Deputy to the Secretary to the Committee of Ministers

The Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers is responsible for preparing and organising high-level meetings of the Council of Europe, particularly those involving Heads of State and Government, Ministers, and their Deputies. It also co-ordinates meetings related to supervising execution of European Court of Human Rights judgments under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Working closely with the Chairmanship, rapporteur and working groups's Presidents, thematic co-ordinators, and Permanent Representations, the team provides essential support for meeting management, substantive and logistical preparation, communication, and co-ordination of exchanges. It serves as an important link between the Committee of Ministers, its reporting committees, institutional partners, and other international organisations. In addition, it co-operates closely with its internal partners and helps disseminate information about the Committee’s activities.

As Deputy to the Secretary to the Committee of Ministers, you will:

• Meeting Preparation and Servicing
  • ensure the smooth preparation, servicing and follow-up of meetings at Ministerial and Deputy level;
  • co-ordinate and supervise the preparation and follow-up of meetings - including informal consultations - of the Deputies’ subsidiary groups;
    
• Advisory and Analytical Responsibilities
  • advise on the appropriateness and overall coherence of decisions to be taken by the Committee of Ministers;
  • brief, in particular, the Presidents of the Committee of Ministers and informal subsidiary groups on current agenda items and contextual considerations, providing the substantive and procedural assistance necessary for the exercise of their functions;
    
• Liaison and Inter-institutional Relations
  • liaise with and brief, as appropriate, the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, and their Private Office on forthcoming matters, as well as related policy and operational dimensions;
  • facilitate the interface between Permanent Representations and the Council of Europe Secretariat, providing information and assistance where appropriate;
  • facilitate and maintain constructive dialogue with the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Conference of INGOs, and Council of Europe major administrative entities for the preparation and follow-up of decisions of the Committee of Ministers and their Deputies to ensure comprehensive institutional co-ordination;
    
• Leadership and Staff Management
  • provide leadership and direction to the Department’s staff, fostering co-operation, team spirit, and a harmonious working environment to ensure staff well-being, increased efficiency, and optimal use of resources, ensuring continuity and support to the Committee;
    
• Communication Management 
  • contribute to the supervision of the Committee of Ministers’ communication activities, contributing to the political coherence and definition of the Committee’s communication strategy, in liaison with internal specialists.

You must:

• hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a Master’s degree () in law, political science or a related, relevant field;
• have thorough knowledge of European and international affairs, institutional procedures, and understanding of the functioning of the Council of Europe;
• have at least eight years of proven, relevant professional experience in an intergovernmental, diplomatic, or international public administration, including at a senior level, partly gained in a similar body to the Committee of Ministers;
• demonstrate the ability to prepare, manage, and follow up on high-level diplomatic or political meetings, and to provide substantive and procedural advice to senior officials or decision-making bodies;
• have proven and relevant management experience;
• have very good knowledge of one official language of the Council of Europe (English or French) and good knowledge of the other.

You must also:

• be a citizen of one of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe and fulfil the conditions for appointment to the civil service of that state;
• 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 .

• Managerial - Organisational and contextual awareness
• Managerial - Management of teams
• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Drafting skills

Professional and technical expertise:

• first-rate advisory skills;
• political sensitivity;
• skilled communicator, proactive in creating and maintaining professional relationships.

• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Negotiating
• Interpersonal - Resilience

This job vacancy is for an international external recruitment. 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 Article 490 of the Council of Europe Staff Rules. 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 .