Director of Congress

Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Description & Requirements

Your Team

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (hereafter “The Congress”) is the Council of Europe’s political assembly dedicated to strengthening local and regional democracy and upholding human rights and the rule of law at grassroots level in the organisation’s 46 member states. It brings together elected representatives from local and regional authorities and provides a forum for political dialogue. The Congress monitors the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, observes local and regional elections, and supports local and regional authorities when putting the Council of Europe’s fundamental values into practice.

The Secretariat of the Congress consists of about 90 professionals, half in Strasbourg’s Headquarters and half in Council of Europe external offices.

Your Role

You will assist the Secretary General of the Congress with the management of the Congress Secretariat and with the fulfilment of the Congress mandate. You will in particular:

Leadership and Team Management

• lead, inspire and support the Congress’s staff working at different levels of responsibility, in headquarters and external offices, and clearly define roles within the teams;
• review performance and encourage the development of team members so as to support the relevance of their professional skills and knowledge;
• promote effective team communication, synergy, transversal connections and teamwork, in a positive, collaborative work environment.

Programme and Resource Management

• oversee the Congress’s statutory and co-operation work on strengthening democracy, human rights and the rule of law at grassroots level;
• translate the Congress’s newly adopted priorities into work programmes based on a results-oriented organisation with clear outcomes and impact, through effective and efficient working methods;
• manage financial resources and ensure their effective use and compliance with applicable rules;
• liaise and follow the activities of the Committee of Ministers and of its rapporteur groups in areas covered by the mandate of the Congress; ensuring the Congress’s representation in relevant meetings;
• liaise and follow the activities of the intergovernmental sector and of the other Council of Europe institutions and bodies (Parliamentary Assembly, European Court of Human Rights, Commissioner for Human Rights, Venice Commission etc.);
• maintain close relationships with the Office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Communication and Representation

• establish and maintain contacts with Congress members, local and regional authorities and their representative national and European organisations;
• establish and maintain contacts with governments, permanent representations of member states to the Council of Europe, international organisations, partners in civil society and other relevant bodies and institutions;
• r e present the Congress at working meetings and official functions; maintain co-operation with other Council of Europe bodies and sectors operating in related fields;
• communicate diplomatically and efficiently with internal and external stakeholders;
• contribute to the visibility of the Congress’s work;
• promote the values and interest of the Council of Europe both within the Organisation and externally.
• have at least 10 years of relevant professional experience in roles of increasing responsibility, including at management level, in policy development, programme management or intergovernmental work;
• demonstrate a sound understanding of the structures, responsibilities and functioning of local and regional authorities;
• demonstrate substantial professional experience in managing teams and budgets;
• demonstrate excellent communication skills and ability to interact and negotiate with high-level officials;
• have a very good knowledge of one of the official languages (English or French), and a good knowledge of the other or have the ability to acquire it rapidly on the job.

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 competency framework .

• Managerial - Vision and Strategic Insight
• Managerial - Management of teams
• Manageria