JOB DESCRIPTION

Vacancy notice – CONS/AD/201/25 – Director for Translation Service (LING.2)

(C/2025/6370)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Department

Translation Service (GSC.LING.2)

Place of work

Brussels, LEX Building

Title of post

Director

Function group and grade

AD 14

Security clearance required

SECRET UE/EU SECRET

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

9 January 2026 – 12:00 (noon) Brussels time

We are

The General Secretariat of the Council (GSC) assists the European Council and the Council of the EU and their preparatory bodies in all fields of their activities. Under the authority of the Secretary-General, it provides advice and support to the European Council and the Council and to their Presidencies in all areas of activity, including policy and legal advice, coordination with other institutions, drawing up of compromises and drafting, supervising as well as attending to all the practicalities that are necessary for the smooth preparation and running of the European Council and the Council.

The Translation Service (LING) is responsible for providing translations of European Council and Council documents in all official languages of the EU. In addition, the Translation Service provides editing assistance for internal and Presidency drafters, as well as multilingual assistance for media monitoring, President of the European Council briefings and other initiatives.

LING consists of two Directorates, LING.1 and LING.2, comprising 12 language units each. The service also includes two horizontal units, namely the Operations Unit (in charge of planning and workflow management, quality policy coordination and terminology) and the Resources Unit (in charge of IT and digitalisation, HR, budget and resources management, statistical data and reporting). The two Directorates and the two horizontal units report directly to the Deputy Director-General (DDG), who oversees the general and strategic management of LING.

We propose

We propose a highly attractive and challenging position as Director of twelve language units in a politically interesting and fast-moving environment, with diverse stakeholders and approximately 400 highly qualified staff.

Under the authority of the DDG, the Director’s main task is to provide strategic guidance and support to a large team of middle managers, ensuring effective leadership and alignment across the units so that they fulfil their mission and ensure that staff is supported, motivated and equipped to excel.

You will ensure the quality and timeliness of the services and products delivered by the units in LING.2, as well as effective communication and cooperation within the Directorate, with the other Directorate (LING.1) and the DDG, with the two horizontal units of LING, as well as with other GSC services (ORG, DITEC, COMM, policy directorates) and external stakeholders (other institutions).

A key part of your mission will be contributing to the long-term development of the service by embracing new technologies, driving digital transformation and fostering innovation while ensuring the importance of the human dimension.

You will provide high-level advice to the Deputy Director-General, both orally and in writing, at your own initiative or upon request. You may also be requested to take the lead on specific projects. You will contribute to establishing the service’s priorities and management plans and ensure the appropriate monitoring of their implementation.

You may be requested to represent LING in GSC governance bodies and interinstitutional bodies, as well as representing the GSC in public fora and in negotiations with other EU institutions, agencies and bodies.

You will be able to plan and organise your work in a flexible manner, subject to the needs of the service. You and your staff will be able to benefit from the GSC’s flexible working arrangements, including teleworking. Occasional missions abroad are required, usually within the EU.

We look for

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic manager with strong leadership skills who demonstrates the ability to combine strategic insight with hands-on operational management. You should be at ease with designing and managing change in an environment of rapid technological development where there is a need to deliver high quality output under time pressure, and where it is important to attract and retain talent and to ensure that staff can thrive.

You are a proactive manager and have a proven track record of efficient delivery of results. You have a keen interest in translation and how it is evolving, and you are curious to explore how opportunities can be harnessed to shape the future of translation in the Council’s environment. You have a sound understanding of the challenges and expectations of the Translation Service’s main stakeholders and of its role in the overall mission of the GSC and, by extension, the European Council and the Council of the EU.

As a senior manager in LING, you will be expected to support a large team of middle managers in effectively dealing with operational issues, providing them and their teams with guidance, keeping them engaged and committed through effective communication with them. Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate closely with a peer in an equivalent leadership role (Director of LING.1) are essential for success in this position. In general, you need a strong sense of diplomacy, knowing when to be flexible and when to be firm, always effectively and constructively facilitating discussions towards win-win outcomes.

The GSC competency framework for managers provides guidance on the skills all managers are expected to develop and have

(https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/nrehuprg/competency-framework-for-managers-booklet-a5_en-for-web.pdf).

In particular, the jobholder will need to possess the following competencies:

STRATEGIC THINKING

—

think and plan strategically, anticipate and identify potential problems and propose workable compromises and solutions.

ADVISING

—

a sense of diplomacy,

—

maintain attention to detail without losing sight of the overall picture,

—

reach common agreements and goals by providing targeted advice to stakeholders and by effectively and constructively facilitating discussions,

—

promote and maintain good working relationships with a range of internal and external interlocutors.

LEADING

—

manage change and support staff through change,

—

excellent communication skills, including interpersonal communication skills,

—

facilitate collaborative work on cross-cutting projects and issues, and ensure coherence in different strands of work across the entire organisation;

EMPOWERING

—

promote a strong team spirit and guide, motivate and empower staff in a multicultural and diverse environment, with a strong emphasis on staff development,

—

engage in open dialogue with staff to create a positive and inclusive working atmosphere,

—

actively foster innovation and listen to staff members’ ideas on new approaches, novel working methods and applying the latest technologies.

