Seconded National Expert – Stakeholder Relations

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)¹ invites applications with a view to establish a reserve list for the post of Seconded National Expert (SNE) – Stakeholder Relations. 

The registration of applications begins on 3 September 2026 and will close on 5 October 2026 at 13:30 Eastern European Time (EET). 

The Agency 

Based in Vilnius, Lithuania, EIGE is a decentralised agency of the European Union (EU) entrusted with specific objectives envisaged to contribute and strengthen the promotion of gender equality. 

To achieve its goals, the Agency collects and analyses comparable and reliable information at EU level and develops appropriate methodological tools for the integration of gender equality into all EU policies. It fosters the exchange of good practices and dialogue between stakeholders and raises EU citizen awareness of this policy area by providing technical assistance to EU institutions, in particular the European Commission, as well as the authorities of the Member States.

In the course of its work to promote and strengthen gender equality, EIGE supports policymakers with high quality research and comparable data relevant to their work

Job Description

Profile

Working closely with the Team Leader Stakeholder Relations and colleagues across the Agency, the SNE will contribute to EIGE’s outreach and stakeholder engagement activities. The SNE will collaborate with relevant internal and external stakeholders, strengthen EIGE’s engagement with EU Member States, including those holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and present EIGE’s evidence and findings at relevant stakeholder meetings and events. The SNE will also support EIGE’s Presidency of the Justice and Home Affairs agencies’ network (JHAAN) in 2027. 

The SNE will follow closely gender equality policy developments and will provide strategic advice to  EIGE’s management on the needs of national level stakeholders and on the opportunities to enhance the relevance, uptake and impact of EIGE’s work. 

The successful candidate will be a collaborative and proactive team member with strong strategic and analytical skills; one who is well organised, committed to continuous improvement and able to share knowledge and information effectively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary working environment. 

Duties

The Seconded National Expert will perform the following tasks and activities:

• Support EIGE’s management in decision-making, to inform and enable the setting of EIGE’s overall portfolio priorities.
• Contribute to EIGE’s outreach and strategic stakeholder engagement activities by coordinating relevant stakeholder consultation and engagement processes, both on an organisational level as well as for particular priority themes (e.g. Gender Equality and Competitiveness, etc).
• In coordination with the Team leader for Stakeholder Relations and the Head of Outreach and Engagement Unit, promote EIGE’s knowledge, evidence and tools among stakeholders in EU Member States. 
• Strengthen EIGE’s visibility and impact in the Member States by presenting and promoting EIGE’s work at relevant meetings and events. 
• Monitor relevant EU and national policy developments and advice EIGE’s management on the needs of national-level stakeholders and opportunities to enhance the relevance, uptake and impact of EIGE’s work.
• Contribute to the organisation of EIGE’s visits to Member States (country visits) and support meetings and cooperation with national level stakeholders. 
• Contribute to the coordination of EIGE’s Presidency of the Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network in 2027.
• Perform other relevant duties in the interests of EIGE, as assigned by the Head of Unit.

Qualifications and experience required

Formal requirements

To be considered eligible for selection, an applicant must meet the following formal requirements by the closing date of this call:

• a university degree, or a level of formation which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma² and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years
• very good command of both spoken and written English, which is the predominant working language at the Agency and a satisfactory knowledge of a second EU language
• entitlement to full rights as a European citizen or nationality of an EU candidate country or an EFTA country or a country with which the European Council has decided to open accession negotiations and which has concluded a specific agreement with the Commission on staff secondments
• any obligations imposed by the national laws concerning military service

Selection criteria 

Eligible candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

Essential

• At least four years professional experience gained after the award of the relevant qualification and at a suitable level corresponding to performance of tasks as defined under section 2.2. 
• Previous experience from stakeholder relations/communications/policy work, for example at an EU institution, an international organisation, a Member State Ministry or a government agency.
• A good knowledge of gender equality policy areas and challenges at EU and/or Member State level in the area of as part of the broader equality and inclusion portfolio.
• Ability to identify critical facts in complex policy issues and connect these in relation to EIGE knowledge.
• Experience and knowledge on trends in effective and inclusive stakeholder consultation and engagement processes.
• The capacity to conceptualize and structure information and to communicate it effectively; 
• Evident organisational skills, including the ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and reach tight deadlines;
• Good computer skills, especially in preparing and editing texts and presentations;
• Good presentation and communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills, including ability to work with multiple stakeholders in a multicultural environment. 
• Ability to manage priorities, work under pressure and reach tight deadlines.

Advantageous

• A good knowledge of the EU institutional framework of the EU.
• A good knowledge of and/or previous work experience in applying strategic foresight methodologies across an organisation’s work or in research activities. 

Selection procedure and application

Selection procedure

The selection will include the following steps:

• Only duly completed applications submitted electronically within the deadline will be taken into consideration and examined with a view to establishing that the candidate meets all eligibility criteria.
• The best-admissible candidates will be short-listed for an interview. 
• Interviews will be held in English. A Selection Committee will assess the candidates' profiles and their relevancy for the post in question. The chosen candidate will be requested to furnish:
  • a copy of identity card, passport or other official document specifying citizenship,
  • a copy of diploma certifying a required level of academic qualifications,

  • documentary evidence of professional experience as applicable, clearly indicating starting and finishing dates.

