Under the authority of the Head of the Council of Europe Office and the supervision of the Head of the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform within the Department of Democratic Institutions and Governance of the Directorate General of Democracy, the Project Officers shall support the effective implementation of the Council of Europe/European Union Joint Programme “Human Resources Management in Local Self- Government in Serbia”.

Employment is limited to the duration of the Project which is expected to end on 20 December 2017.

The Project Officers perform the following duties in accordance with the Council of Europe’s procedures, guidelines and priorities, with a concern for quality, efficiency, accuracy and confidentiality:
- Assist the Senior Project Officer in the planning and organisation of the Programme’s activities (conferences, seminars, round-tables, working groups, meetings of the Steering Committee and other events) and provide administrative and/or logistical support for their implementation;
- Participate in meetings, takes minutes and follow up on actions agreed;
- Liaises with key local partners (EUD, Government of Serbia, Standing Conference of Serbian towns and municipalities);
- Report to the Senior Project Officers in Belgrade and in Strasbourg on the results achieved and on the problems encountered;
- Contribute to the preparation of reports on the implementation of the programme;
- Contribute to the preparation of information and briefing notes on local self-government in Serbia;
- Collect information about the programme activities from different mass media, liaise with Serbian media and provide administrative and/or logistical support for the organisation of media events and other visibility actions when required, in consultation with the Senior Project Officer in Strasbourg and the Belgrade Office;
- Contribute to keeping the programme page of the web-site of the Belgrade Office up to date by writing short news highlights about key activities (in Serbian and in English);
- 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 Strasbourg.

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 the Republic of Serbia.

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

Qualifications:
› Completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications. A Higher education degree in law, public administration, political science, economics or international relations would be an advantage.

Experience:
› At least two years’ experience with local and regional democracy, good governance, human resource management issues or a related field; experience in technical co-operation and capacity-building activities; experience in working with international organisations and/or NGOs would be an advantage.

Language requirements:
› Very good knowledge of Serbian;
› Very good knowledge of one of the official languages (English). Ability to express oneself, present and draft clearly, concisely and convincingly in English. 

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
- Understanding of local government and human resources management issues;
- Awareness of the Council of Europe’s principles and standards for local democracy;
- Experience in technical co-operation and capacity-building activities related to local and regional government;
- Understanding of budgetary and financial administration;
- Knowledge of Council of Europe rules and regulations would be a distinct advantage;
- Very good computer skills of standard tools in office applications (word processing, spreadsheet, data bases, presentation software, outlook, internet/intranet publication) and good knowledge of social media networks;

› Planning and work organisation
› Teamwork and co-operation
› Drafting skills
› Concern for quality
› Analysis and problem solving
› Communication
› Resilience

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

The Programme aims inter alia to provide Council of Europe legal expertise, policy advice and support for enhancing the effectiveness and administrative capacities in local self-government units through the establishment of a professional training system and the improvement of the human resources management function in line with European standards in the field of local self-government.
Candidates who are shortlisted will be asked to take a written test in English.
Tests and interviews will take place in Belgrade.

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 15 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.