Call for expressions of interest - Assistants

WHO WE ARE

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) was established in 1975 as the European Union’s external auditor. One of the EU’s seven institutions, it is based in Luxembourg and employs around 1000 audit, support and administrative staff of all EU nationalities.

The ECA operates as a collegiate body of 27 Members, one from each EU member state. Our auditors check that the EU keeps good accounts and correctly applies its financial rules, and that its policies and programmes achieve their intended objectives and deliver value for money.

Through our work, we contribute to improving the EU’s financial management and promote accountability and transparency. We warn of risks, provide assurance, indicate shortcomings and successes and offer guidance to EU policymakers and legislators. We present our observations and recommendations to the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, and national governments and parliaments, as well as the general public.

We are a modern and dynamic organisation striving for and promoting excellence, professionalism, transparency and integrity. We define ourselves as a diverse, flexible and equitable institution which offers every individual the opportunity to maximise their talent. Through our individual and collective involvement in the ECA’s activities and our ambitious training programme, our aim is to make the ECA an intellectually stimulating workplace, and a learning-based organisation that relies on institutional knowledge and motivated and well-trained people to serve the EU and its citizens.

We are an EU institution on a human scale: this facilitates integration, allows for easier interaction, and encourages teamwork. We offer flexible working hours and opportunities for teleworking, including from outside the place of residence[1]. We value diversity and inclusion, promote equal opportunities, and ensure a respectful working environment based on open communication, dialogue, and mutual trust. Staff engagement, well-being and greening are important pillars of our internal policies.

The Language and Editorial Directorate (LED) comprises 24 language teams and three horizontal support teams. It is responsible for providing ECA departments with high-quality translations, publications and other language services as promptly and efficiently as possible, in this way facilitating internal and external communication in the European Union's official languages. To do this, it has developed a wide range of services, ranging from translation/revision to drafting assistance, language support for auditors on mission, and coordinating the publication and distribution of ECA reports. The directorate plays a central role in ensuring the quality of ECA products.

The Coordination team helps the directorate to function smoothly. It is responsible for translation planning, contacts with external translators and interpreters, the organisation and follow-up of spoken language assistance, as well as reporting and other cross-cutting projects.

The Document Management team (DMG) provides support for ECA products from drafting to publication. It works closely with internal stakeholders to ensure editorial quality and compliance with the ECA standards. It handles the post-processing of documents, preparing them for publication and dissemination both in and outside the institution. DMG also develops editorial guidelines and training for in-house authors.

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING

We are launching this call to recruit assistants as temporary staff. As needs arise, candidates on the list(s) who have successfully completed the assessment phase as described under the “Procedure” section, may be offered a contract in accordance with the provisions of Article 2(b) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the EU (CEOS)[2] for a four-year period, renewable once for a maximum period of another two years. The initial contract will be subject to a probationary period of nine months.

The recruited staff will be based and carry out their duties at the ECA offices in Luxembourg. 

The basic monthly salary for grade AST 3 (step 1) is currently € 4 666,18. 

Under the conditions laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants[3], certain allowances may be added to the basic salary, which is subject to EU tax and exempt from national tax.

The EU institutions have their own pension and health systems for which contributions are deducted at source.

Staff members’ children can benefit from free enrolment at the European School.

WHAT TASKS YOU CAN EXPECT TO PERFORM

Under the authority of the principal manager(s), the assistants will carry out administrative, technical or training activities requiring a certain degree of autonomy, in particular with regard to the implementation of rules and regulations or general instructions. The assistants may be assigned to either the Coordination or the Document Management team.

Depending on where they are assigned, assistants may be required to perform some of the following tasks[4]. 

1.       Support the execution and coordination of outsourcing or publication projects, handling follow-up, communicating with stakeholders, advising authoring teams and tracking progress to ensure timely and accurate delivery in line with institutional procedure.

2.       Document preparation

-      Prepare documents for translation by reviewing formatting, resolving technical issues and otherwise adapting them to ensure compatibility with translation tools and requirements.

-      Run quality checks on translated documents, including all visuals (charts, tables and graphics).

-      Ensure that documents meet technical and linguistic prerequisites and comply with the ECA standards.

3.       Reporting and documentation

-      Draw up status reports, activity reports, statistics and other documentation to be used in monitoring and communicating the progress and outcomes of language and editorial support functions.

4.       Cross-cutting projects

-      Take part in cross-cutting projects, particularly those relating to IT, including by testing new applications and attending meetings.

 
[2]    https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20250101.
[3]    https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:01962R0031-20250101. 
[4]    Non-exhaustive list. 

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

1.       Legal requirements

In accordance with Article 12(2) of the CEOS, candidates must, on the date of their application:

-          be a national of one of the EU’s member states,

-          enjoy their full rights as citizens,

-          have fulfilled any obligations imposed on them by the recruitment laws concerning military service, and

-          meet the character requirements as to the suitability for the performance of the duties involved.

2.       Qualifications

In accordance with Article 10(1) of the CEOS:

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

        ii.      a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least 3 years.

Please note that only diplomas or professional qualifications that have been awarded or recognised in EU (or former EU) member states or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by the authorities of one of these member states shall be taken into consideration.

3.        Professional experience

We are looking for applicants who, by the deadline, will be able to demonstrate at least 3 years of full-time equivalent relevant professional experience in a similar role[5], after obtaining the above-mentioned qualifications.

4.        Knowledge of languages

—        Excellent command (mother tongue or minimum level C2 in understanding, speaking and writing) of one official EU language.

—        As English and French are the ECA’s official working languages, a sound knowledge of one of these languages (minimum level C1 in understanding, speaking and writing) is required. Knowledge of the other language would be considered an asset.

