Under the authority of the President of the Court, the Registrar, as the Registry’s senior official, has overall responsibility for both the administrative and the judicial activities of the Registry, which comprises a workforce of 650.

The post-holder:

-          assists the Court in the performance of its functions and is responsible for the organisation and activities of the Registry;

-          provides leadership and direction to staff by maintaining a harmonious and efficient working environment within the Registry so as to ensure that the Registry provides effective assistance to the Court;

-          determines the overall staff and budgetary policy; retains an overview and takes decisions on staff and budgetary matters;

-          upholds contact with the highest levels of authority in the Council of Europe, notably in relation to matters affecting staff and budget policy;

-          develops an effective communications policy, in accordance with the instructions of the Court, notably in relation to the media, the general and specialised public and other international and national courts;

-          advises the Court on practice and procedure;

-          represents the Registry and, on the instructions of the President, the Court.

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

·         Vision on international affairs: vision and strategic insight; awareness of the international political economic, social and cultural context; organisational awareness.

·         Managerial skills: leadership; management of teams and resources as well as complex projects and processes covering different functional areas and fields of expertise; coaching of others; influence and authority.

·         Professional and technical competencies:

o   university degree in law;

o   thorough knowledge of the procedure, practice and case-law of the European Convention on Human Rights; 

o   experience of administration and management at senior level, particularly in regard to management of staff and budgetary matters, acquired in an international environment; 

o   ability to lead and motivate a management team; ability to manage a large workforce comprising senior and junior lawyers and support staff; 

o   conceptual thinking at a strategic level;  judgement skills; ability to analyse and resolve complex and wide-ranging legal and administrative issues.

·         Interpersonal skills: relationship-building and networking at the highest political, diplomatic and administrative levels; negotiating; diplomacy.

·         Communication and linguistic skills: has highly developed and persuasive communication, listening and presentation skills in different languages; has very good knowledge of both official languages (English and French); knowledge of other European languages would be an advantage; can express oneself, make presentations and draft clearly and convincingly in English or French. 

·         Personal attitudes: initiative and responsibility, result orientation and sense of continuous improvement, concern for quality and efficiency, adaptability, self-management and development, organisational alignment.

·         Personal values: integrity, loyalty and conscience, discretion, independence and confidence, respect for diversity, commitment to the independence of the Court and its Registry.

The Organisation 

The Council of Europe is a political organisation founded in 1949 in order to promote greater unity between its members. It now numbers 47 member States.  The Organisation’s main aims are to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to develop common responses to political, social, cultural and legal challenges in its member States.  Since 1989 it has integrated most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and supported them in their efforts to implement and consolidate their reforms. The Council of Europe has its permanent headquarters in Strasbourg (France).  By Statute, it 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 European Court of Human Rights is the judicial body competent to adjudicate complaints brought against a state by individuals, associations or other contracting states on grounds of violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Applications

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 by 27 May 2015 (midnight Central European Time) at the latest.

Appointment

Under Rule 15 of the Rules of the Court, the Registrar is elected by the plenary Court for a term of five years and may be re-elected. He/she is appointed by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 26 of the Regulations on Appointments.

The mandate will start on 1 December 2015 at the latest.

Additional Information

The selection procedure consists of interviews of shortlisted candidates with a selection committee comprised of Judges, followed by an election by the plenary Court.

The appointed candidate must be a national of a Council of Europe member state. In accordance with the Staff Regulations of the Council of Europe, staff shall retire on reaching the age of 65.

Further details on conditions of employment including salaries, allowances, pension scheme and social insurance can be consulted on our recruitment website.

Under its equal opportunities policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve parity in the number of women and men employed in each category and grade.

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