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Recruitment Notice No COR/SG/AD16/01/26 concerning a post of Secretary-General (M/F) in the secretariat-general of the European Committee of the Regions (Recruitment grade AD 16)

OJ C, C/2026/1827, 30.3.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/1827/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

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| | Official Journal
of the European Union | EN

C series |

| | C/2026/1827 | 30.3.2026 |
RECRUITMENT NOTICE No COR/SG/AD16/01/26

concerning a post of Secretary-General (M/F) in the secretariat-general of the European Committee of the Regions (Recruitment grade AD 16)

(C/2026/1827)

Publication under Article 2(a) and Article 8 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS)

1. INTRODUCTION

Under the authority of the President, who represents the Bureau, the Secretary-General (1) of the European Committee of the Regions (hereafter referred to as the CoR) has the task of implementing the decisions taken by the Bureau or President in line with the provisions of the CoR Rules of Procedure and the current legal framework. These decisions cover, in particular, the organisation and management of the CoR secretariat-general (around 550 statutory staff and an annual budget of around EUR 140 million) so as to provide effective assistance to the CoR and its constituent bodies, and to its members, in the performance of their duties.

1. THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

The CoR is a consultative body which was established in 1994. It is the European Union’s (EU’s) assembly of local and regional representatives. It has currently 329 members who are representatives of regional or local bodies who either hold a regional or local authority electoral mandate or are politically accountable to an elected assembly. These members:

| — | live, work and are elected in the regions or cities they come from, |

| — | are in touch with their citizens’ concerns, |

| — | are spokespersons for their local communities at the very heart of the EU decision-making and legislative process and keep them abreast of EU developments. |
The CoR has to be consulted throughout the legislative process involving the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in the following areas: transport, employment, social policy, European social fund, education, vocational training, youth and sports, culture, public health, trans-European networks, economic social and territorial cohesion, structural funds, environment and energy.

The CoR is also the guardian of the subsidiarity principle. Under the Lisbon Treaty it has the right to bring an action before the European Union’s Court of Justice whenever it considers that the principle has not been respected.

The CoR also takes its role of forming a bridge between Europe and its citizens seriously, mounting local and regional information campaigns, local events and setting up platforms for networking between regions and also for businesses.

Lastly, it has developed an active partnership with the other European institutions.

1. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL

In the performance of his administrative duties based on the CoR mission statement and on the mandate given by the political leadership of the CoR, it will be incumbent upon the Secretary-General, in particular, to:

| — | ensure an excellent management of the personnel so that the CoR administration is focused on: helping members achieve maximum policy impact, expanding the CoR’s network of contacts and visibility at subnational level, and continuously developing the culture of service to the members, in particular as technology and working methods evolve, |

| — | assist the President as regards preparing meetings of the Bureau and the Plenary Assembly, respecting procedures and ensuring that decisions taken in accordance with the CoR’s Rules of Procedure are properly implemented, |

| — | assist the President in preparing the representation of the CoR’s interests vis-à-vis the other European institutions and bodies and internationally, and represent the CoR where these interests are at administrative level, |

| — | ensuring the necessary cooperation and coordination amongst the CoR directorates, while liaising with the secretaries-general and secretariats of the CoR’s Political Groups, |

| — | submit proposals to the Bureau aimed at running the secretariat-general in such a way as to provide effective assistance to the CoR and its constituent bodies and to its members in the performance of their duties, |

| — | take part in Bureau meetings with an advisory role, |

| — | organise the preparation of the annual and multi-annual programme of the CoR’s work, |

| — | supervise the work of the CoR/European Economic and Social Committee joint services in keeping with the interinstitutional cooperation agreement concluded between the two Committees, |

| — | maximising the potential cooperation with the other EU institutions and bodies via interinstitutional framework contracts and service level agreements, especially with the European Parliament and the European Commission, in the areas of common interest, |

| — | exercise the powers which the Staff Regulations and the CoR’s Rules of Procedure vest in him/her as Appointing Authority and Authority Empowered to Conclude Contracts of Employment, |

| — | draw up the CoR’s draft estimates of expenditure and revenue and implement the budget in accordance with the powers vested in him/her, |

| — | ensure optimum use of the human and financial resources allocated to the CoR by the budgetary authorities as an authorising officer by delegation. |
4. ADMISSION CRITERIA

