Under the authority of the Head of Office and the supervision of the Head of the Civil Society Division, the Project Assistant will carry out multiple assignments to help meet the overall and specific objectives for the implementation of the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme ‘Civil Society Dialogue in Azerbaijan’.

Employment is limited to the duration of the Project which is expected to end on 28 February 2018.

The Project Assistant performs the following key duties in accordance with the Council of Europe’s procedures, guidelines and priorities with a concern for quality, efficiency, accuracy and confidentiality:
- Assist the day-to-day implementation, preparation, organisation and follow-up of the project activities, completing all necessary arrangements in advance and in a timely manner;
- Provide logistical (travel, visa requests, accommodation and meeting venue bookings, local transport arrangements, interpretation) and secretarial (drafts or formats correspondence, memos, documents) support to the project team in the planning and organisation in accordance with the work plan and the financial and administrative rules of the Council of Europe;
- Follow up work or activities in progress and reports to the supervisor, especially if and when problems occur; 
- Assist the Senior Project Officer in ensuring budgetary follow-up of all activities and expenditure;
- Prepare the submission of financial support documents for final payment and reimbursement of experts; provide any other financial information and documentation as regards the activities implemented; 
- Provide secretarial and logistical assistance to international and local experts participating in the project activities;
- Liaise with the local partners and stakeholders regarding concerning the organisation of project activities;
- Provide the Senior Project Officer elements for drafting reports on the project as requested;
- Organise and keep project documents and files up to date (activity planning, official reports, expertise and other documents, outgoing and incoming correspondence, contact lists);
- Ensure the circulation of pertinent information and documents among the project team, the Office and headquarters;
- Contribute to the efficient functioning of the office, in collaboration with the Head of Office, the Deputy Head of Office and the direct Project management in headquarters.

Please note that the incumbent may be required to perform other duties not listed in the vacancy notice.

This local recruitment procedure is open to applicants already present in Azerbaijan.

Only applicants who best meet the following criteria will be considered for shortlisting.

Qualifications:
Completed full course of general secondary education, followed by a post-secondary qualification corresponding to a minimum of two years studies.

Experience:
› At least two years of professional experience relating to administrative or project support duties or similar.
Language requirements:
› Excellent knowledge of Azerbaijani (mother tongue level).
› Very good knowledge of one of the official languages (English).
› Knowledge of Russian would be an advantage.
Nationality:
› Nationality of host country or one of the 47 Council of Europe member states.
Age:
› Under 65 years of age at the closing date of the vacancy notice.

Council of Europe staff members adhere to the values Professionalism, Integrity and Respect.

Essential:
› Professional and technical expertise
- Experience in carrying out corresponding duties;
- Experience with assistance and co-operation projects would be an advantage;
- Experience of working in an international environment would be an advantage;
- Sound computer skills of standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentation software, outlook, internet/intranet publications).

› Planning and work organisation
› Teamwork and co-operation
› Communication
› Results orientation
› Concern for quality
› Adaptability

For more information, please refer to the Competency Framework of the Council of Europe.

Applications must be made in English or French using the Council of Europe on-line application system. By connecting to our website www.coe.int/jobs you can create and submit your on-line application. Applications must be submitted at the latest 03 February 2016 (midnight Central European Time).

Applications will be examined with regard to the requirements of this vacancy and applicants will be informed in due course of the outcome of your application. This may take some time after the closing date. Preselected candidates may be invited to take written tests before an interview. Written tests may be eliminatory.

In accordance with the Staff Regulations of the Council of Europe, the compulsory retirement age is 65. We cannot therefore accept applications from persons over this age.

The conditions of recruitment and employment which apply are contained in Rule No. 1234 of 15 December 2005 laying down the conditions of recruitment and employment of locally recruited temporary staff members working in Council of Europe Duty Stations located outside of France apply (Link to Rule 1234).

The Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief or sexual orientation.

During the different stages of the recruitment procedure, specific measures may be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities.

The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading organisation in the protection of human rights, democracy and rule of law. It was founded in 1949 in order to promote greater unity between its members and now includes 47 member states, all having signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights.

By Statute, the Council of Europe has two constituent organs: the Committee of Ministers, composed of the member states’ Ministers for Foreign Affairs, and the Parliamentary Assembly, comprising delegations from the national parliaments. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe represents the entities of local and regional self-government within the member states. The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent and impartial institution within the Council of Europe mandated to promote the awareness of and respect for human rights in member states.

The European Court of Human Rights is the judicial body which oversees the implementation of the Convention in the member states. Individuals can bring complaints of human rights violations to the Strasbourg Court once all possibilities of appeal have been exhausted in the member state concerned.