Administrative Assistant

The Register of Damage for Ukraine, established in May 2023 through an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe, is based in The Hague, Netherlands, with an office in Kyiv, Ukraine. It serves as a documentary record of claims and evidence on damage, loss or injury caused by the Russian Federation’s internationally wrongful acts in or against Ukraine. The Register receives claims from individuals, businesses and state and municipal entities in Ukraine regarding damage, loss or injury that they have suffered because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The team within which you will work, the Administration and Finance Section, ensures the smooth day-to-day management of the Register’s financial, administrative, and human resources operations, including procurement and logistics, in line with Council of Europe regulations.

As an Administrative Assistant, you will:

as regards procurement and logistics:

• help define procurement plans and strategies for the Register and lead their implementation;
• advise internal departments about procurement and provide them with operational support for procurement:
• advise on the choice of purchasing procedures according to the Council of Europe regulations and policies;
• assist in defining needs and drawing up technical specifications, taking into account the concept of best value for money and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership);
• prepare and draft administrative documents for the contracts;
• ensure compliance with the tendering procedures for each procurement procedures;
• award contracts according to the type of procedure;
• monitor the execution of contracts, helping to ensure that contractual terms are complied with (e.g. price adjustments, deadlines for completion, penalties, performance monitoring, dispute settlement, renewal, etc.);
• perform ongoing market prospection and monitoring to keep abreast of the various sectors of activity, services providers (sourcing), products and regulations;
• support activities aimed at modernising procurement processes and in rolling out dedicated tools (e.g. e‑procurement);
• provide logistical assistance for different kinds of activities, such as the organisation of meetings, conferences, seminars, training sessions or events; prepare and monitor purchase orders, contracts and monitor costs related to such events;
• work in close contact with internal and/or external counterparts to ensure the co-ordination of logistics activities, including colleagues in the Council of Europe Headquarters in Strasbourg;
• provide visa support to staff – support staff in completing visa application forms, submit applications, support the preparation of Note Verbales, as necessary;

as regards financial matters:

• contribute to the preparation of budget plans, including both ordinary budget and extrabudgetary resources, for the Register;
• ensure the timely payment of vendors/suppliers in accordance with agreed contract terms and conditions (in conjunction with the Treasury, Payments and Accounting Department at the Council of Europe Headquarters in Strasbourg);
• prepare purchase orders, conduct receiving and submit requests for payment;
• track and close purchase orders; 

as regards other matters:

• act as back up for other administrative support staff during leave periods;
• perform other ad-hoc duties, as required;
• promote Council of Europe values internally and externally.

You must:

• hold a completed full course of general secondary education (high school diploma); a university degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Supply Chain or relevant fields is highly desirable;
• have a minimum of four years of professional experience, including experience in procurement, logistics and finance, ideally within a multinational environment;
• have a very good knowledge of English (one of the two Council of Europe's official languages); knowledge of French and Dutch is desirable;
• be a citizen of the host country or one of the 46 member States of the Council of Europe and fulfil the conditions for appointment to the civil service of that state;
• be currently present in the Netherlands;
• have discharged any obligation concerning national service (military, civil or comparable);
• not be the parent, child, stepchild or grandchild of a serving staff member of the Council of Europe;
• be under the age of 65 years.

Your application must demonstrate to what extent you have the competencies listed below. To help you doing so, feel free to consult our .

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Concern for quality
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Negotiating

• Professional and technical expertise: 

• experience of procurement and logistics;
• experience in supporting events, ideally within an international setting;
• proficiency in standard office applications and related tools (e.g. processing, spreadsheet, data bases, presentation software, Outlook, e-procurement platforms).

• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Results orientation

• Professional and technical expertise:

• experience in working in a similar capacity in an international organisation;
• experience in asset and inventory accounting/management;
• experience in working with international organisations.

This job vacancy is for a local external recruitment based on fixed-term contracts. Employment is limited to 31 December 2027 and may be extended. You can consult the conditions of employment (salaries, allowances, pension scheme, social insurance etc.) on the webpage .

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page . This recruitment is carried out in accordance with . The deadline for applications is indicated in the General information section of this vacancy notice (see above) and is fixed at 23:59:59 (CET/CEST). When applying, make sure your motivation shows how your competencies make your profile the best for the role.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified people, irrespective of sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, disability, religion or belief. Under its equal opportunity policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve gender parity in staff employed in each category and grade. At the time of appointment, preference between suitable people shall be given to the person of the gender which is under-represented in the relevant grades within the category to which the vacancy belongs.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact us at , we will ensure that your request is handled.

The information published on the CoE’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication of the vacancy notice. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process will be updated on our Portal and will apply at the time of the job offer. Our career's website is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. Should you have remaining questions, please contact us at .