MANAGING RESOURCES SUSTAINABLY AND FLEXIBLY

—

organise the overall work of the Directorate to meet critical deadlines and ensure a fair distribution of workload as well as succession planning.

REPRESENTING AND BEING ACCOUNTABLE

—

establish and nurture collaborative strategic relationships to maintain and further develop the GSC’s value.

Given that the GSC has a policy of mobility for its managers, who are expected to have broad experience, candidates should be willing and able to work in different areas of activity during their career at the GSC.

RECRUITMENT POLICY

Applicants must meet the following requirements on the closing date for applications:

(a)

General conditions

—

be nationals of one of the Member States of the European Union,

—

enjoy their full rights as citizens,

—

have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service.

(b)

Specific conditions

—

hold a university degree (1),

—

have at least fifteen years of relevant professional experience, out of which they have during at least three years effectively exercised management and organisational responsibilities. Three years spent in a post with significant coordination responsibilities would be equivalent to the required management experience,

—

given that English and French are used extensively for communication within the GSC and with other institutions, an excellent knowledge of one of the two languages and a good knowledge of the other is required. Knowledge of other official languages of the EU would be an asset.

NB:

(1)

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 under Council Decision 2013/488/EU (2). Appointment to the post will only take effect on condition that the selected candidate has obtained a valid security clearance certificate. A candidate without security clearance will be offered a temporary contract until the result of the security clearance procedure is obtained.
(2)

The successful candidate must be prepared to follow the GSC management training programme.
SELECTION PROCEDURE

—

In choosing the successful candidates, the Appointing Authority shall be assisted by an advisory selection board. The advisory selection board will be supported by an assessment centre, run by external recruitment consultants. Reports established by the assessment centre for the same type of post will cease to be valid two years after the date on which the relevant exercises took place or upon termination of the framework contract between the GSC and the assessment centre in question – whichever date is the earliest.

—

The advisory selection board will initially evaluate and compare the qualifications, experience and motivation of all the applicants, on the basis of their applications. Based on that comparative assessment, the advisory selection board will shortlist those candidates who, in its opinion, are most suitable to be invited to a first interview. As this first selection is based on a comparative assessment of the applications, the fulfilment of the requirements of this vacancy notice does not guarantee an invitation to the first interview. From among the interviewed candidates, the advisory selection board will pre-select candidates to attend the assessment centre, as well as a second interview with the advisory selection board.

The provisional planning for the selection procedure is as follows:

—

it is expected that candidates selected for the interviews will be informed by mid-January 2026,

—

the first interviews are foreseen to take place towards the end of January 2026,

—

the assessment centre is expected to take place in the first half of February 2026,

—

the second round of interviews is foreseen for the end of February/beginning of March 2026.

NB:

The above schedule is purely indicative and may be modified.
LEGAL BASIS

This post is published in all institutions of the European Union and outside the institutions, in conformity with Article 29, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union (3).

HOW TO APPLY

The closing date for applications is 9 January 2026 at 12:00 (noon) Brussels time.

Applications will be only accepted by email and must be sent to [email protected] (4) no later than the closing date and time. Late applications will not be considered.

The email address indicated above must be used for any correspondence concerning the selection procedure (the email must have the following reference in the subject line: CONS/AD/201/25 LING.2).

Before submitting their application, candidates should carefully check whether they meet the requirements listed above under ‘Recruitment policy’, in order to avoid automatic exclusion from the selection procedure.

To be valid, the application file must include the following documents in pdf (NB: locked, password protected or electronically signed documents will not be accepted):

(a)

the application form duly completed and dated (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) – Application form.pdf’); to download the electronic application form (EN or FR) click on the appropriate link below or copy/paste it into your browser (5):

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/68640/gsc-application_form_senior_management_en.docx

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/68641/gsc-application_form_senior_management_fr.docx;

(b)

a detailed curriculum vitae in English or French (no photographs included), preferably in the Europass format (https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv; https://europa.eu/europass/fr/create-your-europass-cv), covering the applicant’s entire career, listing, inter alia, the applicant’s qualifications, language knowledge, experience and current duties (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) – CV.pdf’);

(c)

a motivation letter, in English or French (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) – Motivation letter.pdf’).

Failure to include these documents will render the application invalid.

NB:

Copies of diplomas certifying education and copies of documents and certificates relating to professional experience will be requested from the preselected candidates invited for the first round of interviews. Supporting documents must have been issued by a third party.
The supporting documents should be numbered (Annex 1, 2, etc.) and must be grouped together in a single pdf document (file to be named ‘XXX (YOUR FAMILY NAME) – Supporting documents.pdf’). This should include an index.

Failure to submit all supporting documents at the latest the day before the first interview, may be considered as grounds for disqualification.

Applications that arrive by post or via cloud-based data storage solutions or file-share platforms will not be considered.

The successful candidate will be asked to provide the originals of the above documents.

Candidates will receive an email acknowledging receipt of their application. However, technical difficulties affecting the sending of emails can occur. Therefore, if no email acknowledging receipt of the application is received, candidates are asked to contact [email protected]. Since the advisory selection board will begin its work shortly after the closing date for applications, any correspondence about the receipt of the application should be made in the week following that date.