VACANCY NOTICE FOR POSITIONS OF
Expert - Data Management - Contract Agent (FGIV)
Reference no. EEA/CA/2026/10
Please send us your application by no later than 18 August 2026 at midnight (Copenhagen time), following the instructions in the ANNEX.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is organising an open competition with a view to establishing a reserve list of experts to work in the field of data management.
THE AGENCY:
The EEA is an Agency of the European Union (EU) and one of the decentralised Union bodies. The EEA aims to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe's environment, through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy-making agents and the public.
THE DIGITAL DEPARTMENT:
The Digital Department at the EEA leads on technology, data, and Earth observation services. It drives digitalisation across the EEA and Eionet, maximising the potential of digitalisation to achieve environmental, climate and sustainability goals. The department ensures reliable, effective, and secure technology services for partners and stakeholders, adapting software and information platforms to meet evolving needs. It manages data acquisition, integration, analysis, and dissemination infrastructure, delivering user-friendly services for diverse users and stakeholders. Additionally, the department oversees the aspects of the Copernicus Earth Observation programme entrusted to the EEA and enhancing its policy relevance and uptake. It further develops the EEA's digitalisation and innovation capabilities in support of the EEA-Eionet Strategy and leads on the European Topic Centre for Data Integration and Digitalisation (ETC DI).
DATA AND ANALYTICS AT THE EEA:
The strategic importance of data, new technologies and digitalisation is rapidly increasing, and the amount of EEA dataflows and collection and processing of real-time sensor data and remotely sensed data (Copernicus) follow the same trend.
Our goal is to deliver effective and efficient management of environmental and climate data and indicators, leveraging advanced data analytics to extract valuable insights and knowledge to empower informed decision-making, supporting policy development and enable our stakeholders, external relations and the European public to explore, access and share our unique data collections.
To support this goal, the EEA is seeking highly skilled and motivated Data Management Experts with a strong technical profile in data architecture, data engineering and data modelling. The role focuses on the design, development and operation of robust, scalable and interoperable data solutions across the full data lifecycle.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Under the responsibility of the Head of Unit 'Data Management', reporting to the Head of Department, the Expert shall be responsible for supporting the delivery of efficient and effective data management.
The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening the EEA's data infrastructure by implementing efficient and automated dataflows, improving data consistency and quality, and enabling the integration of diverse data sources, including regulatory reporting, Copernicus data and emerging data streams. The role requires translating business and reporting requirements into technical data models, processing pipelines and platform components that support policy-relevant analysis and digital services.
The position will contribute to the development and evolution of modern data architectures and platforms, including data warehouse and lakehouse approaches, ensuring scalability, performance and interoperability across systems. Particular emphasis is placed on automation, reproducibility and alignment with European data standards and frameworks.
The role also includes the coordination of external contractors and consultancy teams involved in the implementation of data solutions. This involves defining technical requirements, overseeing deliverables, ensuring quality and integration with internal systems, and supporting the efficient planning and execution of technical data management activities.
The position will entail the following tasks:
A. Data Engineering and Architecture
* Designing, developing and maintaining scalable data architectures, data models and processing pipelines supporting EEA dataflows
* Developing and optimising data integration and transformation solutions (ETL/ELT) for heterogeneous data sources
* Contributing to the evolution of modern data platforms, including cloud, data warehouse and lakehouse environments
* Ensuring the performance, maintainability, interoperability and scalability of data solutions and workflows
B. Data Operations and Platform Management
* Operating and continuously improving production dataflows and data platforms, ensuring reliability, traceability and data quality
* Implementing automated validation, monitoring and quality control mechanisms
* Supporting the integration between internal systems, reporting platforms, APIs and external data sources
* Maintaining technical documentation for dataflows, data models and platform components
C. Technical Collaboration, Contractor Coordination and Solution Design
* Collaborating with business units, thematic experts, data stewards and IT teams to translate requirements into technical solutions
* Providing technical guidance on data structures, integration approaches and data processing methods
* Coordinating the work of external consultants, ensuring alignment with technical requirements, quality standards and delivery timelines
* Reviewing technical deliverables and supporting the integration of solutions into EEA systems and platforms
D. Delivery Management and Continuous Improvement
* Planning, prioritising and monitoring technical data management activities and deliverables
* Coordinating activities across multiple stakeholders, projects and delivery streams
* Identifying and implementing improvements in data processing, automation and platform capabilities
* Evaluating and introducing new technologies and approaches supporting the EEA's digital transformation objectives
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
Candidates applying must satisfy the following eligibility criteria on the closing date for the submission of applications:
1) A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma, OR where justified in the interest of the service, professional training of an equivalent level
2) A minimum of 1 year of relevant professional experience after achieving the qualification set out above
In addition, in order to be eligible a candidate must:
* Be a national of one of the member countries of the EEA (Member States of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkiye)
* Enjoy full rights as a citizen
* Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by law concerning military service
* Have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the EEA member countries and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these languages (corresponding to level B.2 of the CEFR)
* Meet the character requirements for the duties involved
* Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post
SELECTION CRITERIA:
Essential:
* Proven professional experience in data architecture, data engineering or data modelling in complex data environments, i.e. environments that involve multiple systems, data domains and data standards
* Proven experience in designing and implementing data integration solutions, data pipelines and automated data processing workflows
* Experience in operating and improving production dataflows and data platforms, including data quality, validation and monitoring processes
* Demonstrated experience and ability to translate business requirements into technical specifications and scalable data solutions while working with diverse stakeholders
* Proven experience coordinating technical deliverables, including the management of external contractors or multidisciplinary delivery teams
* Excellent project and delivery management skills, including planning, prioritisation, dependency management, risk management and quality assurance
* Excellent command of written and spoken English language, at least at level C1 in all categories according to the CEFR
Advantageous:
* Proven experience with environmental, climate or geospatial datasets or in general dataflows in regulatory or reporting contexts
* Proven experience in designing or evolving modern data platforms and interoperable data solutions, including the application of data standards, APIs, cloud-based services, or emerging technologies supporting automation, analytics and data sharing
Behavioural competencies assessed at interview stage:
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
* Ability to work collaboratively and share expertise with others to deliver on common work goals
* Diversity awareness and sensitivity
* Attention to detail and ability to summarise complex information
* Well-developed solution-oriented and problem-solving approach, stakeholder orientation and a proactive way of working
* Ability to seek out learning opportunities proactively
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS:
The successful candidate will be offered a Contract Agent contract in accordance with Article 3a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union. The selected candidate will be employed for an initial time period of four years, renewable.
Successful candidates who are recruited undergo an initial probation period of 9 months.
Please note that recruitment is done in the first step of the grade within Function Group IV to which the successful candidate qualifies, depending on the duration of the acquired professional experience.
The place of work will be Copenhagen, Denmark.
SELECTION PROCEDURE:
A Selection Committee is set up for the selection procedure. The Selection Committee will invite to the interview and to the written test phase the best qualified candidates (maximum of 16). The interview will be held in English. The test and the interview will take place online.
The reserve list for this post will be valid until 31 December 2027 and may be extended at the discretion of the Appointing Authority.
HOW TO APPLY:
Submit your application by no later than 18 August 2026 at midnight (Copenhagen time), following the instructions in the ANNEX at https://www.eea.europa.eu/about-us/jobs/annex-vacancy-notice.pdf/view. Applications must be submitted via the EEA jobs portal at https://myjobaccount.eea.europa.eu. Prior to contract signature, the successful candidate will be asked to provide original or certified copies of all relevant documents proving eligibility, including a police certificate.
https://myjobaccount.eea.europa.eu/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl