Council of Europe is hiring a Project Officer

The Council of Europe project "Strengthening the human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova phase II" is hiring a Project Officer.

The Council of Europe project “Strengthening the human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova phase II” is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan 2025-2028 for the Republic of Moldova. The project will work towards achieving the following outcomes:

• institutional independence and operational capacity of the prosecution service is strengthened in line with the Council of Europe standards and best practices;
• capacities of the criminal justice stakeholders to apply human rights guarantees to criminal proceedings and a more humanised approach to criminal sentencing are enhanced;
• capacities of the Government Agent of the Republic of Moldova in executing judgments of the European Court of Human Rights are increased; and
• stakeholders, implementing external monitoring (such as the Ombudsperson and the National Preventive Mechanism), are more effective in prevention of human rights violations within the criminal justice system.

The project partners and beneficiaries include the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Superior Council of Magistracy, the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the Supreme Court of Justice, the National Institute of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Police Inspectorate, the Moldovan Bar Association, the Government Agent Office, the Association of Women in Prosecution, and the Ombudsperson’s Institution/National Preventive Mechanism.

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 Senior Project Officers and under supervision of the Programme Manager 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;
• in co-ordination with the Senior Project Officers, 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 Senior Project Officers guidelines, contacts and working relationships with the representatives of national authorities, other relevant stakeholders, and civil society organisations 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, providing content-related and organisational assistance;
• contribute to selection of local service providers, negotiate and prepare contracts in consultation with the Senior Project Officers, management of the field Office and HQ;
• contribute to drafting calls for tenders and procurement procedures;
• provide inputs to the project 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 management 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, public administration, international relations, political or social science, or a related field;
• have a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in implementation of technical assistance projects, preferably focusing on justice reform, protection of human rights, or at least 3 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:
  • general knowledge of Council of Europe and international standards on human rights and the rule of law;
  • knowledge of standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentation, outlook, excel).
• Planning and work organisation
• Concern for quality
• Teamwork and co-operation
• Analysis and problem solving
• Relationship building
• Communication
• Initiative

These would be an asset:

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • knowledge of justice reform, particularly within the criminal justice sector, in the Republic of Moldova.
• Results orientation
• Adaptability
• Resilience

What we offer

If successful, you may be offered employment based on temporary contracts at grade B4. Employment is limited to 31 December 2025 and may be extended. You will receive a basic monthly gross salary of €2 081.65 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.).

Applications and selection procedure

Deadline for applications is 12 December 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.

Only applications that best meet the abovementioned criteria, and that demonstrate the best profile in terms of qualifications, experience, and motivation, shall be considered for the next stages of the recruitment evaluation process, which may consist of different types of assessment. Further information on the assessment process will be provided to the selected people in due course.