Adviser – Legal and EU Social Affairs

The Adviser – Legal & EU Social Affairs reports directly to the Executive Director and works closely with the Freight, Infrastructure & Passenger Adviser respectively in their area of activity.

The position’s general purpose is to support CER’s overall activities from a legal point of view as well as to contribute to the development of CER positions on a variety of freight, infrastructure & passenger transport-related issues, while taking the responsibility to develop CER positions on legal and antitrust/competition issues.

Key responsibilities

EU law and policies:

• Coordinate and support the CER Legal Group and related working groups.
• Draft position papers, policy papers, legal assessments/reports on EU competition, rail transport and public procurement law.
• Monitor and analyse EU and national legislative and policy developments, including impact assessments.
• Conduct legal research and prepare briefing materials.
• Represent and promote rail sector interests in meetings with EU institutions and stakeholders.
• Maintain and develop relationships with EU officials and Brussels-based partners.
• Contribute to the organisation of meetings, conferences and public events.
• Support updates of legal publications and internal documentation.

Social Affairs:

• Organise and coordinate the core work of the HRD group (e.g. bi-annual meetings).
• Monitor latest legislative developments on social issues at EU level and inform HRD group accordingly.
• Preserve the relationship with trade unions on all relevant topics and support CER activities in the Social Dialogue with trade unions.
• Communicate internally and externally on the HRD group´s activities.
• Contribute to CER´s participation in Commission funded projects and negotiations.
• Represent CER in various social platforms.
• Maintain a connection with other association’s Safety department/Human Factors working groups.

Provide horizontal legal support throughout the association.

Required skills and qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Law and/or Master of European Law (LLM).
• 3-5 years of relevant work experience in European law.
• Full professional proficiency in English with excellent writing skills. Any additional major European language is considered a plus.
• Sound understanding of the EU institutions’ structure and functioning; internship in a EU body is a plus.
• Experience or a demonstrated strong interest in EU transport policies.
• An organised working style with an ability to meet deadlines, and a pro-active attitude.
• Team player, able to build good working relationships with colleagues.
• A flexible and proactive attitude to work combined with an autonomous working style.
• The ability to translate complex issues into clear messages.

This is a full-time position based in Brussels.

Competitive terms and conditions, depending on the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and a CV in English electronically to [email protected] in a file using the format FirstName_LastName_CV.pdf

Applications will be treated in confidence. The closing date for applications is 6 March 2026.