Under the authority of the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the incumbent will be responsible for assisting the latter with the management of the Congress Secretariat and with the fulfilment of the Congress mandate, providing support for its various bodies. 

The incumbent performs all or a combination of the following duties: 

›        Contributes to the development and implementation of the objectives of the Congress; clarifies them to staff and ensures their achievement.

›        Manages the Congress Secretariat’s activities and resources:

–       ensures effective and efficient processes, procedures and a results-oriented organisation;

–       promotes co-operation, synergy and transversal connections between the Departments of the Congress secretariat, as well as between the Congress Chambers and statutory Committees and their respective secretariats;

–       provides general guidelines and priorities to heads of department or division and other direct reports;

–       in collaboration with the Secretary General, defines, plans, develops, monitors and evaluates the implementation of coherent policies and projects in accordance with general guidelines and priorities of the Congress;

–       ensures the efficient, effective and economic management of Congress human and financial resources.

›        Provides leadership and direction to staff:

–       in collaboration with the Secretary General, leads and motivates Congress staff;

–       facilitates internal communication; fosters co-operation, team spirit and a harmonious working environment with a view to increasing efficiency.

›        Advises and reports to the Secretary General of the Congress.

›        Ensures the communication and represents the Congress:

–       supervises the preparation of documents submitted to Congress bodies, as well as to the Committee of Ministers and to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe;

–       establishes and maintains contacts with governments, international organisations, partners in civil society and other relevant bodies and institutions; establishes and maintains co-operation with other Council of Europe bodies and sectors operating in related fields in order to develop common activities; develops networks of experts;

–       promotes Council of Europe values internally and externally; may represent the Secretary General of the Congress;

–       undertakes official journeys and/or participates in field missions in connection with activities described above.

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

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

Qualifications:

›        Higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a masters degree in a relevant field.

Experience:

›        Substantial professional experience, including at a senior management level, in areas relevant to the activities of the Congress. 

Language requirements:

›        Very good knowledge of one of the official languages (English or French) and good knowledge of the other. 

Nationality:

›        Nationality of 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.

The following competencies have been identified as important for the role:

Essential

• Vision and Strategic Insight

• Leadership

• Management of teams

• Decision Making

• Professional and technical expertise

  • very good knowledge of local and regional democracy issues including multi-level governance  in Europe

  • has a profound insight in the fields of activity of the Congress  (and corresponding working methods) and a general understanding of the activities of other bodies and Major Administrative Entities of the Council of Europe

• Relationship building

• Communication

• Influencing

Desirable

• Organisational and contextual awareness

• Analysis and problem solving

• Negotiating

• Results orientation

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 17 March 2016 (midnight Central European Time).

Only those candidates who are considered to best match the requirements of the job vacancy will be selected for the next stage of the recruitment procedure.

After the preliminary selection has been made, candidates for senior management posts (grades A6 and A7) at the Council of Europe will be subject to a competency assessment.

Candidates may be invited to attend interviews.

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.

If an external candidate is selected, he/she will be appointed on an initial two-year contract, constituting a probationary period. If successful the appointment will be extended for one or more periods varying in length between one and five years.

If an internal candidate is selected, he/she will be initially appointed for a trial period of two years. If the staff member is confirmed in his/her post at the end of the trial period, he/she shall be re-appointed for three years. At the end of the period of five years, he/she shall be either kept in post, or assigned to another post at the same grade.

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. In the event of equal merit, preference will therefore be given to the applicant belonging to the under-represented sex.

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 Organisation

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.

The Council of Europe has its permanent headquarters in Strasbourg (France) and in addition it maintains external presence in more than twenty countries. More information about Council of Europe external presence.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe ensures the participation of local and regional authorities in achieving the aims of the Council of Europe. Its main aim is to promote local and regional democracy and enhance the cooperation among local and regional authorities. It is consulted by the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on issues which concern the competencies and essential interests of local and regional authorities. It also prepares monitoring reports on local and regional democracy in European countries and observation missions of local and regional elections; it organises specialised conferences and colloquies on current issues at local and regional level. It acts in close cooperation with the national and international organisations that represent local and regional authorities.

The Congress, which is made up of a Chamber of Local Authorities and a Chamber of Regions, has 324 full members and 324 substitutes, who are local and regional elected representatives of the 200 000 local and regional authorities of the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe. Its members have a local or regional authority mandate according to Article 2 of the Charter.

The Congress Secretariat is composed of departments and divisions, committee secretariats and administrative units. Its structure and the tasks of the staff members are set by the Secretary General of the Congress.

(Website: http://www.coe.int/T/Congress/Default_en.asp).