Legal Specialist
Job grade: AD06
Internal job grade: AD06 and above
Type of position: Temporary agent
Selection procedure reference: EMA/AD/11016
Job title: Legal Specialist
Talent Pool: Compliance and Legal
Deadline for applications: 26 October 2025 23:59 CET (EXTENDED)
Salary: €6,661.12 Euro (including local weighting) [1] plus benefits (see calculators on the right) (based on a fulltime contract (40hrs/week))
Location: Amsterdam; Netherlands (NL) (relocation to take up duties is mandatory)
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About this position:
European Medicines Agency is looking for a Legal Specialist to:
- provide legal advice to the whole of the Agency in order to facilitate the fulfilment of legal, administrative and policy obligations in compliance with EU legislation;
- provide legal advice in relation to the review of new legislation, in particular the new EU Pharma Legislation and upcoming EU Acts and their implementation and
- address judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings.
The Legal Department, is composed by three Offices, namely: the Litigation Office, Pharma Law and Support to Core Business Office and the General Affairs and Anti-Fraud Office.
For this position, the suitable incumbent will be placed, depending on appropriate expertise, either in Litigation Office or in Pharma Law and Support to Core Business Office and will be reporting to the respective Head of Office.
In this job you will:
- Provide legal advice for the assigned area of the Agency, preserving the Agency’s interests and integrity;
- Offer legal advice in relation to the review of new legislation proposed by the Commission and its implementation, in consultation with the relevant organisational entities;
- Provide legal scrutiny of EMA scientific opinions and decisions;
- Provide legal advice in the development of legal, regulatory and procedural guidance through internal and external SOPs, advisory notes, etc., with emphasis on information published/to be published on EMA website;
- Contribute to the creation and maintenance of topic files within the Department, as appropriate.
Link to the Role Description of the Legal Specialist outlining generic duties and responsibilities.
Apply if you meet these eligibility criteria:
To be eligible for consideration for this position, you are required to meet the following general and specific eligibility conditions:
General conditions:
1. Enjoy full rights as a citizen of a European Union Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway;
2. Have a thorough knowledge of English (at least level C1) and a satisfactory knowledge of another official language of the European Union (at least level B2);
3. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by applicable laws concerning military service.
Specific conditions:
1. Possess a university degree (minimum of three years) in the field of Law that must have been obtained by the closing date of this vacancy notice;
2. At least 3 years’ professional experience after obtaining the relevant degree, that must have been obtained by the closing date of the publication.
For general condition 1 and for specific conditions 1 and 2 you will be required to provide proof at the interview stage. Failing to present these documents may result in the disqualification from the selection procedure.
Only candidates eligible will be assessed by the Selection Committee in accordance with the Assessment Criteria below.
You will also Need to Have:
Experience:
Out of the years of professional experience required for eligibility criteria, specific condition point 2:
- At least 3 years of legal professional experience (obtained after Qualification and Registration in a Bar within the EU/EEA) in a law firm specialised in life sciences sector and dealing with pharma regulatory matters and/or within the Legal Department of a life sciences company and dealing with regulatory matters.
Skills and knowledge:
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Thorough knowledge of the EU Pharma Legislation as well as good understanding of the applicable legislation in the EU regarding Medical Devices, Clinical Trials and IVDs (In Vitro Diagnostics).
Certificates:
- Qualified in Legal Bar of EU/EEA Country-Bar Certificate and a Character Good Standing (or equivalent certification) from the respective Bar will be required.
Competencies you Need to Have:
Sub-family competencies:
Administrative excellence Intermediate
Governance, legal and control Intermediate
Applied knowledge Intermediate
Grade competencies:
Adaptability and agility Intermediate
Analysing and problem solving Intermediate
Prioritising and organising Intermediate
Core competencies:
Ethics and integrity Intermediate
Team collaboration Intermediate
Customer centricity Intermediate
Results orientation Intermediate
Communication Intermediate
Cross-cultural sensitivity Intermediate
Continuous learning and self-development Intermediate
For more information about definitions of competencies and associated proficiency levels, please refer to the EMA Competency Framework.
These are Nice to Have:
Education:
- In law equivalent to Master’s degree;
- Specialisation in the field of EU law or EU pharmaceutical law;
- Scientific degree in life sciences.
Experience:
- In litigation before national or EU courts in relation to EU law and European Ombudsman;
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Experience in issues related to Market Access of Medicinal Products, AI applicable framework.
