Council of Europe is hiring a Senior 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 Senior 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 Senior Project Officer you will:

• ensure and supervise the planning, organisation and implementation of the two components of the project, in line with workplan of activities and in close coordination with the project team, and under the supervision of the Project Manager at headquarters (HQ), the management of the Unit and Co-operation Programmes Division, as well as the Head and Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau;
• ensure budget follow up and financial reporting in line with the logframe and workplans, as well as the implementation of procurement procedures required in the context of preparation of project activities and ensure the verification of purchase files, draft contracts and payment documents;
• co-ordinate, organise and supervise the work of project staff and experts in individual activities/outputs of the work plan;
• establish and maintain close working contacts with project partners and local stakeholders, international organisations and Civil Sociey Organisations and other relevant stakeholders;
• co-ordinate the work within the broader framework of the overall Council of Europe Office action in the country;
• participate in and contribute to meetings between the CoE, CoE experts and national authorities/counterparts/ beneficiaries concerning the project and ensure that decisions taken at these meetings are carried out;
• ensure the preparation and drafting of documents (e.g. work plans, project reports, terms of reference for different contractual engagements that are aimed at implementing relevant project activities; briefings, speaking notes, relevant meeting documentation and draft minutes; mission reports related to project activities, official speeches etc;); including editing documents prepared in English and in Romanian;
• co-ordinate and support the organisation of project inputs through custom made events (seminars, workshops, conferences, expert meetings. etc.);
• provide assessment of results and achievements and advise the management about risks and problems encountered; suggest new priorities and adjustments as necessary;
• support Council of Europe Secretariat and short-term consultants in the context of tasks and missions in the field;
• ensure that decisions, final deliverables, project documents and correspondence are properly documented and filed;
• contribute to raising the visibility of the project by verifying web news items and press releases and by disseminating information, and by providing inputs on publications;
• contribute to the efficient functioning of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau and inform regularly the Head of the Office and Deputy Head of Office in Chisinau about the implementation of the project and co-ordinate the work within the broader framework of the overall activities of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau;
• undertake official journeys in connection with activities described above;
• perform any other task related to the implementation of the project as requested;
• promote the Council of Europe values internally and externally.

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 4 years of relevant professional experience in implementation of technical assistance projects, preferably focusing on justice reform, protection of human rights, or at least 4 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:
  • excellent knowledge of Council of Europe and international standards on human rights and the rule of law;
  • experience in working with authorities at national level;
  • knowledge of specific project management tools (project management methodologies, logframes, risk monitoring, etc.);
  • sound knowledge of standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentation, outlook, excel).

• Management of teams
• Decision making
• Drafting skills
• Results orientation
• Initiative
• Analysis and problem solving
• Relationship building

These would be an asset:

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • hold a university degree in law, public administration, political or social sciences, international relations, or a related field;
  • specific knowledge of justice reform, particularly within the criminal justice sector, in the Republic of Moldova;
  •  understanding the situation related to combating ill-treatment in the Republic of Moldova, use of alternatives to detention, establishing more humane approaches to sentencing in criminal cases;
  • knowledge of the priorities of the prosecution services in the Republc of Moldova.

• Communication
• Adaptability
• Service orientation

What we offer

If successful, you may be offered employment based on temporary contracts at grade B5. Employment is limited to 31 December 2025 and may be extended. You will receive a basic monthly gross salary of €2 477.06 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 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.

Applications from staff members of the Council of Europe, who currently hold a fixed-term (CDD) contract or former staff members whose fixed-term contract has ended less than 12 months before the deadline for applications, will not be considered.