PanEuropeanSeal YP in International Relations & Communication

Check out the units which are participating in the Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme 2025/2026 and let us know your preference when applying: 

The President's Office
The President's Office (PO) plays a key role in supporting the President of the second largest European intergovernmental organisation. By providing high level administrative and strategic support, the PO ensures the President can effectively fulfil his duties and advance the EPO's goals.
Working closely with various business units, the PO actively contributes to decision making at the top management level and plays a central role in key projects. It also handles essential daily operations, including drafting speeches, organising events, coordinating meetings and managing high level communication. Collaboration extends both within the organisation, working with Vice Presidents' Offices, legal advisors and business units, as well as externally, engaging with member states, international partners and official delegations.
As a young professional in the President's Office, you will support decision making and organisational strategy at a top management level. You will contribute to key projects, assist in preparing speeches and events, support meetings and liaise with internal and external stakeholders. This role offers a unique opportunity to develop a deep understanding of international governance while working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Channel Management – social media

The Channel Management Directorate drives the development and coordination of all communication channels for the EPO's internal and external audiences. Our team supports the Strategic Plan 2028 by refining and innovating communication platforms, crafting multichannel strategies, and delivering impactful solutions across social media, events, media relations and online platforms, including epo.org and our internal website.
As a young professional, you will dive into the exciting world of social media management, website optimisation, event planning and media relations. You will work on live projects, learn from industry experts and see the real impact of your ideas. In Channel Management, you will explore how cutting-edge communication channels are optimised to engage diverse audiences with varied content. This is your chance to gain hands-on experience and insights into the latest tools and technologies shaping modern 360 communication. It is an opportunity to drive fresh ideas, master multichannel strategies and play a role in the EPO Communications. If you are motivated, creative and ready to transform communication come and join us!

Channel Management - junior coordinator for the European Inventor Network

The Channel Management Directorate drives the development and coordination of all communication channels for the EPO's internal and external audiences. Our team supports the Strategic Plan 2028 by refining and innovating communication platforms, crafting multichannel strategies, and delivering impactful solutions across social media, events, media relations, and online platforms, including epo.org and our internal website.
Here, the young professional will be the junior coordinator for the European Inventor Network, which aims to inspire the next generation of innovators and creators. You will handle and process applications from network members proposing activities, maintain regular communication with inventors and key figures to foster collaboration and drive social media campaigns to maximise the visibility and impact of the network's activities. Additionally, you will work with the team to ensure well-organised and impactful outreach to schools and collaborate on creating engaging content that highlights the network's achievements and encourages future participation.

Patent research and policies

More than ever, the multiple societal and economic challenges we are facing call for an environment which will facilitate the emergence of innovative solutions and new technologies. It is therefore key to deepen our understanding of important issues related to innovation and the impact of the patent system. The EPO has a wealth of knowledge to be shared with external partners, in order to support better-informed decisions. Help strengthen the impact and outreach of the EPO by working on patent analytics, networking and policies.
As a young professional, you will be particularly involved in the outreach activities of the Observatory on Patents and Technology, transforming technical and expert material to reach a wider audience, and participating in the preparation of the Observatory's communication material, such as its LinkedIn newsletter.

DG 1 VP 1 Office

The VP 1 Office is responsible for providing essential support to Vice-President Stephen Rowan in ensuring the smooth functioning of Directorate-General 1 (DG 1) and the EPO's patent grant process. This includes maintaining and strengthening relations with international and local stakeholders, supporting in managing the day-to-day operational questions, risks and opportunities faced by the VP 1 Office, providing support to the DG 1 senior leadership team, and ensuring coordinated interaction with the other VP offices as well as  the President's Office. VP 1 is also the Office's ambassador for Diversity and Inclusion.
As a young professional, you will support one of the EPO's three Vice-Presidents, the VP 1 senior leadership team, the young professionals in DG 1 and EPO-wide Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) programmes.
You will also provide support to the DG 1 senior leadership team and ensure coordinated interaction with the other VP offices as well as the  President's Office. Finally, the role involves liaising with Talent Acquisition and Talent Development for the Young Professionals Programme as well as the Chief Sustainability Office for D&I and sustainability programmes.

Interpreting and Central Support

The Interpreting and Central Support department provides interpreting services, support for translation and editing, document formatting and terminology management.
As a young professional, you will be involved in interpreting and translation project management and support terminology work for integration with machine translation. The department has contracts with external suppliers, which you will help to manage. A background in translation and/or interpreting is therefore needed, but you will not be asked to translate or interpret yourself.

Council Secretariat

The Council Secretariat is the official secretariat of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation (https://www.epo.org/about-us/governance/administrative-council.html). Placed at the disposal of the Administrative Council, it enables it to carry out its duties. This includes organising all meetings of the Council and its bodies, distributing documents, assisting the chairpersons, and drawing up agendas and minutes.
As a young professional, you will be involved in all aspects of the Council Secretariat's mission, engaging in various activities and tasks. This includes executing self-contained tasks, managing projects and studies, and supporting the team in organising and running hybrid meetings, as well as producing documents. A fresh perspective is much appreciated as it brings added value to the team, in particular on its ongoing digitalisation journey.

External Relations Support Team

The External Relations Support Team plays a key role in the EPO's external relations activities, providing vital assistance to the three regional desks in European and International Affairs. We work closely together to establish a clear understanding of the strategic objectives and priorities, providing targeted and effective support to implement successful cooperation activities in their respective areas of responsibility.
As a young professional, you will be fully involved with the team while working on a wide range of tasks. These include – but are not limited to – preparing assigned cooperation files for the President, ensuring the files' accuracy, timeliness and completeness, as well as organising and coordinating meetings, missions and visits with our external partners.

Patent Academy - Learning Programmes (Academia)

This department is responsible for training programmes addressed to university students and research centres, including the MIPEF – Modular Intellectual Property Educational Framework, and the new initiative on children and youth to raise IP awareness among younger generations.
As a young professional, you will support the planning, delivery and monitoring of training activities, ensuring the quality of resources for MIPEF and university-focused programmes, while contributing to the children and youth initiative. Responsibilities include organising training events, fostering partnerships with educational stakeholders, and developing innovative learning solutions such as e-learning platforms and gamification approaches. The role involves handling stakeholder requests, conducting research for country reports, preparing newsletters and coordinating external lecture approvals. Additionally, you will maintain records in our internal document storage platform (OpenText), assist with European Patent Academy activity reports and serve as an invigilator for European qualifying examinations.