CERN Accelerating science

Internal mobility is defined at CERN as:

• a change of functions: new job in the current organizational unit or in a new one.      

• a change of organizational unit : change of department, group, section, with or without a change of functions.

• an internal detachment: temporary change of functions or of organizational unit.

(see Administrative Circular N°17 (Rev.1))

Internal mobility may be instigated by the Organization or upon proposal of the staff member.

All staff members are eligible for internal mobility, regardless of whether they hold a limited-duration (LD) or an indefinite (IC) contract.

You may explore internal mobility opportunities through:

• a vacancy published on the Careers at CERN website or specifically on the dedicated internal mobility pages.
• discussions with your supervisor, for instance during the annual interview, or with your HR Adviser who can match your competencies to existing or upcoming positions.
• direct contacts with the management of the targeted sector/department/group to check if there are or will be job openings and study the move possibilities.
• use of your network to be kept updated on present and future openings before their publication.
• an application for a position advertised in your department, if it has a dedicated section on its website or Intranet.

Internal Mobility may also be instigated by the Organization 'to adapt its human resources and organic structures to its changing needs [...] taking due account of the staff member’s qualifications and abilities' (see Administrative Circular N°17 (Rev.1)).

Internal mobility has no effect on the maximum duration of your LD contract, i.e. eight years.

If your initial appointment was for less than eight years and you are transferred to another position, your contract may be extended, subject to the nature of the activity and criteria relating to the individual, such as those indicated in paragraph 47 of Administrative Circular No. 2., to a total maximum period of eight years.

There is no minimum requirement regarding the amount of time you must have spent in a position before moving to another. Any time limits will derive from the needs of the service e.g., the duration of a project.

There will be no trace whatsoever in your personnel file of any applications for internal mobility opportunities.