Europol Hiring Alert: Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support (EC3, AD8)

Europol is inviting applications for a Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support (AD8) at the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) in The Hague.

The restricted Temporary Agent post sits in the Operations Directorate and is aimed at experienced cybercrime and law-enforcement professionals who can lead operational teams supporting EU Member States against cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crime.

The vacancy notice was published on 24 September 2026.

Applications close on 22 October 2026 at 23:59 CEST.

The selection procedure is expected in October–November 2026.

Europol intends to establish a reserve list and begin using it in Q4 2026 / Q1 2027; the list may also be used for similar posts if organisational needs arise.

Role and organisational setting

EC3 is the EU’s centre for supporting Member States on complex cybercrime investigations.

It delivers operational and investigative support and helps build analytical capacity with EU institutions and partners.

The jobholder will lead, manage and coordinate one of the teams within EC3, reporting to the Head of the EC3 Operations Unit or the Head of the EC3 Digital Support Unit.

Europol notes several Head of Team openings expected over the next two years, including J-CAT, AP Terminal (payment and online fraud), and Digital Forensics.

Key responsibilities

• Plan, prioritise and supervise team work against performance indicators, and keep delivery high quality and timely.
• Support Europol’s strategy in the relevant cybercrime area and oversee operational support in line with Europol’s mandate.
• Coordinate investigations or support activities and steer production of reports and operational products.
• Maintain subject-matter expertise through research and liaison with agencies and specialists.
• Build working relationships with Member States and Third-Party Liaison Officers.
• Coach and develop team members and uphold corporate policies, fundamental rights and data-protection rules.

Relevant expertise areas highlighted in the notice include cybercrime investigations, cyber threat intelligence, digital forensics, payment fraud, dark-web investigations, and big-data / AI techniques applied to criminal investigations.

Eligibility and experience

This is a restricted post: applicants must be members of a competent authority under the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as citizens of an EU Member State, meet language and character requirements, and satisfy the education or equivalent professional-training routes set out in the notice.

In addition to the education or training route, candidates need at least nine years of total professional experience after the required diploma.

Preferred profiles include substantial cybercrime-unit experience in an EU Member State or international law-enforcement agency, staff-management experience supporting operations or investigations, and intelligence-report production.

Contract, pay and location

• Grade: AD8 (Administrator)
• Gross basic monthly salary: EUR 8,911.48 (step 1) or EUR 9,285.95 (step 2), depending on relevant experience
• Contract: initial five years, full-time (40 hours/week); generally renewable once for a further five years
• Location: Europol headquarters, The Hague, Netherlands
• Probation: nine months
• Security clearance: CONFIDENTIEL UE / EU CONFIDENTIAL

EU tax is deducted at source; salaries are exempt from national taxation.

Subject to eligibility, allowances may include expatriation or foreign-residence allowances, household, dependent-child and education allowances, plus Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme coverage.

How to apply

Apply only through Europol’s online recruitment system via the official vacancy page: https://www.europol.europa.eu/work-with-us/careers/open-vacancies/vacancy/1088

Deadline: 22 October 2026, 23:59 CEST

Selection may include an initial assessment, written test and competency-based interview.

Europol intends to shortlist the 12 highest-scoring candidates (including ties with the 12th score).

Candidates should read the full vacancy notice and Europol Recruitment Guidelines before applying, and confirm restricted-post eligibility with their competent authority / Europol National Unit route as required.