Senior Specialist – Head of Team – Lawful Access, Lawful Access Team, EC3 Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit (AD7)

*This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list in Q3/Q4 of 2026\.*

*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 – Lawful Access is located in Lawful Access Team, EC3 Expertise \& Stakeholder Management Unit, 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 five distinct Departments: Operational and Analysis Centre, European Serious Organised Crime Centre, European Cybercrime Centre, ECTC and the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre.

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 Expertise \& Stakeholder Management Unit is responsible for collecting information about new developments and technologies and provides advice on how to efficiently and effectively tackle new phenomena in the field of cybercrime. The Unit is actively involved in coordinating work with external partners such as government entities, private parties, academia and industry partners. Furthermore, the Unit is coordinating and delivering strategic products such as the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment and other cybercrime\-related reports. Other areas of responsibility include assessing relevant technology trends and cybercrime and cybersecurity policies, external liaison and stakeholder management including EC3’s advisory groups, developing pan\-European cybercrime prevention and awareness campaigns, and capacity building activities.

Purpose of the post:

The jobholder will lead and coordinate the Europol’s EC3 Lawful Access team, driving Europol’s support to EU MS in enhancing law enforcement capabilities for lawful access to data. The team will bridge the operational requirements of MS LEAs with emerging technological solutions, ensuring effective access to data at rest and in transit within established legal frameworks.

As the Head of Team Lawful Access, the jobholder will be in the lead of directing expert networks, overseeing the development of specialized investigative tools, and monitoring technological advancements. The team will facilitate joint EU initiatives and capacity\-building programs, and serve as the strategic representative for European law enforcement in international standardization forums. Additionally, the team will foster collaboration across public and private sectors to counter complex digital crimes effectively.

Reporting lines:

The incumbent reports to the Head of EC3 Expertise \& Stakeholder Unit.

Job environment:

This post might require participation in a shift system including weekends and nights as well as on\-call duty.

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.

• Lead the coordination and steering of Europol’s expert networks in lawful access to data, supporting MS needs and identifying efficient and effective solutions to address LE challenges;


• Identify and plan the analysis, evaluation and development of tactics, techniques, and technologies related to lawful access helping enhance LE capabilities in this area;


• Identify and when inexistent create and promote mutual learning opportunities for LE, including training and capacity building programs on lawful access technologies for MS and key partners;


• Lead the support provided to the creation of tools and resources, such as datasets or technological solutions in the field of lawful access to support MS in the fight against crime within the framework of Europol Regulation;


• Deliver presentations, briefings and reports both oral and written on the relevant topics;


• Provide expert contributions to strategic reports for both internal and external stakeholders;


• Organise and represent Europol at internal and external events, workshops and meetings;


• Engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders and networks from LE, as well as public and private sectors;


• Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by the line management.

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.

• 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;

• 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;

• 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:

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 addition to the above at least 6 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

a. Professional experience

Essential:

• At least 4 years of experience in the domain of lawful access, lawful interception, or secure telecommunications within law enforcement, governmental agencies, security authorities, or the telecommunications/technology sector or similar. Provide concrete examples of duties, tasks or projects realised in those domains;


• Experience in leading or managing multidisciplinary teams, including engineers, technical specialists and operational LEA officers or analysts;


• Experience in operational coordination, including incident management, service continuity, and support to 24/7 operational capabilities;


• Experience in international cooperation, including participation in expert groups, standardization bodies, or cross border initiatives;


• Experience in building and maintaining strategic partnerships with private partners, telecommunications operators, technology vendors, and research institutions.

• Experience negotiating technical agreements or memoranda of understanding with external partners;


• Exposure to audits, certifications or compliance processes (e.g., ISO 27001, EU cybersecurity schemes, security accreditation frameworks).

Essential:

• Knowledge of lawful interception frameworks, tools, techniques, procedures and protocols;


• Knowledge of EU and international legal frameworks regulating lawful access, including data retention obligations, cross border access to electronic evidence, e communications regulation and related jurisprudence;


• Knowledge of international LE cooper

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