Please indicate in your CV the language level according to the following assessment model:

https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference

5.        Skills and assets

During the selection process, applicants will need to demonstrate the following skills:

-    Relevant professional experience in publication or translation services

-    A sound knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)

-    Ability to master new IT tools quickly and efficiently

-    Good prioritisation and organisational skills

-    A client-oriented and solution-driven approach to daily tasks and problem-solving

-    An eye for detail and ability to perform effectively under pressure

-    Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team

-    Good communication skills

-    Interpersonal skills

In addition to the above, the following will be considered assets:

-    Knowledge of CAT tools (e.g. Trados Studio)

-    Experience in one or more areas of translation planning, e.g. workload forecasting and scheduling, capacity planning

-    Experience of preparing source files for translation and converting documents for CAT

-    Experience of managing outsourcing requests at all stages

-    Experience in the field of publication

-    Proofreading experience

-    Project management experience

[5]    Where not clearly stated in the title or the official description of the post concerned, the selection committee will determine which professional experience to validate as relevant.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

(a)       Eligibility check

Applications will be examined against the criteria set out in sections 1 to 4 of “What we are looking for” by a selection committee[6] appointed by the ECA authority empowered to conclude contracts of employment (AECCE). Candidates who fail to satisfy any of the eligibility criteria will be excluded from the selection process.

(b)      Assessment phase

The selection committee will compare all eligible applications and identify the candidates who best meet requirements in terms of experience, knowledge, and skills and strengths (see sections 3 to 5 under “What we are looking for”).

Depending on the number of posts to be filled, the selection committee will organise separate waves of selection among the shortlisted candidates. These will include interviews and/or tests to evaluate candidates’ experience, knowledge, skills and strengths, and motivation. Candidates will be informed in good time about the scheduling of interviews and, if applicable, any tests.

The interviews and/or tests will be held in English or French.

(c)       Recruitment

Following the interviews and/or tests, the selection committee will put forward the reserve list(s) to the AECCE with the names of the candidates (in alphabetical order) who meet the requirements for the duties to be performed (criteria 3 to 5 above). Based on service needs and availability of posts, the AECCE may then offer employment to one or more of the successful candidates.

Each reserve list will be valid from its publication until the end of the following year and may be extended.

The inclusion of candidates in a reserve list does not, in any way, constitute an entitlement to recruitment.

 [6]    The composition of the selection committee will be published on the ECA website.

APPLICATIONS

The deadline for applications is 12:00 (midday) Luxembourg time on 8 July 2025.

Applications must be drafted in English or French and submitted only via the online form provided. They must comprise the following documents in English or French:

-    a cover letter (maximum one page);

-    an up-to-date CV (maximum five pages) in the Europass format (see https://europa.eu/europass/).

Any application that does not comply with the formal instructions mentioned above (see the “Applications” section), or is received after the deadline, or is not submitted using the online form provided for this purpose, will be rejected.

The selection committee will evaluate applications based solely on the information given in these documents. It may ask candidates to provide supporting evidence for statements made in their applications. If candidates fail to provide such evidence when it is requested, their applications will be rejected.

To ensure that your application is completed on time, we strongly advise you not to wait until the last few hours to apply. Experience has shown that the system may become overloaded as the deadline approaches.

RECRUITMENT POLICY

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS

In line with the ECA’s Diversity and Inclusion policy and Article 1d of the Staff Regulations, the ECA embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. We accept applications without discrimination on any grounds, and we take steps to ensure that recruitment is evenly balanced between women and men, as required by Article 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. We also take measures to reconcile working life with family life.

If you require any special arrangements for a specific handicap or disability in order to take part in this selection procedure, please send an email in good time to ECA-Selection@eca.europa.eu.

DATA PROTECTION

The ECA is committed to ensuring that applicants' personal data are processed in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC.

For more information, see our specific privacy statement on recruitment at the following address: https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADocuments/Specific_Privacy_Statement_vacancies/Specifi c_Privacy_Statement_vacancies_EN.PDF

The reserve list(s) containing the names of the candidates who meet the requirements for the duties to be performed will be published on the ECA website. The list(s) will remain on our website until no longer valid.

Prior to publication, the candidates whose names are included in the lists will be given an opportunity to have their names removed from the published list by sending an email to ECA-Selection@eca.europa.eu. Removing a name from the published list will have no impact on the consideration of that candidate for a possible recruitment. 

REQUESTS FOR RECONSIDERATION — COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS — COMPLAINTS TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN

If, at any stage in the selection procedure, you believe that a decision adversely affects you, the following options are available:

Request for the selection board to reconsider its decision

You may submit a written reasoned request for reconsideration of a decision taken by the selection committee. Such a request must be submitted to the following address within 10 calendar days of notification of the decision, to ECA-Recours@eca.europa.eu. Where the last day of this period is a public holiday, Saturday or Sunday, the period shall end with the expiry of the last hour of the following working day.

Complaints

Under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations, you may submit a written complaint against the ECA’s decision to reject your application within three months of being notified thereof, to the following address:

The Secretary-General
European Court of Auditors
12, rue Alcide De Gasperi
L-1615 Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG

Judicial appeals

Under Article 91 of the Staff Regulations, you may appeal against a decision to reject your complaint, insofar as it adversely affects you, to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The action must be brought by a lawyer within three months of notification of the decision to reject the complaint.

Complaints to the European Ombudsman

If you believe that the handling of your application has involved maladministration by the ECA, you may submit a complaint to the European Ombudsman, having first contacted the ECA with a view to settling the dispute. You must submit your complaint in writing within 2 years of discovering the relevant facts. An electronic complaints form is available on the European Ombudsman’s website. Complaining to the European Ombudsman will not suspend the above-mentioned appeal deadlines.