Call for applications - Officer - Visits and Inspections (SNE)

NATIONAL EXPERT SECONDED TO EMSA Call for applications for an ‘Officer - Visits and Inspections’ Ref. n°: EMSA/SNE/2026/02

The European Maritime Safety Agency was established for the purpose of ensuring a high, uniform and effective level of maritime safety that aims at a maximum reduction of accidents, a high, uniform and effective level of maritime security, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships and the environmental sustainability of the maritime sector as well as the prevention of and response to pollution caused by ships and the response to marine pollution caused by oil and gas installations. The Agency supports digitalisation and the reduction of the administrative burden in the maritime sector by facilitating the electronic transmission of data and supports simplification and the provision of integrated maritime surveillance and maritime situational awareness systems and services to the European Commission and the Member States.

The Agency was established by Regulation (EU) 2025/2434 of the European Parliament and of the European Council of 26 November 2025 on the European Maritime Safety Agency and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002.

EMSA's activities can be broadly described as:

• providing technical and scientific assistance to the Member States and the European Commission in the proper development and implementation of EU legislation on maritime safety, security, prevention of pollution by ships and maritime transport administrative simplification;
• monitoring the implementation of EU legislation through visits and inspections;
• improving cooperation with and between Member States;
• building capacity of national competent authorities;
• providing operational assistance, including developing, managing and maintaining maritime services related to ships, ship monitoring and enforcement;
• carrying out operational preparedness, detection and response tasks with respect to pollution caused by ships and marine pollution by oil and gas installations;
• at the request of the European Commission, providing technical operational assistance to non-EU countries around relevant sea basins.

More information about the Agency and its structure and activities can be found on our website: http://www.emsa.europa.eu

EMSA invites you to apply for a Seconded National Expert as ‘Officer – Visits and Inspections’. This position will be attached to Department 1 ‘Sustainability & Technical Assistance’, in Unit 1.2 ‘Visits and Inspections, Human Element’.

Conditions of Secondment:

This call for applications concerns a Seconded National Expert position. Rules applicable to National Experts seconded to EMSA can be found on the following link.

Please carefully read these rules before applying. The initial duration of the secondment is one year with possibility for extension. The place of employment is Lisbon, Portugal.

General conditions for the secondment:

This call for applications is open to experts working for intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) or Government or State Departments in the EU Member States, Norway or Iceland.

The secondment of an SNE by an employer other than a national, regional or local public administration, an international organisation or an IGO should be authorised only on a case-by-case basis, once it has been ascertained that the SNEs employer is part of the public sector or is an independent university or research organisation that does not seek to make profits for redistribution.

To qualify for secondment, experts shall:

• Have worked for their employer on a permanent or contract basis for at least 12 months before their secondment and shall remain in service and continue to be paid by that employer throughout the period of the secondment;
• Be a national of an EU Member State, Norway or Iceland.

Functions and Duties:

The ‘Officer - Visits and Inspections under the responsibility of the Head of Unit 1.2 ‘Visits and Inspections, Human Element’, will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Participating as a team member in inspections to EU Recognised Organisations;
• Performing analysis of documents and information as part of the preparation of inspections;
• Contributing to the drafting of the reports following the inspections;
• Maintaining and updating records of relevant data on the results of the inspections and any related cycles;
• Supporting as necessary with the drafting of any horizontal analysis reporting;
• Performing as necessary any follow-up activity arising from inspections, including evaluation of any corrective action plans submitted by the visited/inspected entities and the supporting evidence;
• Contributing to the development of methodologies and supporting tools for inspections;
• Providing technical support to the European Commission and the Member States, as required, in the areas related to recognised organisations;
• Assisting the European Commission, as necessary, in its work related to the International Maritime Organization (IMO);
• Designing, developing and delivering training courses related to technical areas falling within the remit of the unit, in line with technical assistance and capacity building functions of the Agency;
• Supporting the Unit with any tasks falling in its remit, as required.

Main skills and qualifications:

