Executive Director - North-South Centre

The European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (Council of Europe’s North-South Centre) is an important instrument of the Council of Europe’s external dimension and contributes to the achievement of its strategic priorities beyond the European continent.

Established in 1989 as an Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) of the Council of Europe, it also brings together states that are not members of the Council of Europe, notably from Africa and the Middle East. As part of the Directorate of Programme Coordination, it serves as a platform for dialogue and exchange, bringing the perspectives of these regions into the debates of the Council of Europe and facilitating political dialogue with partners beyond the European continent. It also raises public awareness of issues of global concern and strengthens, beyond Europe, commitment to the universal principles and values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Executive Director of the Centre reports to the Director of Programme Coordination.

The Centre's team, comprising around a dozen colleagues, contributes to the implementation of programs and projects in accordance with the Council of Europe’s neighborhood policy, based on the Reykjavik Declaration, and provides support to representatives of governments, parliaments, local and regional authorities, as well as civil society (“quadrilogue”), with a particular focus on young people. It also participates in events such as the North-South Prize and the Lisbon Forum, as well as in missions and cooperation activities that contribute to the fulfillment of its mission.

As an Executive Director, you will:

• head the Secretariat of the North-South Centre and ensure its smooth functioning, including that of its statutory bodies;
• implement the North-South Centre's medium-term strategy (2024-2027) with regard to relations between Europe and the rest of the world, in particular the Euro-Mediterranean region, the Middle East and Africa;
• advise on prospects for action by the Council of Europe in areas related to the above-mentioned strategy, and report on the results achieved, developments in external relations, as well as opportunities, risks and newly identified needs;
• develop and implement a strategy for consolidating and developing the Centre, focusing on strengthening relations with stakeholders, in particular member States, prospects for enlargement, potential donors, as well as the identification of short- and medium-term objectives;
• assist the President and Vice-President of the Executive Committee, as well as the Committee of Representatives of Member States, in the exercise of their statutory functions;
• ensure that the quadripartite nature of the Centre's decision-making process is respected;
• ensure the management of the Centre's human and financial resources;
• prepare, manage and implement the Centre's annual programme of activities and budget, and ensure their timely adoption by the competent statutory bodies;
• maintain privileged relations with the competent authorities of the host country and ensure close cooperation with the relevant departments of the Secretariat General in Strasbourg;
• develop and strengthen cooperation with relevant international organisations, in particular those with which the Council of Europe has concluded cooperation agreements.

You must:

• have the support of the member State seconding you to the Council of Europe;
• hold a higher education degree or qualification, preferably at Master's level (2nd cycle of the Bologna process framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area), in public administration, international affairs, international governance and Diplomacy, or another relevant field;
• have at least 3 years of professional experience in the political field and knowledge of the issues related to the mandate of the Enlarged Partial Agreement and a good knowledge of the Council of Europe's cooperation programmes and procesures, as well as the corresponding working methods;
• have very good knowledge of one of the Council of Europe’s two official languages (English or French) and good knowledge of the other (French or English);
• be a citizen of one of the member States of the Council of Europe or in the case of a partial agreement, to be national of the member State of the partial agreement concerned.

• Managerial - Vision and Strategic Insight
• Managerial - Organisational and contextual awareness
• Managerial - Leadership
• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Influencing

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • demonstrated expertise in international relations and multilateral cooperation, particularly concerning Europe, the Euro-Mediterranean region, the Middle East and Africa;
  • experience in translating strategic objectives into programmes and projects, applying recognised project management principles to deliver measurable results, manage risks and ensure effective use of resources;
  • proven experience in managing financial and human resources, including results-based planning, budgeting, monitoring and performance reporting within an international or public-sector environment and in accordance to the Council of Europe’s values.
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• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Interpersonal - Resilience
• Interpersonal - Initiative

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • experience in developing and managing strategic partnerships with governments, international organisations, civil society and donors, including mobilisation of voluntary contributions;
  • experience in advising senior decision-makers and governing bodies on strategic, policy and operational matters in an international organisation.

This vacancy is for a secondment, ruled by Article 23 of Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2. You can consult the conditions of secondment to the Council of Europe (days of leave, allowances etc.) on the webpage What we offer. This secondment does not foresee any allowances or travel expenses from the Organisation.

This secondment should start as soon as possible.

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process of our Career's website. The deadline for applications is indicated in the General information section of this vacancy notice (see above) and is fixed at 23:59:59 (CET/CEST). Only applicants who meet the conditions of the Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2) and who best meet the abovementioned criteria will be considered for selection and for the next stage.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified people, irrespective of sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, disability, religion or belief. Under its equal opportunity policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve gender parity in staff employed in each category and grade. At the time of appointment, preference between suitable people shall be given to the person of the gender which is under-represented in the relevant grades within the category to which the vacancy belongs.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact us at talents@coe.int, we will ensure that your request is handled.

The information published on the CoE’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication of the vacancy notice. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process will be updated on our Portal and will apply at the time of the job offer. Our career's website is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. Should you have remaining questions, please contact us at talents@coe.int.