The Council of Europe project “Improving electoral practice in the Republic of Moldova, phase III” is hiring a Project Officer

The Council of Europe project “Improving electoral practice in the Republic of Moldova, phase III” is hiring a Project Officer.

The project works towards achieving the following outcomes:
- capacities and competences of the election administrations and officials are reinforced to ensure transparent, professional and fair electoral processes and procedures in line with the Council of Europe standards and good practices;
- electoral processes and practices are more inclusive and participatory;
- European standards into the electoral legislation and practice are further implemented and promoted, specifically based on the Venice Commission's and International Electoral Observation Mission's recommendations.
The overall objective is to improve public trust, credibility and legitimacy towards elections and elected representatives through an enhanced transparency, inclusiveness and integrity of electoral process.

Your role
As a Project Officer you will:

• assist with planning, organisation, co-ordination, implementation and follow-up on the project activities in accordance with the project workplan, in close co-ordination with the Project Manager and under supervision of the Project Co-ordinator in the Council of Europe headquarters (HQ) and in co-operation with local partners and stakeholders;
•  ensure quality and relevance of the project outputs, suggest priorities and adjustments as necessary;
• contribute to the preparation of reports, analyses and other documents related to the project objectives such as briefings, speeches and information notes;
• in co-ordination with the Project Manager, assist with the budgetary follow-ups of all project expenditures in accordance with Council of Europe regulations and procedures;
• establish, develop and maintain, under the Project Manager guidelines, contacts and working relationships with the representatives of national and local authorities, civil society and the international partners working on the ground with a view to implementing the project;
• work with consultants and experts when carrying out tasks and missions in the field or in HQ, providing content-related and organisational assistance;
• contribute to selection of local service providers, negotiate and prepare contracts in consultation with the Project Manager, management of the field Office and HQ;
• contribute to drafting of new project proposals, including budgets, logframes and results-oriented reports in accordance with Council of Europe rules and procedures;
• foster the visibility of the project by drafting web news items and press releases, by disseminating information and by providing advice and input on publications; 
• report to the supervisor on activities in progress and inform of any problems encountered;
• contribute to the efficient functioning of the Office, in collaboration with the Head of Office, the Deputy Head of Office and project management;
• undertake official journeys in connection with your duties;
• perform any other tasks related to the implementation of the project as requested; 
• promote the Council of Europe values internally and externally.

What we are looking for
You must:

• hold a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications in law, international relations, public administration or related field;
• have a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience in implementation of technical assistance projects focusing on electoral cooperation, rule of law, public administration, or at least 2 years of experience in public sector institutions working in the relevant fields;
• have an excellent knowledge of Romanian (mother tongue level) and a very good knowledge of one of the two Council of Europe’s official languages (English);
• be a citizen of the host country or one of the 46 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.

Demonstrate to us that you have the following competencies:
 Professional and technical expertise:

• knowledge of Council of Europe and international standards on the electoral rights, rule of law and/or public administration;
• knowledge of standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentation, outlook, excel).

 Concern for quality
 Planning and work organisation
 Analysis and problem solving
 Drafting skills
 Results orientation
 Teamwork and co-operation
 Communication

These would be an asset:
 Professional and technical expertise:

• strong academic background and/or a further degree in a relevant subject, such as a university degree in law, political or social sciences, international relations or public administration;
•  specific knowledge of the Council of Europe electoral monitoring mechanisms, recommendations of the Venice Commission and international electoral observation missions in electoral field;
• knowledge of Russian language.

 Resilience
 Adaptability
 Initiative

What we offer

If successful, you may be offered employment based on temporary contracts at grade B4. Employment is limited to 31 December 2024 and may be extended. You will receive a basic monthly gross salary of €1 785.45 which is exempt from national income tax. This salary may be supplemented by other allowances depending on your personal situation. You will be affiliated to a pension scheme and social and medical insurance. You will also benefit from 32 working days leave per year and other advantages (including flexible working hours, training and development, possibility of teleworking, etc.).
This recruitment procedure is carried out in accordance with Rule No. 1234 laying down the conditions of recruitment and employment of locally recruited staff members working in Council of Europe Duty Stations located outside of France.
If your profile matches our needs and you are not recruited straight away, you may be placed on a list of eligible candidates.

Applications and selection procedure
Deadline for applications is 04 July 2024 (midnight Central European Time). You can apply in English or French using the Council of Europe online application system on: www.coe.int/jobs. Please fill out the form providing all requested details and explain how your competencies make you the best candidate for this role. It usually takes a few hours to fill it in, so please take this information into consideration while applying.