Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law

The Directorate of Legal Advice and Public International Law (DLAPIL) provides legal advice to the Secretary General and the Council of Europe’s institutions and bodies on institutional and strategic issues, including the current reform process or on relations with member states and other strategic partners.

In providing legal advice to the Secretary General both at the strategic decision-making level and in the daily handling of legal issues, DLAPIL ensures that the Organisation’s activities are carried out in accordance with its founding instruments, international law, and other applicable rules, including its internal regulations. DLAPIL advises the Secretariat on any legal matters, contributes to the elaboration of the internal legal framework and decisions, reviews agreements and contracts, supports negotiations with governments and other organisations, and handles disputes and legal claims.

DLAPIL also assists the Secretary General in his functions as depositary of the Council of Europe treaties, co-ordinates the work of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI), assists the Advisory Panel of Experts on Candidates for Election as Judge to the European Court of Human Rights and provides legal assistance to the organs of the Council of Europe Development Bank.

As a Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law, you will:

Legal Advice:

• ensure the integrity and quality of legal analyses produced by the team, in the interest of the Organisation, and maintain the highest standards of rigour and excellence in fulfilling the Directorate's mandate as entrusted by the Secretary General;
• ensure strategic legal monitoring of topical issues so as to continuously strengthen the team's expertise and ability to analyse and anticipate legal problems;

Leadership and Staff Management:

• lead, inspire and support a team of 15 to 20 professionals working at different levels of responsibility; clearly define roles within the Directorate;
• review performance and encourage the development of direct collaborators so as to support the relevance of the team's legal skills and knowledge;
• optimise internal communication, promote cooperation and team spirit, and foster a harmonious and stimulating work environment;

Communication and Representation:

• present complex legal issues in a concise and accurate manner, whether in formal or informal settings, to enable informed decision-making;
• ensure an excellent level of communication with internal and external stakeholders;
• represent the Secretary General at his request at internal or external events or in the context of bilateral or multilateral negotiations;
• promote the values and interest of the Council of Europe both within the Organisation and externally.

You must:

• hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a master’s degree () in law or another relevant field; the degree requirement may be waived if the candidate has at least 12 years of the experience described below;
• have at least 10 years of relevant professional experience in roles of increasing responsibility, including at management level, in legal advice, preferably in matters related to public international law and the law of international organisations;
• demonstrate substantial professional experience in team management and leadership;
• have very good knowledge of one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe and good knowledge of the other.

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 - Vision and Strategic Insight
• Managerial - Leadership
• Interpersonal - Service orientation
• Interpersonal - Negotiating
• Interpersonal - Communication

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • solid knowledge and practical experience of public international law and of the law of international organisations.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Resilience

• Professionaland technical expertise
  • proven record of substantial participation in reform processes of large public organisations or corporate restructuring in the private sector;
  • knowledge of Council of Europe institutions, legal instruments and treaties.

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 . Please note that candidates appointed to grade A6 by way of international external recruitment shall initially be appointed for a fixed-term period of one year. The appointment may be extended for one or more periods each not exceeding five years.

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 .