Legal Officer

We are

We are a dynamic team working in the highly challenging environment of information and communication technologies. Our Unit DIGIT R3 - Procurement and Legal Compliance - handles the ICT procurement and contracts (in the area of cloud, hardware, software and ICT services). The unit manages different types of procurement procedures (open, negotiated, restricted) and is at the forefront of implementing Dynamic Purchasing System procedures in the European Commission. Most of the contracts of general interest are used by other Directorates-General (DGs) of the European Commission and more than 70 other EU institutions, bodies and agencies (EUIBAs). We carry out the tendering processes, lead (co/lead) the negotiations with suppliers, draft the contracts and deal with pre-litigious situations. We are one of the largest awarding services in the Commission: in annual average the awarded amounts are above € 2,5 billion.

The Unit also coordinates and supports DIGIT’s efforts to comply with its obligations in the fields of data protection, document management and access to documents, including by housing the functions of DIGIT Data Protection Coordinator, Access to Documents Coordinator and the Document Management Officer. 

The unit is located in Brussels (ca. 95% of staff) and Luxembourg (ca. 5% of staff).

The unit is composed of around 40 staff members (including the Head of unit and Deputy Head of Unit) and is organized in four sectors.

We propose

Unit DIGIT R.3 is seeking to hire one (1) Legal Officer.

A successful candidate will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Support procurement procedures mainly by drafting suitable data protection clauses for contracts, tender specifications or other procurement documents; draft controller-processor, joint-controller or other agreements adapted to the Directorate-General’s needs.
• Participate actively in multidisciplinary meetings, negotiating and resolving differing viewpoints between legal, engineering and project management staff while keeping the procurement process on schedule. 
• Assistant Data Protection Coordinator (DPC): Actively assist in and contribute to the preparation of replies to data subject requests, the handling of personal data breaches, the creation and management of data processing records, risk assessments and other tasks related to data protection.
• Participate in and contribute to the development of internal rules & procedures, including standard documents & templates.
• Monitor the evolution of relevant ICT technologies (in particular cloud-based computing, artificial intelligence) in general and their impact on standardisation, intellectual property rights, data protection and privacy, and public procurement. 
• Providing general legal advice linked to the works and mandate of the Directorate-General for Digital Services.

The work is very varied and intellectually challenging, while offering broad learning opportunities. It involves many contacts with outside companies, the technical services of DG Digital Services, other Directorates-General (DGs), EU institutions, agencies and bodies; as well as a close daily follow-up of large-scale procurement procedures. A successful candidate should thrive in high stakes environments, maintaining focus and delivering results even when faced with demanding workloads and strict deadlines

We look for

We are looking for a legal officer – a dynamic and motivated colleague enjoying teamwork and able to maintain a constructive advisory role with numerous colleagues and stakeholders.

The candidate must possess a university diploma in law and, ideally, at least 2 years of professional experience in data protection practices, public procurement, contract management, ICT law, contract law or other fields relevant for the post. Demonstrated affinity to IT-related topics is an asset. S/he should be able to maintain a constructive advisory role with numerous colleagues and stakeholders.

Oral and written communication skills are very important for this job. The working language is English and the job requires excellent drafting skills in that language. Knowledge of French is desirable.

How to express your interest

With a view to guaranteeing equal access to all, the Commission recruits from an open database of spontaneous applications. The present call for interests aims at helping the recruiters to identify potentially interested candidates within this database.

In practice, to express your interest, please follow the subsequent two steps:

1. If you are not registered yet in the open EPSO database, please do so at the following address: CAST Permanent. Please select under selection procedures for contract agent the CAST permanent profile that best suits your education and experience.
2. 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 DIGIT-CONTRACTS-INFO-CENTREec [dot] europa [dot] eu (DIGIT-CONTRACTS-INFO-CENTRE[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) indicating the call for interest reference EC/DIGIT/2026/469352 in the subject.

No applications will be accepted after the publication deadline