• At least three years of professional experience after completing a university degree. When no university degree or equivalent qualification has been acquired, 7 years of experience is required, of which 3 must be relevant to the post. Practical experience in the areas related to the post should have been attained during at least the last three years prior to the publication of the call.
• Three years of professional experience, obtained within the last ten years, as a naval architect, marine engineer or technical superintendent with a shipyard/ship owner or otherwise with entities involved in ship building/maintenance and repair activities; or; three years of professional experience as a Surveyor or Plan Approval Engineer with a Flag Administration or an EU Organisation; or three years of professional experience in an equivalent technical capacity relevant to ship safety.
• Very good auditing/inspection skills.
• Very good knowledge of EU and IMO maritime safety and environment protection legislation;
• Possession of good drafting skills with ability to write technical documentation in English;
• Very good knowledge of industry quality management standards.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Ability to work in a multicultural team.
• Very good communication and interviewing skills.
• Very good knowledge of the roles and functions of all main stakeholders in the Maritime Sector;
• A degree or equivalent certification in naval architecture, marine engineering or technical ship Management would be an asset.
• Professional experience in delivering presentations to different audiences would be an asset;
• Qualification as ISM Lead Auditor would be an asset.
• Qualification as ISO 9001 Lead Auditor would be an asset.
• Professional experience and proficiency in the use of databases and in the application of the Microsoft Office package would be an asset.
• Proven field experience in survey and certification of ships in accordance with IMO Conventions and mandatory Codes would be an asset.
• Knowledge of codes, guidelines and standards recommended by the IMO, Administrations, and maritime industry organizations concerning ship safety and pollution prevention would be an asset.
• Knowledge of IACS Resolutions and Classification Societies rules and procedures for classification and statutory services activities would be an asset.
• Knowledge and understanding of Recognised Organisations (RO) processes and objectives related to surveying, inspection / plan approval, safety of life at sea, pollution prevention would be an asset.
• Professional experience in monitoring the performance of Recognised Organisations would be an asset.

Submission of applications:

Each application shall contain the following documents:

1. A detailed curriculum vitae in European format (that can be obtained at the following address http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae or downloaded from our site).
   1. A motivation letter.
2. A duly completed and signed declaration of honour (which can also be downloaded from our site).

Please note that candidates cannot send their application directly to EMSA. These applications are not considered valid. To be considered valid, the EU Permanent Representation or the EFTA Secretariat/Mission to the European Union (for Norway or Iceland), or the IGO, must send your application to: recruitment@emsa.europa.eu within the deadline below.

EMSA will only take into account applications received before the deadline which is 30 September 2026 at 17.00 hours (Lisbon time). Please liaise with the appropriate intermediator depending on your case, to ensure that your application reaches it well on time.

EMSA is an Agency focusing on gender balance and a harmonic workplace and strongly encourages the applications of women for the positions where they are underrepresented, especially SNEs positions.

The selection process:

For each selection process a Selection Committee is nominated. Each valid application will be screened based on the requirements of the job profile stated in this call for applications. The most suitable candidates will be called for an interview and a written test.

Please be informed that the interviews and written tests will be organised remotely.

Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the selection committee, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure. All candidates will receive an information letter on the outcome of their application.

The reserve list, if established, will remain valid until 31/12/2027, with the possibility of renewal. Therefore candidates whose name will be put on a reserve list could be offered a secondment during this period of time. Please note however that inclusion in the reserve list does not guarantee a secondment.

For any prior enquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently asked questions) section, or send an e-mail to recruitment@emsa.europa.eu .

Equal Opportunities:

EMSA is an equal opportunities agency. Seconded National Experts are selected without prejudice as to race, political, philosophical or religious beliefs, gender or sexual orientation and without reference to their marital status or family situation.

Requests for information and lodging a complaint:

How to request for information: An applicant who would like further information concerning a particular decision of the selection procedure may send a request by e-mail preferably within 10 working days from the date he/she was notified.

EMSA’s Human Resources will forward the request to the Chairperson of the Selection Committee and the applicant will receive a reply as soon as possible.

How to lodge a complaint: An applicant may lodge a formal complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities by e-mail to Recruitment@emsa.europa.eu or registered mail at the following address:

Human Resources and Internal Support Unit EMSA Praça Europa 4 1249-206 Lisbon Portugal

The time limit for initiating this type of procedure is three months (see Article 90 (2)of the Staff Regulations as amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1023/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013, OJ L 287, 29.10.2013) from the time you become aware of the act allegedly prejudicing your interests.

Applicants can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman at the address below or directly on Ombudsman’s website https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/home.

However, before submitting a complaint to the European Ombudsman, applicants must already have contacted EMSA about the matter and used all the internal administrative options for review and/or complaints provided for in the Staff Regulations.

Médiateur européen 1 avenue du Président Robert Schuman CS 30403 F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex France

Personal data protection:

Any personal data provided by the Applicant shall be processed pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC. It shall be processed solely for the purposes of the recruitment exercise.

Should the Applicant have any queries concerning the processing of their personal data, they shall address them to the data controller, the Head of Human Resources and Internal Support Unit.

The Applicant shall have right of recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor. For more on personal data protection and related documents see the Personal Data Protection page. Electronically signed on 17/08/2026 16:15 (UTC+02)