General Information
Description & Requirements
You will join the World Forum for Democracy team within the Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Division of the Directorate for Democracy at the Council of Europe. The team prepares and organises the annual World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg, a global platform bringing together political leaders, civil society actors, academics and journalists to discuss key challenges facing democracies and explore democratic innovation. Beyond the Forum, you will contribute to broader initiatives on democratic renewal, including the development of innovative policy responses to democratic challenges. In this role, you will work closely with colleagues across the Division and support the Council of Europe’s work on strengthening democratic governance and civic engagement.
As a Programme Manager, you will contribute to the development of innovative policy responses to democratic challenges and support the design and implementation of activities promoting democratic standards, electoral integrity and citizen participation, playing a key role in shaping the programme and policy outputs of the World Forum for Democracy and related initiatives on democratic renewal. You will, in particular:
- contribute to the conceptual development, planning, and organisation of the World Forum for Democracy and related projects;
- identify, engage, and coordinate with relevant stakeholders—including speakers, innovators, institutional partners, and organisations from government, academia, and civil society—to ensure high-level participation and thematic coherence;
- facilitate dialogue and exchanges with member states, experts, and international partners concerning democratic standards, electoral practices, and policy recommendations;
- support the preparation of analyses, policy proposals, and strategic recommendations relating to democracy, elections, and political participation, and ensure follow-up on outcomes from the Forum and other democratic initiatives;
- monitor and analyse developments, trends, and innovation in democratic governance, electoral processes, and civic participation;
- assist in the development of partnerships with organisations active in the field of democracy promotion and electoral support;
- contribute to the development of new tools, policy frameworks or practical measures aimed at strengthening democratic resilience in member states, including within the process of the elaboration and implementation of the New Democratic Pact for Europe;
- support project communication, event visibility, the drafting of reports on results and potential opportunities, and contribute to other tasks as required by the Division.
You must:
- have the support of the member State seconding you to the Council of Europe;
- hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a master’s degree ()in law, political science, public administration, international relations, or a related field;
- have at least three years of relevant professional experience acquired in the field of democracy support, electoral processes, governance or human rights;
- have very good knowledge of one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe (English or French) and a basic knowledge of the other (French or English);
- be a citizen of one of the member States of the Council of Europe.
- Operational - Planning and work organisation
- Operational - Drafting skills
- Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
- Interpersonal - Relationship building
- Interpersonal - Initiative
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Professional and technical expertise:
- proven experience in policy development, programme design, or international conference/event programming, preferably in an international organisation, a public institution, an electoral body or a democracy support programme
- Interpersonal - Negotiating
- Interpersonal - Communication
- Interpersonal - Adaptability
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Professional and technical expertise:
- experience related to elections, electoral legislation, democratic institutions or political participation would be a strong asset.
This vacancy is for a secondment, ruled by Article 23 of . You can consult the conditions of secondment to the Council of Europe (days of leave, allowances etc.) on the webpage . This secondment foresees the relocation allowance and the travel expenses from the Organisation as indicated in Article 23 of the Resolution.
This secondment should start as soon as possible.
For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process of our Career's website. 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). Only applicants who meet the conditions of the Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2) and who best meet the abovementioned criteria will be considered for selection and for the next stage.
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 .