The selection process is open to all candidates who, on the closing date for filing applications, meet the following criteria. Candidates must:

| — | be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union, |

| — | enjoy full rights as a citizen and produce appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of the duties of Secretary-General, |

| — | have fulfilled any statutory obligations concerning military service, |

| — | according to the CoR’s Rules of Procedure (Rule 72(2)), the Secretary-General shall be engaged for five years, |

| — | be physically fit to perform the duties; prior to his recruitment, the successful candidate will be examined at one of the EU institutions’ medical centres to confirm that they meet the statutory requirements, |

| — | have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma where the normal period of university education is four years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year where the normal period of university education is at least three years, |

| — | have at least 15 years of professional experience relevant to the nature of the duties after receipt of the diploma referred to in the previous indent; where the normal period of university education is three years, the year of professional experience required to complement this period of education is deemed an integral part of the diploma and shall be in addition to the number of years of professional experience required under this indent; a minimum of five years of professional experience must have been acquired in a senior management position, |

| — | have a thorough command of one of the official EU languages as main language and a satisfactory knowledge of a second official EU language; given the nature of the duties to be performed, a good knowledge (minimum B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2)) of English or French is required; the need to recruit a staff member with the highest qualities of competence, performance and integrity must be balanced against the interests of the service, which require a candidate to be immediately operational and capable of communicating effectively within the institution in the course of his everyday work in one of the languages most used by officials and other staff of the Union as an internal working language. The testing of candidates’ linguistic knowledge during the recruitment procedure is thus a proportionate means of verifying that they possess the highest qualities for performing the duties of Secretary-General in the CoR’s working environment. A candidate having one of the above-mentioned languages as his main language will also be called on during the interview to express himself satisfactorily in an official language other than his main language. The ability to communicate effectively in other official EU languages will be an advantage, |

| — | state in the signed declaration (see point 7.1 below) that they meet the requirements in the area of language skills, which will be assessed during the interview. |
5. INITIAL SCREENING CRITERIA (examination of the application)

5.1.   The initial screening of candidates will take the form of a comparative assessment of their professional experience on the basis of the information given in their applications.

Preference will be given to candidates possessing:

Leadership skills

| — | experience in supervising large international, multilingual and multicultural teams of managers, including performance assessment and staff development, proven through job descriptions or formal attestations. |

| — | responsibility for directing complex, international administrative structures in a cost-effective manner, evidenced through officially assigned managerial duties. |

| — | documented involvement in organisational transformation, demonstrated by participation in formally adopted reforms or restructuring processes. |

| — | experience taking strategic decisions in politically sensitive contexts, as shown by official responsibilities or participation in high-level bodies. |
Negotiating and communication skills

| — | experience in high-level negotiation and consensus-building, supported by official roles involving interinstitutional coordination, representation mandates or documented participation in senior-level decision-making. |

| — | formal responsibilities in communication and institutional representation, evidenced through official tasks involving communication with political, administrative or external stakeholders. |
Knowledge and experience relevant to the nature of the duties

| — | verified knowledge of EU policies and decision-making and familiarity with regional or local aspects of European integration, demonstrated through posts held or official responsibilities. |

| — | documented experience with interinstitutional cooperation or political environments at EU level, supported by previous assignments. |

| — | previous experience in change-management or modernisation initiatives, evidenced by duties in digital transformation, reform or innovation projects. |

| — | familiarity with EU administrative, budgetary and legal frameworks, demonstrated through officially assigned tasks. |
5.2.   The initial screening of candidates will also be conducted in the light of their reasons for wishing to assume the duties of Secretary-General and their vision of the added value of the CoR and the future challenges that the institution will face, as set out in their letter of application.

1. SELECTION CRITERIA (interview)

Selection will be by means of an interview, during which the selection panel referred to in point 7.3 below will ask the candidates a number of similar questions in order to carry out a comparative assessment of the various candidacies being considered at that stage.

The questions will in particular concern:

| — | candidates’ ability to draw up and implement innovative strategies, to identify future objectives for the CoR, to set out and report on the results to be achieved, and to communicate them in a concise and convincing way, |

| — | candidates’ ability to represent the interests of the CoR at European and international level. |
In the course of the interview the selection panel will in particular assess candidates’ managerial skills, ability to communicate, accessibility and open-mindedness, negotiating skills and breadth of interests.

The language skills required for performance of the duties of CoR Secretary-General will also be assessed during the interview, in particular the knowledge of English or French mentioned in the admission criteria.

The ability to communicate effectively in other official EU languages will be an advantage.

1. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

7.1. Filing of applications

Applications must be sent, solely by email, in pdf format to the following address: vacancysg@cor.europa.eu.

Candidates with a disability which makes it impossible for them to submit their application online may send it by registered post with proof of delivery to the following address: European Committee of the Regions, for the attention of the President, rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 101, 1040 Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgique/België, marked Confidential – recruitment notice – not to be opened by the mail department, at the latest by the closing date for applications stipulated in point 7.2 below, as indicated by the postmark. Any subsequent communication between the CoR and these candidates will be conducted by post. Candidates applying by post must attach to their application a certificate, issued by a competent body, attesting to their disabled status. They are also asked to indicate, in their own words, any arrangements they consider necessary to facilitate their participation in the recruitment procedure.

