinets of two Executive Vice-Presidents – Henna Virkkunen and Raffaele Fitto –, and three Commissioners – Jessika Roswall, Dan Jørgensen, and Ekaterina Zaharieva. It is composed of a dynamic, motivated and multidisciplinary team of 22 people and works on five complementary strands: 1) Community and communication, 2) Knowledge and research, 3) Funding and Governance (including the managing of the NEB Facility under Horizon Europe), 4) Innovation and business development, and 5) International.

The New European Bauhaus has worked from the start as a bottom-up initiative. The NEB has been growing thanks to the drive of its Community of over 2000 public and private members, ranging from local to international organisations across Europe and beyond, spanning various fields such as culture, education, architecture, heritage, forestry, construction, housing, and fashion, and reaching millions of citizens and businesses through the NEB Festival and NEB Prizes. The Commission aims at expanding and diversifying the NEB Community, attracting new members from different sectors, groups and policy areas, increasing engagement and informing relevant policies.

In the next phase of the initiative, a stronger focus is needed on investment opportunities for NEB projects, on the scaling-up and market uptake of NEB innovation, and on building bridges between public policy objectives and private and public financing. In this context, the Unit intends to reinforce its capacity to develop and steer actions related to investment readiness, financial instruments, market deployment and the future NEB investment accelerator.

We offer:

A dynamic unit with a versatile work environment that works with several services within the Commission as well as with a strong outreach approach. We are a highly motivated team of 22 people with very diverse backgrounds.

Please see also Working at the Commission – conditions and environment (europa.eu)

WE PROPOSE

The jobholder will integrate the Unit's work on innovation and business development, with a strong policy and implementation focus on investment opportunities for the New European Bauhaus.

The successful candidate will mainly be in charge of:

• Contributing to the development and implementation of the New European Bauhaus investment dimension, with a particular focus on enabling investment opportunities for NEB projects and initiatives;
• Coordinating the implementation of the future NEB investment accelerator, also through the management of the related external contract(s), including drafting technical specifications, monitoring implementation, steering contractors, reviewing deliverables and ensuring quality control;
• Supporting the implementation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) as regards opportunities relevant to the NEB, with particular attention to Horizon Europe, the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) and InvestEU;
• Liaising with relevant Commission services, implementing partners, financial institutions, investors, innovation actors and other stakeholders to support the development of the NEB investment ecosystem;
• Analysing and mapping relevant EU and market-based financing and investment instruments that can support the deployment, replication and scale-up of NEB projects and innovations;
• Contributing to the design and implementation of measures to improve the investment readiness and bankability of NEB-related projects, ventures and innovation pipelines;
• Drafting calls for proposals and calls for tender for the funding streams of the New European Bauhaus, and cooperating with relevant Commission services on the implementation of grants and related instruments;
• Producing policy analysis, briefings, notes, presentations and other internal and external deliverables on NEB investment, scalability and competitiveness issues;
• Contributing to the broader activities of the Unit in relation to NEB funding, innovation and business development, including coordination with colleagues working on governance, communication, research and international dimensions.

WE LOOK FOR

We are looking for an experienced colleague with a strong policy profile and solid expertise at the intersection of EU funding, investment, innovation and market deployment. The new colleague should be able to connect policy objectives with concrete financing and implementation pathways, and to support the scaling-up of New European Bauhaus solutions in a structured and results-oriented manner.

The successful candidate must have (essential):

• Very good knowledge of EU policies and instruments relevant to investment, competitiveness and research&innovation, including relevant instruments under the next Multiannual Financial Framework, in particular the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) Horizon Europe and InvestEU;
• Strong expertise in investment and finance, including understanding of financial instruments, investment ecosystems and project bankability, innovation scale-up and market scalability;
• Proven experience in contract management, including steering external contractors and monitoring the quality and timely delivery of outputs;
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to translate complex policy, financial and market issues into clear operational actions and recommendations;
• Excellent drafting and communication skills, both orally and in writing, in English (C1);
• Excellent capacity to organise work, manage multiple files and set priorities;
• Very good ability to work with external stakeholders as well as with colleagues from other Commission services, and very good team spirit.

The following would be considered assets:

• Experience related to accelerator programmes, investment platforms or blended finance instruments;
• Experience in drafting calls for proposals for funding programmes;
• Knowledge of sectors relevant to the New European Bauhaus, such as the built environment, construction, housing, creative industries, circular economy or social innovation;
• Experience in preparing policy briefings and strategic input for senior management and political level.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are already on a valid CAST FG IV reserve list, or you have already applied to the call below, you can directly submit your application at JRC Recruitment Portal.

If not, before applying to this position, you must register for the following database:

• the Call for Expressions of Interest | EU Careers (europa.eu) (CAST Permanent FG IV), which is used by a wide range of organisations (institutions, bodies, offices and agencies of the European Union) or
• the call for researchers (JRC Call COM/1/2015/GFIV – Research), which is mainly used by the JRC.

Note that each of the calls above has different minimum eligibility requirements and different selection tests.

The JRC cultivates a workplace based on respect for other people and the environment, and embraces non-discriminatory practices and equality of opportunity. In case of equal merit, preference will be given to the gender in minority.

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