Selection procedure estimated timelines. Please note the dates are estimated and may be subject to change:
Deadline for applications: 26 October 2025 at 23:59 CET (EXTENDED)
Preliminary Assessments: estimated for 21 November 2025
Final assessments: estimated for week 08 December 2025
Decision expected: by max mid December 2025
Selection process
Only eligible candidates (see eligibility criteria) will be assessed by the Selection Committee.
Suitability and qualifications of eligible candidates will be assessed against the assessment criteria and competencies in different steps of the selection procedure.
Note: Candidates who fail any assessment linked to any Need to Have requirements, Sub-family competencies, Grade specific competencies and Core Competencies at any stage of the process are disqualified, despite getting points on other criteria.
Before the start of the selection procedure, it is decided which criteria and competencies will be assessed at each stage of the process. Certain criteria / competencies will be assessed / scored only for shortlisted candidates during interviews (and/or tests). Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (section 1.3. selection procedure) for an overview of the criteria and competencies assessed at each stage of the process.
Shortlisting
In order to allow the Selection Committee to carry out an objective assessment of all candidates in a structured way, as part of their application, all candidates must answer the pre-defined set of questions based on Need to have criteria and sub-family competencies.
The Selection Committee will therefore assess eligible candidates using the information provided in the responses to those questions and in their application. When answering a question, you should include all relevant information, even if it is already mentioned in other sections of your application form.
To carry out this assessment, each of your responses will be awarded points (0 to 10). The points are added up to identify those candidates whose profiles best match the duties to be performed as advertised in the vacancy notice.
Only the candidates with the highest total marks at the shortlisting stage will progress to the next stage. The Selection Committee will decide to limit the number of candidates invited to the next stages. Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (table on section 1.3.6 Preliminary and final assessments) for an overview of the thresholds.
Assessments
Next steps of selection may include a preliminary assessment. Most assessments will be conducted remotely (i.e. Webex/Teams, remote test, etc.). All assessments are based on the assessment criteria listed in this vacancy notice.
Shortlisted candidates will participate in personality assessments (e.g. SHL occupational personality questionnaire OPQ32) to assess their Core Competencies (pass score is 26 out of 100 points and above). In addition, selected Core Competencies may be assessed throughout the process.
Additional assessments, such as cognitive (e.g. deductive reasoning) assessments might also be foreseen as part of the selection process. Furthermore, motivation and overall fit for the job and knowledge of EU relevant to role may be assessed.
Please consult the Careers at EMA - Guidance on selection and recruitment (section 1.3.3 selection procedure) for an overview of the criteria and competencies assessed at each stage of the process and the type of assessment tools used.
Reserve list and/or job offers
The aim of this selection procedure is to create a reserve list of qualified and suitable candidates. Each candidate having reached the final step of the selection procedure will be notified via e-mail whether she/he has been placed on the reserve list, and relevant Talent Pool. Candidates should note that the placement on a reserve list and/or Talent Pool does not guarantee an employment offer.
We strongly encourage that candidates do not apply for the vacancies that are at the same grade and the same subfamily as the Talent Pool they have been placed on, as this will not improve their chances of being considered for a vacant post within the Agency.
When a vacancy becomes available, candidates on the reserve list may be contacted for an additional interview.
More information about selection and recruitment (including administrative complaint procedure) at the EMA is available at our careers website.
If Temporary Agent posts are not available, if justified in the interest of the service, candidates on the reserve list may be approached to provide written consent to be considered for Contract Agent positions. These candidates will remain on the Temporary Agent reserve list and will be considered for a Temporary Agent post should a suitable post become available.
Contract Agent posts differ from Temporary Agent posts in terms of categories, function groups, grades and remuneration and career progression.X
Conditions of employment
In principle, the Agency offers a five-year renewable contract. Contracts of a shorter duration may be offered to the candidates.
The successful candidate will be required to relocate to the Netherlands to pick up duties.
[1] The local weighting adjusts salaries to the cost of living in the Netherlands compared to Brussels. The current weighting for the EMA's location in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is 114.6. Please consult the Eurostat and Commission websites for more information on weightings.
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Domenico Scarlattilaan 6 - 1083 HS Amsterdam - The Netherlands
Telephone +31 (0)88 781 6000 - Email recruitment@ema.europa.eu
© European Medicines Agency, 2025. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
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