Legal Officer

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) is an international organisation which monitors compliance with the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA Agreement) in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, enabling those States to participate in the Internal Market of the European Union.

ESA’s work helps remove barriers to trade and open up new opportunities to over 450 million Europeans, creating jobs and growth and adding to the international competitiveness of the States.

ESA currently employs staff members of 22 different nationalities from across the EEA. Based in Brussels, ESA is collocated within the EFTA House with its sister organisations the EFTA Secretariat and the EEA and Norway Grants (FMO).

ESA is led by a College of three members, appointed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It is divided into the following departments: Administration, Internal Market Affairs Directorate, Competition and State Aid Directorate and Legal and Executive Affairs Department.

Deadline for applications: 13-09-2026

Job Reference: 12/2026

Role Description

ESA is recruiting a Legal Officer to join its Internal Market Affairs Directorate (IMA), in the Environment, Energy, Financial Services and Public Procurement Unit (ENFIP).

Within ESA, IMA is responsible for monitoring the implementation and application of EEA rules relating to the internal market. This includes the free movement of goods, workers, services and capital, as well as horizontal policies such as public procurement, energy, environment, transport and food and veterinary law. In addition, IMA has some management tasks and direct enforcement within the internal market.

ENFIP is one of the four Units in IMA. It monitors the implementation and application of EEA law in specialised fields such as environment and climate change, energy, financial services, banking, anti-money laundering, insurance and public procurement, while also liaising with EU agencies and overseeing compliance by national authorities.

ESA is seeking a candidate with a minimum of 5 years of work experience from the public or private sector and in-depth experience dealing with EEA energy law and EU energy policy and legislation.

The successful candidate will:

• Be assigned responsibility for general surveillance work and case handling concerning the implementation and application of EEA law relating to Energy law in the EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
• Examine complaints and carry out legal conformity assessments.
• Draft ESA decisions, opinions and reports relating to the application of Energy law in the EEA EFTA States.
• Proactively monitor and analyse developments in the relevant policy and legal fields.
• Cooperate closely with external counterparts, including the European Commission, the EU Agency for energy (ACER), the EFTA Secretariat, national competent authorities and relevant market participants in the EEA EFTA States.
• Contribute to the wider work of IMA and ESA, coordinating with colleagues and supporting delivery of shared objectives in an international setting.

Depending on workload and other developments, the responsibilities may be changed to cover other general or specific issues relating to EEA law.

The role of Legal Officer is a unique opportunity to handle a wide range of challenging cases. It should appeal in particular to eloquent, dynamic and self-motivated lawyers who enjoy analysing legal problems while at the same time being interested in policy formulation and implementation at both national and European level.

Essential Skills

• University degree in law, or recognised equivalent qualification in law
• Very good knowledge of the EU/EEA legal framework and relevant policies, with a strong focus on regulatory aspects of EEA law concerning Energy
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in the private or the public sector
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (ESA’s working language) as well as proven legal drafting ability
• Excellent organisational, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills
• Initiative and the ability to work both independently and in a team in an international environment
• Willingness and ability to take on work across different areas within the responsibility of ENFIP.

Ideal Skills

• A postgraduate degree in EU/EEA law and/or in the field of Energy law
• Knowledge of and familiarity with the functioning of the EEA Agreement on the European Economic Area, especially in the area of Energy law, and of the EEA EFTA States
• Familiarity with the legal orders of Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• Relevant professional experience involving the EU institutions, relevant national authorities, administrations or market pa