Administrative Assistant (Grade AST3) with the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

Administrative Assistant (Grade AST3) with the

Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking

Ref. CleanH2JU/Administrative Assistant/2026

The Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (Clean Hydrogen JU) is a unique public private partnership supporting research, technological development and demonstration (RTD) activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe. Its aim is to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies, realizing their potential as an instrument in achieving a carbon-lean energy system.

Fuel cells, as an efficient conversion technology, and hydrogen, as a clean energy carrier, have a great potential to help fight carbon dioxide emissions, to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons and to contribute to economic growth. The objective of the Clean Hydrogen JU is to bring these benefits to Europeans through a concentrated effort from all sectors.

The three members of the Clean Hydrogen JU are the European Commission, fuel cell and hydrogen industries represented by the Industry Grouping (HYDROGEN EUROPE) and the research community represented by the Research Grouping (HYDROGEN EUROPE RESEARCH).

The FCH JU was initially established by Council Regulation (EC) 521/2008 of 30.05.2008 for a period up to 31.12.2017 to implement part of the FP 7 programme. The FCH 2 JU was later established by Council Regulation (EU) 559/2014[1] of 6 May 2014 for a period up to 31.12.2024 taking over on-going tasks under FP 7 and implementing part of Horizon 2020 programme. The Clean Hydrogen JU was established by Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085 on 19 November 2021 for a period up to 31/12/2031.

The Clean Hydrogen JU supports:

• long-term and breakthrough-orientated research,

• research and technological development,

• demonstration and early deployment of the FCH technologies,

• support actions, including pre-normative research

following open and competitive calls for project proposals under FP7 programme (calls 2008 to 2013) and under Horizon 2020 (2014-2020).

The Clean Hydrogen JU is located in Brussels, Belgium.

For further information please consult the following website: http://www.clean-hydrogen.europa.eu

1.    INTRODUCTION

The Clean Hydrogen JU is publishing a vacancy notice for an Administrative Assistant (Grade AST3).

2.    JOB PROFILE AND DUTIES

2.1       JOB PROFILE

The jobholder will report to the Head of Unit for Finance and Administration. The successful applicant will be responsible for providing overall administrative and logistical support to the Programme Office team.

2.2       DUTIES

The jobholder will be part of a team responsible for the administrative and financial support to the Clean Hydrogen JU Programme Office. He/she will perform the following tasks:

-       Financial initiation of transactions for the JU’s administrative expenditure and revenue (roles of data entry agent and financial initiating agent),

-       Supporting the Programme Office teams in calls for proposals and evaluations and in project reviews: management of the expert contracts and payments, organisation of the expert panel meetings;

-       Standard secretariat tasks:

o   Administration of internal and external physical and electronic mail, including in a set of functional mailboxes;

o   Taking notes and minutes of relevant meetings, including Governance meetings;

o   Coordination common calendars;

o   Reception of visitors;

o   Electronic registration and archiving of documents,

o   Supporting travel administration;

o   Drafting of routine correspondence.

-       Organisation of meetings, seminars and conferences, in support to Governance and Advisory Bodies, or to meetings in the JU’s premises involving external participants: including invitations to participants, room reservations, logistics, catering and reimbursement of expenses;

-       General administrative and logistics support to the office;

-       Deputising for other secretary during his/her absences;

To perform his/her duties, the jobholder shall establish good working relationships with colleagues and positively contribute to effective teamwork.

The jobholder may undertake additional tasks e.g. related to financial management, as required in the interest of the service and appropriate to his/her expertise.

3.    QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Candidates will be considered for the selection phase based on the following formal criteria, which must be fulfilled by the deadline for applications:

3.1 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The Administrative Assistant will be selected based on the following criteria:

-       A level of education of at least^[2];

o   a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma, or

o   a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years

o   where justified in the interests of the service, professional training or professional experience of an equivalent level.

-       At least 6 (six) years of professional experience relevant to the activities;

-       Thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the European Union to the extent necessary for the performance of his/her duties; the working language in the Clean Hydrogen JU is English;

-       Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union;

-       Enjoy full rights as a citizen^[3];

-       Have fulfilled any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws of their home country concerning military service;

-       Meet the character requirements for the duties involved;

-       Be physically fit to perform his/her duties.

3.2 SELECTION CRITERIA

Candidates selected on the basis of the above eligibility criteria will then be evaluated according to the following selection criteria. Failure to comply with the eligibility and essential selection criteria will result in a disqualification of the applicant concerned.

Essential

-       Relevance of the academic background and/or of the professional experience to the duties and responsibilities described under key accountabilities; preference will be given to qualifications acquired in the fields of finance and business administration;

-       By the closing date for applications candidates must have acquired at least 6 (six) years of professional experience (following award of the diploma) relevant to the position (traineeships and internships are not counted in the relevant professional experience);

-       Very good analytical, communication and problem-solving skills; ability to track and follow up a variety of tasks in parallel;

-       Good knowledge of the European Union institutions, funds source structure of the EU budget and the EU’s framework programmes;

-       Excellent organisational skills;

-       Good practical knowledge of the administrative and financial rules of the EU and their legal basis, and of their application in financial, accounting and audit processes;

-       Practical experience of ICT administrative and financial management tools as used in the EU institutions;

-       Proven ability to work in a team and in a multicultural environment, and ability to motivate others;

-       Very good command of both oral and written English;

-       Proficiency in the use of standard MS Office applications, email, internet and strong aptitude for working with IT tools;

-       A strong sense of ownership, accountability, responsibility, initiative and self-motivation;

-       Experience working in a multicultural, international environment.

