Head of the Secretariat of the Partial Agreement on the Council of Europe Development Bank

The Secretariat of the Council of Europe Bank (CEB) is based in Strasbourg and consists of a team of about 10 staff members. It is part of the Directorate of Social Rights, Health and Environment.

The role of the Secretariat is to provide support and advice to the CEB’s collegial organs (Governing Board, Administrative Council and Auditing Board and the Governor) and to ensure linkages between the Council of Europe and the CEB. 

The Secretariat contributes in particular to the preparation of loan application documents, submitted by CEB member states or applicants thereof, to be approved by the Administrative Council. In particular, the Secretariat prepares and follows up on the Secretary General of the Council of Europe’s opinions on the admissibility of loan requests, based on a project's conformity with the political and social aims of the Council of Europe.

As Head of the Secretariat of the Partial Agreement on the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), you will: 

• supervise and co-ordinate the good functioning of the meetings of the CEB’s organs (Governing Board, Administrative Council, Auditing Board and the working parties) and assist their Chairpersons; take part in all CEB meetings and represent the Secretary General in his absence;
• maintain regular contacts with the members of the CEB’s organs, Permanent Representatives to the CoE (including states which are not yet members of the CEB), and other international organisations;
• represent the Secretary General, the Director General or the Director at events and conferences related to the CEB’s activities or other related work;
• establish and maintain contacts with counterparts in national authorities, international organisations, partners in civil society and other relevant bodies and institutions;
• provide leadership to and motivate the Secretariat’s staff members by allocating roles and responsibilities, setting objectives and evaluating performance;
• supervise and co-ordinate the examination of projects submitted by member governments and associated members to be financed by the CEB and the preparation of the Secretary General’s opinions on admissibility of the projects from political and social points of view, as well as the preparation of the annual report on the social effects of completed projects;
• manage the financial resources of the Secretariat and supervise budget proposals;
• liaise with the Legal Advisor of the CEB’s organs and with the organs of the Council of Europe, in particular the Private Office of the Secretary General, the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities;
• advise the Director and the Director General and report on results achieved, risks and development;
• promote transversality and co-ordination by fostering effective collaboration with the other sectors within the Directorate and the Directorate General.

You must:

• hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a master's degree () in a subject relevant to the Department’s work, preferably in political sciences, economics, finance, law, social sciences, or a related field;
  • the degree requirement may be waived if the candidate has at least 15 years of the experience described below;
• demonstrate at least 10 years' professional experience in roles of increasing responsibility (including at management level), gained in an international environment, involving roles with a significant political and diplomatic dimension in interaction with senior officials, national authorities, diplomatic representatives and/or international organisations on matters related to international development banking, public finance, social investment and institutional governance;
• have excellent knowledge of English, one of the Council of Europe’s official languages, and at least basic knowledge of French, the other official language.

You must also:

• be a citizen of one of the 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 - Leadership
• Managerial - Management of teams
• Managerial - Decision making
• Operational - Planning and work organisation

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • sound experience in human and financial resources management, project management, international co-operation as well as Best Banking Practices.

• Operational - Results orientation

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 .