    Copies of the above-mentioned documents will be retained by the Agency; 

• If at any stage of the procedure, it were established that information in the application has been knowingly falsified, the candidate shall be disqualified from the procedure. 
• The initial period of secondment shall be specified in the exchange of letters between the AGENCY and the employer of the selected SNE.

Soliciting on behalf of a candidate can lead to immediate disqualification.

Submission of applications

For applications to be valid, candidates must complete an EIGE application form, available only in English and which is to be forwarded electronically to eige.hr@eige.europa.eu. The subject title should include the vacancy reference number. Applications may also be forwarded to EIGE on behalf of applicants by the Permanent Representations of the EU Member States. 

Applicants are requested not to attach any supporting documents at this stage (e.g. copies of ID cards, diplomas, evidence of previous professional experience, etc.). Only shortlisted candidates will be asked to present copies of these documents for verification. Applications will not be returned to candidates but will be kept on the file by the Agency in line with its data protection guidelines. 

Due to the large volume of applications, the Institute regrets that only candidates selected for the interviews will be contacted.

Conditions of secondment

The purpose of the secondment is to provide the SNE with experience of the Agency's working methods and policies, to enable them to gain practical experience and understanding of the day-today work of its work and to give them the opportunity to work in a multicultural, multilingual environment. It also serves to enable staff of national administrations to put into practice the knowledge they have acquired in their studies, particularly in their respective areas of responsibility.

The SNE shall remain in the service of his/her employer throughout the period of secondment and shall continue to be paid by that employer. The SNE shall be entitled to daily and monthly subsistence allowances in line with EIGE Decision MB 2024/003 on the engagement and use of national experts and national experts in professional training to the European Institute for Gender Equality. These allowances do not apply to candidates from Lithuania as per Article 16.2 of these rules.

Each candidate should before applying obtain the assurance of the support of his/her employer for his/her candidacy as well as the commitment of that they shall continue to pay a salary during the period of the secondment. The final stage to secure the secondment will be confirmed by an exchange of letters between the Agency and the employer in the Member State concerned.

Subject to a probationary period, it is proposed that the secondment will be for a minimum of one year. It may be extended further accordingly. The place of secondment is Vilnius, Lithuania.

Independence and declarations of interest

The SNE will be required to enter into a commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make complete declarations of any direct or indirect interests that might be considered prejudicial to his or her independence. 

Equal opportunities

The Agency applies a policy of equal opportunities in line with the formal requirements noted above. 

Applications are accepted without distinction on any grounds of gender, 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.

EIGE is committed to promote diversity and inclusion in its working environment and organisational culture. This includes Reasonable Accommodation for applicants with a disability³.

Appeals

If a candidate considers that s/he has been adversely affected by a particular decision, s/he can 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, by writing to The Director, European Institute for Gender Equality, Gedimino Prospektas 16, Vilnius, Lithuania LT01103.

The complaint must be lodged within three months. The time limit for initiating this type of procedure (see Staff Regulations as modified by Council Regulation No 723/2004 of 22nd March 2004 published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 124 of 27th April 2004) starts to run from the time the candidate is notified of the act adversely affecting her/him. 

Pursuant to Article 195(1) of the Treaty establishing the European Community and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the Decision of the European Parliament of 9 March 1994 on the Staff Regulations and the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties, published in Official Journal of the European Union L 113 of 4 May 1994, it is also possible to write to: The European Ombudsman, 1 Avenue du Président Robert Schuman, CS 30403 67001 Strasbourg Cedex, France.

Protection of personal data

As the body responsible for organising the competition, the EIGE ensures that applicants’ personal data are processed as required by 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. This applies in particular to the confidentiality and security of such data.

Personal data shall thus be processed solely for the purpose of the selection procedure.

Lithuania and life in Vilnius 

Lithuania is a member of the Schengen Area and it borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia. Its western coastline - noted for its fine beaches, dunes and majestic pines - straddles the Baltic Sea. 

Vilnius has an estimated population of just over 550,000 people. In addition to ample green spaces, it is beautifully situated on the banks of the river Neris, offering excellent opportunities for outdoor activities. Vilnius has impressive Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Russian architecture as well as one of Europe's largest medieval old towns, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994. It has been a university city since the Middle Ages. 

Today it is the centre of the country's politics, business, science, culture and entertainment and it attracts an increasingly varied assortment of local and international events. The city centre of Vilnius is compact, clean and safe. In addition to hosting a number of international schools, Vilnius has a well-developed infrastructure and ambitious future plans. 

The city is easy to get around, has a good standard of living and an excellent working environment. EIGE’s premises are situated in the Europe House on Gedimino avenue, the main thoroughfare of Vilnius City, with easy access to amenities, both leisure and educational. 

Further information is available on the websites of Go Vilnius and Invest Lithuania.

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Footnotes

¹Established by the European Parliament and of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of 20 December 2006 (OJ L 403/9 of 30.12.2006)^

²Only qualifications issued by EU Member State authorities and qualifications recognised, as equivalent by the relevant Member States authorities will be accepted.^

³See EIGE’s Director’s decision 268/2022 on Reasonable Accommodation and the reference in the application form.