Advantageous:

It is desirable for the selected candidate to have the following:

-       Understanding of the Joint Undertakings environment.

3.3  SELECTION PROCEDURE

A Selection Committee, appointed by the Appointing Authority of the Clean Hydrogen JU assesses / evaluates the applications in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria outlined in the vacancy notice and establishes a short list of applicants invited for an interview and a written test.

The Selection Committee will interview the shortlisted applicants. These applicants will also sit a written test related to the field of duties. Following this, the Selection Committee will establish a reserve list of suitable candidates to be approved by the Executive Director.

Candidates are reminded that the Selection Committee’s work is confidential. It is strictly forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with its members or to ask anybody to do so on their behalf.

The number of candidates invited for an interview will be limited to a maximum of 15.

3.4  RESERVE LIST AND APPOINTMENT

The Executive Director may decide to interview the candidates before establishment of the reserve list and/or appointment.

The reserve list may be used in order to fulfil positions within the Clean Hydrogen JU.

Candidates should note that inclusion on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment. Recruitment will be based on availability of posts and budget.

The reserve list for this post will be valid for a period of two years from the date of its establishment and may be extended at the discretion of the Appointing Authority of the Clean Hydrogen JU.

4.    CONTRACTUAL CONDITIONS

A contract offer will be made as a temporary agent, pursuant to Article 2(f) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Communities, to which he/she will be subject, for a period of three years. The contract may be renewed in accordance with the legal basis applicable to the joint undertaking.

The successful candidate will undergo an initial probationary period of 9 months.

Remuneration will be based on the Union scale of salaries. Pay is subject to Union tax and other deductions laid down in the Staff Regulations. Remuneration is, however, exempt from any national taxation.

For the position of Administrative Assistant, the grade is AST 3. The basic monthly salary of a temporary agent in the first step at AST 3 level, before any deductions or allowances, is EUR 4 806,17.

The place of employment is Brussels, Belgium, where the Clean Hydrogen JU has its official seat.

For any further information on contractual and working conditions, please refer to the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and its Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS) of the European Communities, which is available on the following web page: Staff regulations CEOS

For reasons related to the Clean Hydrogen JU’s operational requirements, the candidate will be required to be available at short notice (maximum 3 months).

5.    DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT TO SERVE PUBLIC INTEREST INDEPENDENTLY

The successful candidate will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the public interest and to make a declaration in relation to interests which might be considered prejudicial to his/her independence. Candidates must confirm their willingness to do so in their application.

6.    EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The Clean Hydrogen JU applies a policy of equal opportunity for men and women and accepts applications without distinction on grounds of sex, race, colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic characteristics, and language, religious, political or other convictions or opinions, financial situation, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or family situation.

7.    SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

For applications to be valid, candidates must submit an online application via the vacancies portal: vacancy portal.

Candidates are requested to:

1. complete the online application form - to access the right form, candidates should select the vacancy for which they wish to apply;

2. upload a letter of motivation;

3. upload a Curriculum Vitae (CV), preferably in the European CV format http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu).

For the letter of motivation and the CV, only Word documents (.doc or .docx) or PDF documents (.pdf) will be accepted. The maximum file size is 2 MB.

IMPORTANT: for each position, any new application made by a candidate with the same e-mail address will automatically erase and replace the previous application for that position.

The application will be rejected if the dossier is incomplete.

Candidates are advised to apply using e-mail address that will remain valid for several months: candidates that will leave their job in the coming months are advised not to use their professional e-mail address.

Supporting documents (e.g. certified copies of degrees/diplomas, references, proof of experience, etc.) should not be sent at this point but must be submitted at a later stage as indicated below.

In order to facilitate the selection process, application documents as well as all communications to candidates concerning this vacancy will be in English.

Application forms sent by e-mail, fax or post will not be accepted.

Candidates are asked to report any potential change of contact details without delay, to the following e-mail address: recruitment@clean-hydrogen.europa.eu.

Please remember to quote the reference of the vacancy for which you have applied in all correspondence: CleanH2JU/Administrative Assistant/2026.

Candidates should assess and check before submitting their application whether they fulfil all the requirements as specified in the vacancy notice, particularly in terms of qualifications and relevant professional experience.

Should candidates be invited for an interview, in order for the application to be considered complete, they must bring with them on the day of interview originals or certified photocopies of the supporting documents for their education qualifications and employment (diplomas, working certificates, etc.). All documentary evidence of professional experience must indicate both start and end dated of previous positions and the start date of the position held currently, full time or part time work has to be indicated as well. Freelance or self-employed candidates must provide either a copy of the entry in the relevant trade register, or any official document (for example a tax revenue) showing clearly the length of the relevant professional experience.

The Clean Hydrogen JU has the right to disqualify candidates who fail to submit all the required documents on the date of interview.

As a candidate you are to be informed that in a later stage of the recruitment process a mandatory medical analysis and physical check-up is done with a selected medical service.

Closing date for the submission is 15 November 2026, at 23:59 CET.