Policy Advisor - Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee)

You will work in the Secretariat of the Committee of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (the Lanzarote Committee) within the Children’s Rights Division. 

The Children’s Rights Division elaborates recommendations and guidelines, carries out co-operation projects, and identifies and shares good practices on how to better implement children’s rights. The Division is responsible for the implementation of the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child and the work of the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF), and the Lanzarote Committee. The Lanzarote Committee Secretariat supports the monitoring of the implementation of the Lanzarote Convention, along with the capacity building and awareness raising activities of the Committee.

As a Policy Advisor and a member of the Lanzarote Committee Secretariat team, you will contribute to:

• prepare a global conference on combating online child sexual exploitation and abuse, co-organised in mid-2027 by the Council of Europe and the WeProtect Global Alliance in Strasbourg, mobilising and coordinating with internal and external partners in relation to the programme, and coordinating with colleagues to ensure the smooth planning and implementation of the logistical and visibility aspects of the conference;
  
• conduct monitoring and capacity building activities for the Lanzarote Committee by carrying out research and comparative analysis, preparing working documents on legal, policy, or technological developments, reviewing national legislation and specific measures for compliance with the Lanzarote Convention and Committee findings, highlighting progress and gaps, and coordinating the work of external experts and consultants;
• prepare the annual Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (18 November);
• enhance internal and external visibility of the Lanzarote Committee and to disseminate its findings and recommendations;
• prepare Lanzarote Committee meetings, in particular by preparing working documents;
• strengthen working contacts with national and international, governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as civil society organisations active in the protection of children from sexual violence;
• implement the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) and the work carried out in other sectors of the Children’s Rights Division, by collaborating with other committees, bodies and divisions of the Council of Europe engaged in promoting protection against violence.

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 masters degree (), in a relevant field, preferably in law, political science, or international relations;
• have at least 3 years of relevant professional or higher academic work experience in an area relevant to protecting children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse with proven experience, knowledge and practical understanding of the international standards and challenges in their implementation at national, regional or international levels;
• have very good knowledge of one of the Council of Europe’s official languages (English) and basic knowledge of the other (French);
• be a citizen of one of the member States of the Council of Europe.

• Operational - Professional and technical expertise
• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building

• Professional and technical expertise: 
  • knowledge of legal standards in the area of protecting children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, including where it is facilitated by technology; 
  • ability to communicate and draft clearly, concisely and convincingly in English;
  • experience in organising large events and in communication.

• Operational - Creativity and innovation
• Interpersonal - Communication

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 does not foresee any allowances or travel expenses from the Organisation.

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 .