Applications must mention the reference number of the recruitment notice in the subject line and include:

| — | covering letter explaining the candidate’s motivation for applying, presenting their vision of the future political and organisational challenges facing the institution, outlining their proposals for modernisation, demonstrating their ability to manage resources effectively, and highlighting concrete achievements that illustrate their leadership, negotiating and communication skills, and their political and managerial suitability for the post (maximum 5 pages (3)), signed and dated, |

| — | an up-to-date curriculum vitae (Europass format), |

| — | the curriculum vitae and covering letter must be written in English or French (4). In their CV, the candidates must indicate, at least for the five years during which they have performed senior management duties: (1) the title and the nature of managerial duties performed; (2) the number of staff supervised in the framework of their duties; (3) the size of budgets under their direct supervision, |

| — | a declaration, signed and dated (form in Annex I), that the admission criteria set out in point 4 above are met, |

| — | the check-list in Annex II, signed and dated, |

| — | a copy of one of the candidate’s official identity documents, |

| — | a copy of the diploma giving access to the grade (see point 4 above), |

| — | a copy of the professional documents certifying the candidate’s experience, in line with the criteria set out in point 5 above. The documents must clearly state the length of employment and, if possible, the level of responsibility held. |
It is not necessary for the copies included in the application to be certified.

| The respect of the admission criteria set out in point 4 will be checked solely on the basis of the information provided in the supporting documents. Information only provided in the CV or in the cover letter without being backed by supporting documents will not be taken into account.

With regard to the professional experience required under point 4, copies of proofs of professional experience must be provided showing the content of the duties, the duration for which the posts were held and the level of responsibility.

The verification of the respect of admission criteria regarding the linguistic knowledge required will be based on the declaration in good faith; the level of linguistic skills will be tested during the selection interview (see point 6 of the recruitment notice).

The pre-selection of the admissible candidates will be based on criteria set out under point 5 as documented in the applications submitted by the candidates. Therefore, they are invited to highlight in their CV and cover letter each relevant aspect of their professional experience enabling the selection panel to assess the degree of correspondence with the requirements of this vacancy notice.

When preparing the application file, it is not necessary for the copies to be certified as conforming to the original.

Incomplete application files and files submitted after the expiry of the submission deadline or failing to observe the provisions governing the submission of application files will not be considered. Any false declaration will automatically cause the application to become null and void. |
7.2. Closing date for filing applications: 28 May 2026 at midday (Brussels time)

Candidates will receive confirmation of receipt of their application by email. Any applications received by registered post with proof of delivery, as referred to in point 7.1 above, will be duly acknowledged.

7.3. Examination of applications and initial screening and selection files

A selection panel made up of the CoR President, the first Vice-President and the CoR political group presidents, or their representatives, will assess the applications. The selection panel will be administratively assisted by the secretariat-general.

There are four stages in the process, as follows:

7.3.1.   The selection panel will check candidates’ admissibility on the basis of their declarations, CVs and copies of the documents specified in point 7.1 of this recruitment notice.

The admission criteria to be applied at this stage of the process are specified in point 4.

7.3.2.   The selection panel will then carry out a screening of applications admitted following the phase described in the previous point. This will be done on the basis of the application. The names of up to seven candidates who best meet the criteria set out in point 5 of this recruitment notice will be placed on a shortlist.

With a view to this screening, candidates are invited to highlight in their covering letter the aspects of their CV which are suited to the post and to cover the screening criteria set out in point 5 above.

The shortlisted candidates will then be invited to an assessment centre. They will be informed of the programme and methodology in due time. The purpose of this assessment will be to evaluate their managerial skills (handling of information, tasks, people and interpersonal relationships, and ability to achieve goals). The result of the assessment will be non-binding and is intended to provide the selection panel with additional input in connection with the selection interview.

7.3.3.   Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a selection interview conducted by the selection panel, in accordance with the provisions of point 6 above.

The candidates invited to the selection interview will be asked to produce an identity document, along with the original of their diploma and of the documents certifying their professional experience.

7.3.4.   After the interviews, the President will propose to the Bureau the candidate deemed most suitable to assume the post of Secretary-General of the CoR. The Bureau reserves the right to interview the candidate proposed by the President.

In accordance with Rule 72(1) of the CoR Rules of Procedure, the engagement of the Secretary-General requires a favourable vote of the Bureau, meeting in camera, with a specific quorum.

If the Bureau votes in favour, it will instruct the President to sign the employment contract with the successful candidate.

Under no circumstances should applicants approach the selection panel, either directly or indirectly, concerning this selection procedure. The selection panel reserves the right to disqualify any applicant who disregards this instruction.

1. RECRUITMENT CONDITIONS

The successful candidate will be employed on a five-year contract in accordance with Article 8 of the CEOS as a member of temporary staff recruited under Article 2(a) of the CEOS at grade AD 16.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a nine-month probationary period in accordance with Article 14 of the CEOS.

