Vacancy Notice N° e199/2013
Director of Democratic Citizenship and Participation (Grade A6)
Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DG II)


Closing date: 10 September 2013
Location : Strasbourg

Job mission

Under the authority of the Director General of Democracy (DGII), the incumbent will provide leadership to, and ensure efficient management of, the Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation in the Directorate General of Democracy, in compliance with Council of Europe values and priorities.

Key activities


The incumbent performs all or a combination of the following duties:

 

• defines the objectives of the Directorate in consultation with the Director General ;
• contributes to the development and achievement of the Directorate’s policies in accordance with the mandate of the Directorate General;
• plans, formulates, implements and reports on policies and programmes in the fields of Education and Youth in accordance with general priorities and policies;
• ensures policy and administrative support to the statutory and intergovernmental bodies operating in these fields;
• provides leadership and guidance to the Directorate’s staff in cooperation with subordinate line managers (Heads of the Education and Youth Departments);
• manages financial and human resources allocated to the Directorate including Joint Programmes with the European  Union and funds from other external sources;
• promotes transversality within the Directorate and Directorate General and by establishing and maintaining cooperation with other bodies/sectors of the Council of Europe, including the Secretariats of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities;
• supervises the preparation of documents submitted to the Committee of Ministers;
• establishes and maintains contacts with governments, international institutions, non governmental organisations and other relevant bodies/institutions;
• increases the internal and external visibility of the Directorate and its topics;
• undertakes official journeys and/or participates in field missions in connection with activities described above.

 

Please note that the incumbent may be required to perform other duties not listed in the vacancy notice.

Eligibility Requirements

Only applicants who best meet the following criteria will be shortlisted. Criteria marked with an asterix (*) are statutory requirements.
 
 
• Qualifications: higher education degree* in a relevant field.
• Experience:
o professional experience, preferably of 12 years or more, at the level of, or equivalent to, that of an Administrator (category A) at the Council of Europe, including management, conceptual and research duties;
o experience in international and multilateral cooperation, and the corresponding working methods;
o profound insight and wide experience in one of the Directorate’s fields of activity and good awareness of the other;
o conceptual thinking and policy development at a strategic level;
o wide experience in managing financial and human resources at a senior level, preferably in an international context.
• Language requirements: very good knowledge of one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe (English or French), and good knowledge of the other.
• Nationality: nationality of one of the 47 Council of Europe member States*.
• Age: under 65 years of age, at the closing date of the vacancy notice*.
 

Employee Core Values

Competencies

 

• Vision of international affairs: vision and strategic insight; awareness of the international political, economic, social and cultural context and of the Council of Europe’s role, organisational awareness.
• Managerial skills: leadership; management of teams, resources, processes and projects; coaching of others; influence and authority.
• Communication and linguistic skills: highly-developed and persuasive communication skills; listening and presentation skills in both languages; ability to draft clearly, concisely and convincingly; knowledge of other European languages would be an advantage.
• Interpersonal skills: relationship-building and networking at the political, diplomatic and administrative levels, negotiating skills;
• 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.
 

For more information, please refer to the competency inventory of the Council of Europe. 

Additional information

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 at the latest 10 September 2013 (midnight Central European Time).
 
Only those candidates who are considered to best match the requirements of the job vacancy will be selected for the next stage of the recruitment procedure.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 Democratic Citizenship and Participation is one of the three Directorates in the Directorate General of Democracy. It plays a key role in helping DGII 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, planning and implementing Council of Europe policies and practices in the field of Education and Youth, e.g. in the following areas:  
 
-           education for intercultural dialogue, democratic citizenship and human rights including history teaching 
-           quality education and language teaching policies,
-           inclusive education,  
-           higher education policy and reform; 
-           teacher education; 
-           national youth policies; 
-           the contribution of youth NGOs to education for democratic citizenship and human rights 
-           the contribution of youth work and youth NGOs in peace-building, conflict transformation and intercultural dialogue; 
-           access of young people to social rights and the prevention of social exclusion, discrimination and xenophobia directed against vulnerable groups 
-           empowerment of Roma and other vulnerable groups through education and youth work.
-           promotion of youth cooperation through the work of the European Youth Foundation.
 
The Directorate provides in-service training and support for the professional development of teachers and teacher training professionals through the Pestalozzi Programme for education professionals. It organises seminars and training courses for young people in its Youth Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest. It carries out regional and bilateral assistance activities in its field of work, both directly with member States and in partnership with the European Commission and the European Economic Area. The Directorate comprises some 120 staff, working at the headquarters in Strasbourg, at the European Youth Centre in Budapest, at the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz and in offices of the Council of Europe  in Brussels, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Tirana, as well at the Council of Europe Project Office in Ankara. The Directorate co-operates with key international organisations and bodies active in the field of education and youth.  Through special cooperation agreement it cooperates closely with the European Wergeland Centre (Oslo) on account of its special relevance to Council of Europe priorities in education and youth.
 
The Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation is part of Directorate General II Democracy, which includes three other directorates: the Democratic Governance Directorate, the Directorate of Human Rights, Dignity and Anti-Discrimination as well as the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare.
 
 
Summary of Conditions of Employment and the living and working environment in Strasbourg referring to appointments to posts of Director (Grade A6)[1].
 
 
 
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:                                                                                                         11 092,00 € 
 
Monthly rate, plus household allowance for dependent spouse and/or children:                11 757,52 €
 
 
 
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 319,52 € per child per month) plus 89,45 € 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 9,1 % of basic salary) secure entitlement on termination of employment, if less than 10 years service, to a severance grant equivalent to 2 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 1.75% 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.
 
 
 


[1] The information on employment conditions is indicative and may be subject to change. Only the actual employment conditions at the time of recruitment will apply.