Head of Legal Unit

WHO WE ARE

Money laundering and the financing of terrorism are major concerns for the EU. They pose significant risks to the EU economy, to the integrity of the EU financial system and, even more importantly, to the security of its citizens.

The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (AMLA) was established in June 2024 as a new European Union body to safeguard the European Union’s financial system and its citizens against money laundering and terrorist financing. It is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and will expand to over 400 staff members by the end of 2027.
AMLA’s key responsibilities include:

Directly supervising selected financial sector entities that operate on a cross border basis and present a high risk of money laundering and terrorism financing, as well as indirectly supervising other entities in the financial and non-financial sectors
Supporting and coordinating the activities of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) by, for example, facilitating the joint analyses of cross-border cases, enabling information exchange, providing capabilities, advanced data analytics and managing the FIU.net information system
Complementing EU Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) rules by developing regulatory and implementing technical standards and issuing guidelines

For more information about the Authority, please visit our website. We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to diversity and non-discrimination.

Are you interested to contribute to our mission? Then see below what it takes to accomplish the role.

YOUR ROLE

AMLA is organising a selection procedure for the function of Head of Legal Unit (Middle Management).

Functions and duties

As a newly established EU agency, AMLA offers a unique opportunity to shape its Legal Unit from the ground up. The selected candidate will lead a team of legal professionals and will be key to developing AMLA’s legal framework, internal and external advisory function, and compliance culture. This leadership role requires strong managerial skills, deep subject-matter expertise in law (especially EU financial, administrative and AML/CFT law), and a firm commitment to upholding the rule of law and accountability.
As a member of AMLA’s middle management, the jobholder will, under the authority of the Executive Director, lead the Unit’s work on legal services, compliance advice, regulatory drafting support, internal legal operations and representation in external legal forums. The successful candidate will ensure robust legal support to AMLA’s mission and contribute to shaping the institutional design, compliance culture and legal governance of the Authority.

Key responsibilities for this role include:

Legal Leadership and Advice: Provide legal advice to AMLA’s Executive Board, Executive Director, senior management, and internal teams on all aspects of EU law, AML/CFT frameworks, administrative law, and institutional governance.
Compliance and Governance Framework: Lead the design, implementation, and oversight of AMLA’s internal legal and compliance framework, including regulatory drafting, legal policy development, and legal risk management processes. Uphold the highest standards of legal ethics, transparency, and accountability in all aspects of the Authority’s work.
Institutional Development and Start-up Support: Advise on the legal dimensions of AMLA’s organisational development in its start-up phase, ensuring that governance structures, decision-making processes, and cooperation arrangements comply with EU law and best administrative practice.
Legal Operations Management: Oversee the Legal Unit’s operational functions, including contract drafting and review, litigation and external representation, legal documentation, and internal workflows to ensure efficiency, transparency, and compliance.
Stakeholder Relations and Representation: Represent AMLA in legal and inter-institutional working groups, liaise with EU bodies and Member States’ authorities, and maintain effective communication with external stakeholders to ensure consistency and alignment with the EU legal framework.
Leadership and Team Management: Provide strategic direction to the Legal Unit, managing and developing staff to ensure high-quality legal output, effective collaboration, and a culture of professional excellence and integrity.

The successful candidates might be required to perform other duties as necessary under the responsibility of their line manager according to the evolution and development of AMLA’s structure and activities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility criteria

To be admitted to the selection process you must meet the following eligibility criteria on the closing date for application and on the date of filling the vacant post:

Be a national of a Member State of the European Union.
Completed university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma.
Thorough knowledge (C1 level as per the CEFR [1]) of one of the 24 EU official languages and a satisfactory knowledge (B2 level) of another EU official language for the performance of your duties [2].
Enjoy full rights as a citizen and meet the character requirements for the duties involved [3].
Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service.
Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post [4].

This vacancy is also open for internal mobility at AMLA and inter-agency mobility at the grade bracket AD 9 - AD 14.

Education and Professional Experience:

A university degree (minimum 4 years studies) in law, followed by at least 12 years of relevant professional experience.

OR
A university degree (minimum 3 years studies) in in the field mentioned above, followed by at least 13 years of relevant professional experience.

[1] Common European Framework Reference Language Skills

[2] Mother tongue English speakers will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of a second EU language.

