Head of Communication

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

As a newly established EU agency, AMLA offers a unique opportunity to shape its Communication and Engagement function from the ground up. The selected candidate will lead a team of communication professionals and play a key role in developing AMLA’s communication strategy, stakeholder engagement, and institutional visibility, positioning AMLA as the central authority in the EU AML/CFT ecosystem. This role requires strong managerial skills, expertise in strategic communication and public affairs, and a solid understanding of the EU institutional context, combined with a commitment to transparency and accountability.

As a member of AMLA’s middle management, the jobholder will lead the Unit’s work on external and internal communication, media relations, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring coherent and effective communication in support of AMLA’s mission and institutional positioning.

Key responsibilities for this role include:

Strategic communication and stakeholders positioning: Design, implement and monitor AMLA’s Communication and Engagement strategy aligned with the authority’s regulatory mission to ensure consistency across policy and supervision-related communication as well as targeted messaging to a variety of audiences, including industry, policymakers, technical experts, media and the public.
Stakeholder engagement and dialogue: Support senior management in fostering stakeholder relations and strategic outreach to industry, supervisors and policymakers. Position AMLA as a European hub on trends and emerging risks in the field of AML/CFT and build partnerships with academia and knowledge community around this topic. Oversee the organisation of high-level events and conferences to support stakeholder engagement.
Leadership and Team Management: Provide strategic and operational leadership to the Communication unit. Ensure effective planning, prioritisation, and delivery of tasks aligned with AMLA’s institutional mandate. Oversee the unit’s work programme, set objectives, and monitor performance., while fostering a high-performing, motivated, and collaborative team. Support staff development through coaching, mentoring, and training, promoting a strong sense of purpose and alignment with AMLA’s values, as well as a culture of excellence and accountability.

The successful candidate 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 AD9 - AD14.

Education and Professional Experience:

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

OR
A university degree (minimum 3 years studies), 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. Should you not meet one of the essential criteria, you will be excluded from the next assessment phase.

The following criteria will be assessed during the application screening phase:

At least 9 years’ professional experience in senior communication, public affairs, or stakeholder engagement roles, including the development and implementation of communication strategies, stakeholder engagement, media relations, journalism and outreach activities within a complex regulatory framework in the public or private sector.

Please clearly indicate in the application form for each role the level of seniority, the type of stakeholders, the regulatory framework and the type of communication outreach.
Professional experience of at least 5 years in managing teams of at least 5 staff members, including formal line management responsibilities (e.g. responsibility for staff supervision, performance management, task allocation, and day-to-day staff management) [5]

Please indicate clearly in the application form the level and type of responsibility, the size of team coordinated and/or the number of direct 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:

Professional experience in a communication role within financial regulation or supervision sectors.
Experience in setting up or developing communication functions in a new or evolving organisation, including strategy, tools, and processes.
Experience in crisis communication and reputation management, including handling sensitive or high-profile issues.

[5] Experience limited to task or project coordination without formal line management responsibility will not be considered as fulfilling this requirement.

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