· Vision of international affairs: vision and strategic insight; awareness of the international political, economic, social and cultural context; organisational awareness.
· Managerial skills: leadership; management of teams, resources, processes and projects; coaching of others; influence and authority.
· Professional and technical competencies:
o qualifications: University degree or equivalent preferably in political or social sciences, law or another relevant field;
o professional experience: at least 12 years of professional experience at the level of, or equivalent to, that of an Administrator (category A) at the Council of Europe, including management, conceptual and research duties in one or more of the following fields:
o experience in international and multilateral co-operation, and the corresponding working methods;
o profound insight and wide experience in the Directorate’s fields of activity;
o wide experience in managing financial resources and motivating human resources at a senior level, preferably in an international context;
o conceptual thinking at a strategic level.
· Interpersonal skills: relationship-building and networking at the political, diplomatic and administrative levels, negotiating skills.
· Communication and linguistic skills: highly-developed and persuasive communication skills; very good knowledge of both Council of Europe’s official languages (English and French); listening and presentation skills in both languages.
· Personal attitudes: initiative and responsibility; result orientation and concern for continuous improvement; concern for quality and efficiency; adaptability; self-management and development; organisational alignment.
· Personal values: integrity; loyalty; commitment and conscience; discretion; independence and confidence; respect for diversity.
The Organisation
The Council of Europe is a political organisation founded in 1949 in order to promote greater unity between its members. It now numbers 47 member States. The Organisation’s main aims are to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and to develop common responses to political, social, cultural and legal challenges in its member States. Since 1989 it has integrated most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and supported them in their efforts to implement and consolidate their reforms.
The Council of Europe has its permanent headquarters in Strasbourg (France). By Statute, it has two constituent organs: the Committee of Ministers, composed of the member States’ Ministers for Foreign Affairs, and the Parliamentary Assembly, comprising delegations from the national parliaments. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe represents the entities of local and regional self-government within the member States.
The European Court of Human Rights is the judicial body competent to adjudicate complaints brought against a state by individuals, associations or other contracting states on grounds of violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Directorate of Human Rights and Antidiscrimination
As one of the three Directorates in the Directorate General of Democracy (DG II), the Directorate of Human Rights and Antidiscrimination plays a key role in helping DG II in its mandate to promote democratic governance, to strengthen sustainable democratic societies and democratic responses to crisis situations, and to promote social cohesion and the societal defences against discrimination, cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue, democratic citizenship and the participation of all.
The Directorate aims at developing a long-term orientation for the Council of Europe’s work in the following policy areas:
- Social cohesion and diversity, including migration and integration issues as well as research and early-warning activities;
- Good governance in sport through the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport as well as Sport Conventions;
- Remembrance of the Holocaust and prevention of crimes against humanity;
- National minorities and antidiscrimination, by ensuring the efficient functioning of the three monitoring instruments of the Directorate: the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the Framework Conventions for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML).
It seeks to develop multi-disciplinary and innovative policies and to give practical support to policy makers, professionals and field workers and carries out several transversal projects and programmes, including joint programmes with the European Union.
Applications
Applications must be made in English or French using the Council of Europe on-line application system. By connecting to our website http://www.coe-recruitment.com you can create and submit your on-line application. Applications must be submitted by 15 November 2012 (midnight Central European Time) at the latest.
After the preliminary selection has been made, candidates for senior management posts (grades A6 and A7) at the Council of Europe will be subject to a competency assessment.
Candidates may be invited to attend interviews.
The appointed candidate must be a national of a Council of Europe member State. In accordance with the Staff Regulations of the Council of Europe, staff shall retire on reaching the age of 65.
The Council of Europe aims at filling the post, if possible, as from 1 January 2013.
A summary of the employment conditions applicable to this type of post and information on the living and working environment in Strasbourg are set out below.
Under its equal opportunities policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve parity in the number of women and men employed in each category and grade. In the event of equal merit, preference will therefore be given to the applicant belonging to the under-represented sex.
The Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably-qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief or sexual orientation.
During the different stages of the recruitment procedure, specific measures may be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities.
Summary of Conditions of Employment and the living and working environment in Strasbourg referring to appointments to posts of Director (Grade A6).
1. Appointment
In accordance with Article 25 of the Regulations on Appointments, should an external candidate be selected, he/she will be appointed on an initial two-year contract, constituting a probationary period. If, after the probationary period, the staff member is confirmed in his/her post, the appointment will be extended for one or more periods varying in length between one and five years. According to the same provision, should an internal candidate be selected, he/she will be initially appointed for a trial period of two years. During this period, staff so appointed shall retain their previous grade but be paid a monthly basic salary which corresponds to the remuneration they would have received if they had been promoted to the grade concerned. If the staff member is confirmed in his/her post at the end of the trial period, he/she shall be promoted retroactively and re-appointed for three years. At the end of the period of five years, he/she shall be either kept in post, or assigned to another post at the same grade.
2. Salary and allowances (gross)
Basic monthly rate: 10842.62 €
Monthly rate, plus household allowance for dependent spouse and/or children: 11493.18 €
In addition, the following allowances may be payable as appropriate:
i. expatriation allowance of 10% of the monthly rate shown above;
ii. dependent child's allowance (current rate 312.34 € per child per month) plus 87.44 € per child expatriate supplement, where appropriate;
The salaries and allowances are not subject to income tax in any member State.
3. Pension
Compulsory contributions to the staff pension scheme (employee contribution 9,3 % of basic salary) secure entitlement on termination of employment, if less than 10 years service, to a severance grant equivalent to 2,25 times the rate of contribution as applied to the last annual salary per year of service (part-years are calculated pro rata). For staff having spent more than 10 years with the Organisation, the pension will amount to 2% of the last basic salary for each year of service.
4. Social insurance
Employees are covered by a private insurance scheme (covering accident, sickness, maternity, invalidity and death) which entails contributions of approximately 3% of basic salary.
5. Leave
32 working days of annual leave plus, for staff considered as expatriates, 4 days' home leave per year with passage paid every two years.
6. Removals and Settling in
Staff members recruited from a distance exceeding 100 km from their place of duty, are entitled to payment of their removals and reimbursement of their travel expenses at the beginning and at the end of their employment. They are also entitled to a settling-in allowance upon taking up their duties. These entitlements are subject to certain conditions.
7. Schooling
For information on international education, you can consult the website of the “Ville de Strasbourg”: http://www.strasbourg.eu/fr/vie-quotidienne/enfance-education/enfant-scolarise
8. Working conditions for family members
Your dependants will have the right to a “titre de séjour spécial” (special residence permit), valid for as long as you work for the Organisation. The “special residence permit” allows the holder to enter France and to circulate freely in the Schengen zone. However, it does not grant any right to work in France. Should one of your dependants decide to apply for a work permit, his/her application will be examined by the French authorities according to the standard administrative procedures, depending on his/her nationality. In many cases, French law requires that such applications be submitted from one’s country of origin. Moreover, the status of a “special residence permit”-holder is incompatible with that of a work-permit holder. Please contact us should you require any further information in this respect.