Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support, European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) (AD8)

Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support, European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) (AD8) - Reference numberEuropol/2026/TA/AD8/774 - Deadline:22 Oct 2026, 23:59 CEST - Department:O3 European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3) - TypeRestricted - Contract type:Restricted Temporary Agent - Publish date23 Sept 2026 - Update date:24 Sept 2026 This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list in Q4 of 2026/Q1 of 2027. Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts within the organisation, should business needs require so. 1. Organisational context Organisational setting: The post of Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Cybercrime Investigations Support is located in in one of the teams within the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), Operations Directorate. The Operations Directorate deals with the core business of Europol, improving the effectiveness and cooperation of the competent authorities in the Member States (MS) in preventing and combating serious and organised crime as well as terrorism affecting the MS. This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the MS. Europol delivers a number of products and services to national law enforcement agencies to support them in their fight against international serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism. The Operations Directorate hosts six distinct Departments: Operational and Analysis Centre (OAC), European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC), European Cyber Crime Centre(EC3), European Counter Terrorism Centre, European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) and European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS). EC3 serves as the centre for the MS fight against cybercrime in the European Union, delivering operational and investigative support on complex cybercrime investigations. EC3 also provides support to the EU institutions and MS in building operational and analytical capacity for investigations and cooperation with external partners. EC3 is the collective voice of European cybercrime investigators across law enforcement and the knowledge hub of law enforcement on how to tackle cybercrime. The Centre comprises of three Units, each with their own area of responsibility. The EC3 Operations Unit is responsible for delivering the operational services to MS of EU and other partners with whom Europol has operational agreements. The Unit consist of five teams: AP Cyborg (cyber-dependent crime), AP Terminal (payment fraud and on-line fraud schemes), AP Twins (child sexual exploitation), AP Dark Web (criminal use of anonymization services) and the J-CAT coordination team (operational support to the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce). The EC3 Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit is responsible for the coordination and deconfliction of various cases within the mentioned crime areas, enriching related data sets, delivering analytical support and advising and participating in operational actions. The Digital Support Unit is assisting EC3 Operations and provides horizontal support to other Operations Centres of Europol by delivering intelligence products, technical and forensic support, decryption and cryptocurrency tracing services and facilitating technical assistance in handling large datasets through three dedicated teams: Cyber Intelligence Team (CIT), Forensics Team (FT) and Cryptocurrency Team. Purpose of the post: The jobholder will be responsible for leading, managing and coordinating the activities of one of the teams within EC3 in order to support the Member States and other Europol’s partners in the fight against cyber dependent and cyber enabled crimes. There are several Head of Team vacancies coming up within the next two years, namely The Head of Team JCAT, the Head of Team AP Terminal and the Head of Team Digital Forensics Team. Reporting lines: The incumbent reports to the Head of EC3 Operations Unit or Head of EC3 Digital Support Unit. 2.  Functions and duties The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties: General Head of Team responsibilities - Coordinate the work of a group of individuals by effective and efficient planning, prioritisation, and scheduling of tasks and responsibilities; - Monitor progress of work in line with key performance indicators; ensure work being produced is of high quality and meets business needs; apply corrective measures where needed; - Define and supervise the accurate and timely execution of processes and procedures to ensure adherence to corporate policies, fundamental rights, standards and data protection regulations; - Set clear expectations and objectives and direct work towards a common goal; - Identify, address and propose resolutions to issues affecting the team; - Provide constructive feedback, guidance and support and coach team members; - Encourage continuous learning and development of team members; - Create an open, honest and inclusive team culture with respect for diversity, where team members are encouraged to perform at their best. Specific responsibilities - Support the development and the implementation of the Europol strategy in the field of responsibility; - Participate in European or international projects, where Europol participates as a member or as the leading agency; - Oversee the support of cybercriminal operations and investigations in accordance with Europol’s mandate; - Safeguard development and maintenance of expertise in the area of responsibility, through research, study and liaison with relevant agencies and experts; - Facilitate and steer the production of reports and documents in the area of competence; - Ensure efficient and effective operational, technical, forensic, or financial support to Member States on the spot and at Europol Headquarters; - Establish close contacts with the Member States and Third Parties’ Liaison Officers to encourage and support operational activities in the field of responsibility; - Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management. 3.  Requirements - Eligibility criteria a. Candidates must - Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State; - Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service; - Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties; - Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post as further specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS); - Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties. b. Candidates must have - A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more; OR - A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years; OR - Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g. Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below: Duration of professional training    Additional professional experience required for equivalency More than 6 months and up to 1 year     4 years More than 1 year and up to 2 years         3 years More than 2 years and up to 3 years       2 years More than 3 years                                        1 year - In additionto the above at least9years of