This post requires security clearance allowing access to classified information (SECRET UE/EU SECRET level). Candidates applying for the post must be prepared to undergo security screening. Appointment to the post will only be confirmed on condition that the selected candidate has obtained a valid security clearance certificate. A candidate without security clearance will be dismissed without notice according to the provisions of Article 50(1) of the CEOS.

At least one month before the successful candidate starts to work, he will be required to submit the original documents used to prove in his application that he meets the admission criteria.

In addition, and without prejudice to the above requirements, the successful candidate will be asked to undertake to comply with certain rules of ethics. Candidates’ attention is drawn to the restrictions imposed by the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union concerning outside activities, assignments and conflicts of interest (Articles 11, 11a, 12b, 13 and 15 of the Staff Regulations), which apply to temporary staff under Article 11 of the CEOS.

In the interests of the successful candidate’s independence, he will have to be free of any prior professional obligations at the latest by the time he starts work. He will be required to take any necessary administrative steps to this end.

If the person is a European Union official, he must either resign from his current post or obtain leave on personal grounds.

1. PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE OF THE MAIN STEPS OF THE PROCEDURE

| 28 May 2026: | Closing date for filing applications |
| Early September 2026: | Assessment centre |
| Mid-September 2026: | Interviews with the selection panel |
| 12 October 2026: | Decision of the Bureau |
The timetable is provisional and subject to modification. The shortlisted candidates will be notified in due time.

1. NOTES

The post is intended to be filled on 16 December 2026, subject to budget availability.

The CoR will ensure that candidates’ personal data is handled in full compliance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5).

For information related to Data Protection, please see the Data Protection Notice: Data protection – European Committee of the Regions (6).

The CoR is an equal-opportunities employer, precluding any discrimination.

The President

of the European Committee of the Regions

Kata TÜTTŐ

(1) Any reference in this notice to a person of the male sex shall be deemed also to constitute a reference to a person of the female sex.

(2) https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale.

(3) A standard page comprises 1 500 characters without spaces.

(4) The selection panel will ensure that candidates for whom one of these languages is their main language will not enjoy any undue advantage.

(5) 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 (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1725/oj).

(6) https://cor.europa.eu/en/data-protection.

ANNEX I

RECRUITMENT NOTICE No COR/SG/AD16/01/26

DECLARATION

THE CANDIDATE

Surname, first name: …

I hereby declare that the information and all the documents supplied with my application are true and complete.

I hereby declare that on the closing date for filling applications (28 May 2026):

| i. | I am a national of one of the Member States of the European Union; |

| ii. | I enjoy my full rights as a citizen; |

| iii. | I have fulfilled my obligations concerning statutory military service; |

| iv. | I have the necessary character references for performance of the duties concerned; |

| v. | I meet, to the best of my knowledge, the physical fitness requirements for performance of the duties concerned; |

| vi. | I have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma where the normal period of university education is four years or more, or a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year where the normal period of university education is at least three years; |

| vii. | I have at least 15 years professional experience after receipt of the diploma referred to in the previous point; where the normal period of university education is three years, the year of professional experience required to complement this period of education is deemed an integral part of the diploma and shall be in addition to the 15 years professional experience required; a minimum of five years of professional experience have been acquired in a senior management position; |

| viii. | I have a thorough command of an official language of the European Union and at least a satisfactory knowledge of at least one other official language of the European Union; |

| ix. | I have at least a good knowledge (B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) of either English or French. |
This declaration, together with the checklist, forms an integral part of the application and must be attached to my official letter of application.

I am aware:

| — | that my application will be rejected if any of the documents required under the conditions of the recruitment notice are missing from my application, |

| — | that any false declaration will automatically invalidate my application. |
Date: …Signature: …

ANNEX II

RECRUITMENT NOTICE No COR/SG/AD16/01/26

CHECKLIST

THE CANDIDATE

Surname, first name: …

hereby declares that the following documents are enclosed with the application (place a cross in the appropriate boxes):

| | | YES | NO |
| 1. | Copy of university diploma attesting to at least 4 years of study or

Copy of university diploma attesting to at least 3 years of study and proof of appropriate professional experience of at least one year | ☐ | ☐ |
| 2. | Proof of professional experience of 15 years, with a minimum of 5 years acquired in a senior management position | ☐ | ☐ |
| 3. | Copy of an official identity document | ☐ | ☐ |
| 4. | Covering letter (5 pages maximum) (EN or FR) | ☐ | ☐ |
| 5. | CV in Europass format (EN or FR) | ☐ | ☐ |
| 6. | Declaration, signed and dated | ☐ | ☐ |
Date: … Signature: …

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/1827/oj

ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)

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