Careers FAQs

The Agency selects future staff members through competitions open to all EU who meet the eligibility criteria specified in the vacancy notice. A comprehensive description of the selection process is available here.

All available vacancies for staff positions are published on the Agency’s Careers page. By clicking on the vacancy, you will be taken to the EUSPA e-recruitment portal (it is recommended to use Google Chrome). Please consult the e-recruitment guidelines for instructions on completing the application.

Applications received after the deadline indicated in the respective vacancy notice will not be considered.

There are two types of vacancy alerts available:

• Opting for a subscription via EUSPA careers page (registration needed)
• Subscribing via EUSPA e-recruitment portal (creation of an account is needed)

Our vacancies are open to applicants who meet all the eligibility criteria (listed in a dedicated section in each vacancy notice) on the closing date for applications. 

To be considered eligible, it is mandatory to have a nationality of an EU Member State, Norway or Iceland.

EUSPA is an equal opportunity employer and accepts applications without distinction on grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation. 

There is no nationality or gender quota applied at EUSPA, however, EUSPA is required to strive for a broad range of nationalities and gender equality in order to ensure a well-balanced environment and promote diversity among our staff members.

EUSPA does not consider unsolicited/spontaneous applications. Only applications for published vacancies on the Careers page can be taken into consideration. 

The only exception is the expressed interest in an ad hoc free traineeship. 

Yes. Vacancies published on the EUSPA Careers page are independent of each other and unless otherwise specified, candidates are welcome to apply for more than one vacancy.

Applicants will receive an automatic email confirmation once their application has been received. 

Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the date of the deadline to submit their applications. EUSPA is not held responsible for any delays in the submission of applications due to technical difficulties or any other factors that may arise.

Yes. Candidates may update their already submitted application until the deadline of the respective vacancy notice. Only the latest version will be considered.

Only degrees that have been awarded in the EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the EU Member States will be taken into consideration. Qualifications/diplomas awarded in the UK until 31/12/2020 are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded in the UK after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/¹.

No, this is not necessary. Diplomas and other supporting documents in any official language of the EU do not need to be translated. Certified translations are required only in the case of non-EU languages. 

No, this is not necessary. Diplomas and other supporting documents in any official language of the EU do not need to be translated. Certified translations are required only in the case of non-EU languages. 

To be considered eligible candidates must hold the required number of years of professional experience and the required education for the position by the closing date of the vacancy. Only the professional experience acquired after obtaining the required minimum education level will be considered. As indicated in the vacancy, the professional experience gained during the required university studies will not be considered. A given period may be counted only once. 

There is no age limit to apply for an EU post, but it is to be considered that the retirement age is 66 years. For more details, read the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community.

Regardless of the outcome, all applicants will be notified via email about the outcome of their application. 

The personal data requested from applicants will be processed in line with the EU Regulation EU N° 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, officers and agencies and on the free movement of such data (repealing Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 and Decision N° 1247/2002/EC) and the applicable privacy statement.

The Agency occasionally consults EPSO reserve list and may invite suitable candidates, yet anybody interested in a position is strongly encouraged to apply online via the EUSPA e-recruitment portal at: https://vacancies.euspa.europa.eu/.

Candidates may check the status of the selection procedures on EUSPA Careers page. The status of your application can also be seen in your account at the EUSPA e-recruitment portal  under section “My applications”.

Please note that no additional information can be given to candidates while the selection process is ongoing. All applicants will be notified as soon as a decision regarding their application has been taken.

The recruitment procedure may take up to six months, starting from the date on which a vacancy is first advertised until the employment offer being made. 

It depends on the number of applications received and on the selection procedure schedule. Short-listed applicants will be informed once all applications have been evaluated. It usually takes two to eight weeks before invitations can be sent out, starting from the deadline of the vacancy notice.

As a general recommendation, you should refer to the vacancy notice for your preparation.

The interview and written test will consist of pre-determined technical and behavioural competence-based questions, in line with the selection criteria in the respective vacancy notice. The pattern for the interview and written test will be the same for all candidates.

The interview aims at evaluating a range of technical knowledge and professional experience, as well as the competences and skills required for the position. For the interview, please be prepared to give an opening statement (maximum 5 minutes), highlighting your qualifications, professional experience and motivation in relation to the post to be filled. The interviews will be conducted in English, if not indicated otherwise in the vacancy notice. The knowledge of other EU languages may be assessed. In case your mother tongue is English, knowledge of a second EU language that you indicated in your application will be assessed during the interview. 

This may vary depending on the position and it will always be specified in the invitation candidates receive. The interviews and written tests are usually organised remotely (online).

Both the interview and written test usually last 45 minutes each. This, however, may vary depending on the job specificity and will be indicated in the invitation candidates receive.

If candidates are invited for a face-to-face interview and are requested to travel, the reimbursement will be made according to the reimbursement rules published on the EUSPA website.

Travel expenses are to be paid by the candidates, and will be subsequently reimbursed by the Agency. The reimbursement is conditioned by the provision of the requested documentation, which will be listed in the invitation to the interview. 

Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the Selection Board members, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule may lead to disqualification from the selection procedure.

In the application form candidates are asked to indicate whether they have any disability. EUSPA will try to accommodate any particular need.

Inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee being offered a post. As long as the reserve list remains valid, EUSPA may offer a position to a candidate on the reserve list who best matches the specific needs of EUSPA at the time. Candidates’ profiles will be considered with all due care each time a position for which they are qualified becomes available. You can check the validity of the existing reserve lists on EUSPA’s website.

Candidates put on the reserve list can apply to any open vacancies. Each procedure is independent and you have to submit a new application.

If a candidate considers that they have been adversely affected by a particular decision, they can:

1. Lodge a complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and Conditions of Employment of other servants of the European Union, at the following address: 

jobs@euspa.europa.eu 

or

European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)

Human Resources Department

Janovského 438/2

170 00 Prague 7

Czech Republic

The complaint must be lodged within 3 months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the action adversely affecting them.

2. Submit a judicial appeal under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (ex Art. 236 of the EC Treaty) and Article 91 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union to the: 

General Court of the European Union

Boulevard Konrad Adenauer

Luxembourg 2925

LUXEMBOURG 

For details on how to submit an appeal, please consult the website of the General Court of the European Union: http://curia.europa.eu.

3. Make a complaint to the European Ombudsman: 

European Ombudsman

1 avenue du Président Robert Schuman

CS 30403

67001 Strasbourg Cedex

FRANCE

http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu 

Please note that complaints made to the Ombudsman have no suspensive effect on the period laid down in Articles 90(2) and 91 of the Staff Regulations for lodging complaints or for submitting appeals to the General Court of the European Union under Article 270 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (ex Art. 236 TEC). Please note also that, under Article 2(4) of the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman's duties, any complaint lodged with the Ombudsman must be preceded by the appropriate administrative approaches to the institutions and bodies concerned.