[3] An official certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record must be submitted prior to recruitment.

[4] If you are not currently working for an EU institution, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment medical examination at a center we specify.

Selection Criteria

To be considered for the assessment phase you must meet the following essential criteria on the closing date for applications. The following criteria will be assessed during the application screening phase:

At least 9 years of professional experience in senior legal advisory roles, providing legal advice, interpretation, and analysis in the area of financial regulation, supervision, or AML/CFT, acquired within the last 10 years in the public or private sector.
Professional experience of at least 5 years in managing or coordinating team/(s) of legal advisors of not less than 7 staff members (for example: Head of Unit, Team leader, Head of Sector or equivalent). Please indicate clearly in the application form the level of responsibility, the size of team coordinated and/or the number of line reports as well as the number of years in each work experience listed in the application under the Section "professional experience".

Desirable Criteria

The following criteria are considered as desirable and may be taken into account during the applications assessment phase:

Experience in setting up legal frameworks or governance structures in newly established organisations.
Demonstrated experience with contract law, litigation or legal advocacy in a cross-border or EU context.

Skills

The following skills will be evaluated during the the written test and/or interview phases.

Technical Competencies

Comprehensive knowledge of strategic and operational legal services management, including regulatory drafting, compliance frameworks, contract review, litigation support and governance oversight.
Sound understanding of EU financial regulations, AML/CFT legal frameworks, administrative law and institutional governance in the EU context.
Familiarity with legal risk management methodologies and the use of legal information systems.

Middle Management competencies

General Management skills.
Integrity & discretion.
Sound judgement & diplomacy.
Ability to guide and coach colleagues to achieve common goals.
Excellent organisational and planning skills.
Ability to think strategically.
Ability to establish and develop good inter-personal relations with a broad range of stakeholders in cross-cultural environments.
Negotiation skills.

Language Skills

A strong command of both written and spoken English (min. C1 level). English oral and written skills will be assessed throughout the assessment phase.

APPLICATION, SELECTION & RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please submit your application in English. Applications not indicating the minimum required English proficiency level of C1 will be rejected.

Before submitting your application look at our careers page and check out the Guide for candidates. Proof of compliance with specific criteria may be requested at any stage during the selection process. If you fail to comply with the eligibility and essential criteria, your application will be disqualified.

The selection process will be organised in several consecutive stages:

Screening and shortlisting: After the deadline for online registration, the Selection Committee will check the eligible applications against the selection criteria as described above. Upon completion of the initial assessment, the Selection Committee will establish a shortlist of the candidates best matching the criteria.

Assessment phase: The shortlisted candidates will be invited to the assessment phase which will be organised remotely. This phase will be conducted in English. The assessment phase may involve an oral interview with the Selection Committee and a written test. The oral and written test aim at testing the specific competencies and knowledge with reference to the selection criteria of the present vacancy notice. The Selection Committee will, at the end of this phase, establish a shortlist.

Assessment Centre & interview with ED/ EB: Candidates shortlisted after the assessment phase may be required to undergo a managerial assessment centre organised by an external service provider, and an interview with the Executive Director and Executive Board Member(s).

Details of the date and time of the assessment will be communicated to the shortlisted candidates in due time. Assessments are foreseen to take place in February/ March 2026. Please note that timelines are subject to change.

Reserve list & Appointment: Following the above steps, the Executive Director will approve the reserve list of suitable candidates. The adopted reserve list will be valid until 31 December 2026. The validity of the reserve list may be extended by decision of the Executive Director of AMLA. The Executive Director will appoint the selected candidate(s).

Candidates should note that the inclusion in the reserve list does not imply any entitlement to employment at AMLA.

All candidates will be informed about the outcome of the procedure throughout the selection process. Recruitment is subject to budgetary availability.

DATA PROTECTION & APPEAL PROCEDURE

The information provided in the application form is collected for the purpose of the selection/ recruitment procedure(s) at AMLA. Consult the data protection notice for more information about the processing of personal data in the selection and recruitment process.

If you believe a decision made during the selection process has negatively impacted your interests, you can request a review of your application, lodge an administrative complaint, a judicial appeal or a complaint to the European Ombudsman. You can find more information on the appeal procedure in our Guide for candidates.

CONTACT

In case of questions related to careers at AMLA, email us at careers@amla.europa.eu