The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is located in Valenciennes, in the North of France. The Agency is an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourages applications from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility and selection criteria without any distinction whatsoever.
The European Union Agency for Railways headquarters
The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is located in Valenciennes, in the North of France (near big cities such as Paris (200km), Brussels (100km) and Lille (40km)). ERA headquarter is just a stone's throw from the town centre.
ERA Headquarters
120 rue Marc Lefrancq, BP 20932, 59307 Valenciennes Cedex, France
Tel. +33 (0) 32 70 96 500
Fax +33 (0) 32 73 34 065
How to get to ERA Headquarters
English (396.4 KB - PDF)The Agency is an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourages applications from all candidates who fulfil the eligibility and selection criteria without any distinction whatsoever on grounds of nationality, age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, gender or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or other family situation.
At ERA, you will be part of an open-minded, respectful and multicultural organisation. Working with talented colleagues from across Europe, a career at ERA offers a diverse and stimulating working environment. About that, check out the Diversity and Inclusion page of the EU Agencies Network (EUAN) to learn more about the initiatives taken by EU Agencies on this subject. Whatever your role, you will contribute to the mission of our Agency: “Moving Europe towards a sustainable and safe railway system without frontiers”. ERA will offer you the opportunity to develop professionally and personally, allowing a balanced work-life rhythm.
ERA works closely with the local authorities to facilitate the staff installation and our Human Resources are always keen on providing support to our staff. Valenciennes has several public schools and some private schools. Some schools offer multi-lingual courses. In addition, Valenciennes also has two universities, one of them being located just opposite the Agency.
ERA offers:
1. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead a tax to the benefit of the European Union is deducted at source;
2. Annual leave entitlement of two days per calendar month plus additional days for age and grade, plus 2 ½ days for expatriate staff;
3. Structural teleworking (up to 60% of the working time);
4. General and applicable technical training plus professional development opportunities;
5. EU Joint Sickness and Insurance Scheme accident and occupational disease insurance coverage, unemployment and invalidity allowance and travel insurance;
6. Legal consultation service (in French or English) on all subjects pertaining to your private and personal life and related to French law (e.g. inheritance, consumer and family law, problems with landlords, relations with the French authorities)
7. EU Pension Scheme (after 10 years of service);
Depending on the individual’s personal situation and the place of origin, staff members may be in addition entitled to:
8. Expatriation or foreign residence allowance;
9. Household allowance;
10. Dependent child allowance;
11. Education allowance;
12. Installation allowance and reimbursement of removal costs;
13. Initial temporary daily subsistence allowance;
14. Other benefits (reimbursement of travel expenses on taking up duty, etc.);
15. Part-time working and special working time arrangements such as maternity and paternity leave, parental leave, special leaves and unpaid leave (all subject to certain conditions);
Guide - Remuneration package & additional allowances - July 2025
English (230.39 KB - PDF)The Calls for Applications are published here.
ERA is staffed mainly by Temporary and Contract Agents engaged through mobility between EU Agencies and external selection procedures.
Temporary Agent contracts are generally offered for a maximum of 4 years with the possibility of a renewal for another definite period of maximum 2 years. Any further renewal is for an indefinite period. Temporary Agents serve a probationary period of nine months.
At engagement, Temporary Agent posts are classified according to the nature and importance of the duties involved as and stipulated in the Call for Applications.
Contract Agent contracts are generally offered for a maximum of 4 years with the possibility of a renewal for another definite period of maximum 2 years. Any further renewal is for an indefinite period.
A Contract Agent whose contract is concluded for a duration of at least one year shall serve a probationary period for the first six months of his period of employment if s/he is in function group I and the first nine months if s/he is in any other function group.
Contract staff in function group IV shall before renewal of a contract for an indefinite period be required to demonstrate the ability to work in a third language among those referred to in Article 55(1) of the Treaty on European Union.
Contract Agent positions are classified in four function groups according to the duties and responsibilities involved, to be performed under the supervision of a Temporary Agent. The grade is established according to the years of professional experience at engagement.
In addition, ERA operates a traineeship programme for recent graduates and offers the opportunity for staff from other European public-sector bodies to work at ERA for a period of time through its national expert on secondment programme.
ERA is welcoming newly qualified graduates who are willing to get acquainted with and contribute to the everyday work of the Agency.
The standard traineeship programme is open to anyone who meets the following requirements:
Traineeships will be offered in priority to applicants who have not already been a trainee in a European institution, agency or body.
A standard traineeship can last up to 10 months. A mentor will guide you during your traineeship. You will receive a monthly grant, reimbursement of travel expenses, paid leaves and training opportunities reserved for the staff.
When a Call for applications is open, you need to fill in the application form and to send it to hr_trainees
era [dot] europa [dot] eu.
ERA fosters the exchange of professional experience in European policies regarding the railway sector by temporarily assigning experts from the Member States.
Seconded National Experts (SNEs) serve a dual role: they bring their expertise to ERA and take back to their home administration or organisation the knowledge acquired during their period of secondment.
SNEs remain in the service of their national employer. Secondment is not equivalent to employment, nor does it lead to employment by ERA.
Periods of secondment may last between six months and two years. This is renewable once or more, up to a total of four years.
ERA pays a daily subsistence allowance per calendar day for the duration of the secondment. Therefore, candidates for a SNE post must be sponsored by their national authorities.
The place of secondment is Valenciennes.
Our Agency has adopted the Decision 173/2018 on the policy and the procedures governing the engagement and the use of Seconded National Experts (SNEs).
The working and contractual conditions of ERA staff are stipulated in the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS) and their accompanying implementing rules.
All information related to selection procedures are available here.
All information related to application procedures are available here.
ERA does not consider unsolicited/spontaneous applications whether received by post, email or delivered at the HQ reception. Only applications for published vacancies/calls for applications can be taken into consideration.
ERA does not use recruitment agencies for the short-term placement of interim staff.