Merit-based competition for 27 categories of permanent labor staff in Cantabria

The Government of Cantabria has opened a new internal mobility process for its permanent staff. The Ministry of Presidency, Justice, Security, and Administrative Simplification announces, through Order PRE/158/2026, of November 2, a merit-based competition to fill vacant positions reserved for permanent staff across 27 professional categories. The call, identified as 2026/05, is published in the Official Gazette of Cantabria number 213, of November 5, 2026, with the official reference CVE-2026-8705.

The order is based on articles 11 and following of the VIII Collective Agreement for staff in the service of the regional Administration, published in the extraordinary B.O.C. number 3, of February 12, 2010, and on the general bases approved by Order PRE/65/2010, of December 22 (extraordinary B.O.C. number 34, of December 28, 2010), in development of the Cantabria Law 4/1993, of March 10, on Public Service. The announcement occupies 36 pages of the gazette, starting from page 56447, and includes six annexes: list of positions, application form, cancellation form, certification of merits, and two responsible declarations (criminal record for sexual offenses and medical exclusion chart).

Twenty-seven categories in six groups and levels

The announced positions are organized by group and professional level:

• Group 1-6: Graphic Arts-Prepress Technician, Higher Technician in Social Integration, Higher Technician in Early Childhood Education, Higher Technician in Port Operations, Center Supervisor, Public Works Supervisor, Hydrological Plans Supervisor, Maintenance Supervisor-Masonry and Painting, and Forestry Services Supervisor-Forest Firefighter.
• Group 1-5: Kitchen Technician.
• Group 2-4: Heavy Machinery Operator, Hydrological Plant Technician, Socio-Sanitary Technician, Agricultural and Livestock Operations Technician, Trade Official-Electrician, and Natural Heritage Conservation Technician.
• Group 2-3: Cultural Guide, Central Station Listener, Driver, Services Manager, Receptionist, Maintenance Operator, and Counselor’s Driver.
• Group 2-2: Forest Operator-Forest Firefighter and Kitchen Operator.
• Group 3-1: Services Employee and Subaltern.

Destinations include centers in Santander, Torrelavega (Sierrallana Dependency Care Center), Laredo, Santoña, Colindres, Comillas, and Suances, reporting to ministries such as Social Inclusion, Development, or Presidency, and the Cantabrian Institute of Social Services.

Who can compete and what is the deadline

Permanent employees of the Administration of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria and permanent employees from other administrations integrated into it may participate, provided that, within the same group and level, they belong to a professional category different from the one called. It is required to have held the current position for at least one year, except in three cases:

• Being on provisional assignment.
• Being at the disposal of the general secretary of the corresponding department.
• Applying from a leave of absence with the right to reinstatement.

Applications shall be submitted within 15 business days counting from the day following the publication of the order, using the Annex II form, at the General Registry or through the means provided by Law 39/2015. Each applicant may request up to 20 positions in order of preference, except for those with a provisional destination. Forest firefighter positions require a responsible declaration of not suffering from the diseases listed in the medical exclusion table.

A scale of up to ten points

The assessment of merits refers to the closing date of the application period and is distributed as follows:

• Seniority: 0.30 points per full year, with a maximum of 2 points.
• Professional merits: 0.10 points per full month of effective performance in the category, up to 2.50 points and only for the last three years.
• Academic merits: up to 1.50 points, with 0.50 for a degree higher than required and 0.25 per course with successful completion or 0.15 for attendance, up to one point; training must come from the ICAP, the INAP, or approved official centers.
• Seniority in the last position: 0.30 points per year, with a maximum of 4 points.

Ties will be resolved by seniority in the last position, then by seniority in the Administration and, finally, by the alphabetical order of surnames starting from the letter “B”, as established in the draw of the Resolution of June 29, 2026, of the Secretary of State for Public Function.

Assessment Commission and specific tests

The assessment is the responsibility of an Assessment Commission composed of a presidency, a secretary, four members from the Administration, and two members from trade union organizations proposed by the Works Council, which may designate two members for each professional group. Those applying for Counselor Driver must pass 90-minute psychotechnical tests, graded as fit or unfit, and a specific course at the “Rafael de la Sierra” Cantabrian Institute of Public Administration; those awarded positions in the categories of forest firefighter, heavy machinery, and driving will require a “fit for work” certificate from the Central Occupational Risk Prevention Service.

The scores will be published on the Service Access portal, with 10 business days for appeals. The resolution corresponds to the counselor and, for positions at the Cantabrian Institute of Social Services, to its director. The order is signed by the Director General of Public Service, Isabel Barragán Bohigas, by delegation, and an appeal may be filed against it before the Social Section of the Court of First Instance of Santander within two months.

The competition organizes, for the first time this year, the mobility of permanent contractual staff across all scales of the regional Administration, from senior technicians to subordinates, and conditions the definitive staffing of sensitive services such as dependency centers, early childhood care, and forest fire prevention.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, no. 213, of November 5, 2026, section 2.2 Courses, competitive examinations and competitions, page 56447 (official reference: CVE-2026-8705).