Head of the Anti-discrimination Cooperation Division

The Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DGII) of the Council of Europe has the overall responsibility for developing and implementing the Organisation’s standards in the field of human rights, democracy and human dignity. This includes the operation of treaties and related monitoring mechanisms, the development of new standards, and the implementation of co-operation activities in these fields.

You will be joining a team that leads the Council of Europe’s work on anti-discrimination, inclusion and diversity, with a focus on efforts to combat discrimination, hate speech and hate crime. This work is grounded in the standards and instruments developed by the Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI), as well as by monitoring mechanisms such as the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and the work of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

You will be responsible for the Cooperation Division (around 50 team members), which oversees the implementation of pilot and cooperation projects, as well as the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of cooperation activities in the fields of anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion.

As the Head of Division, you will:

• provide leadership and direction to the Division team; foster co-operation, team spirit and a harmonious working environment with a view to ensuring staff well-being, efficiency and the best use of resources, providing clear goals and regular performance feedback, motivate and supervise staff members, coordinate their activities and offer them guidance;
• manage the Division’s human and financial resources in a results-oriented way and monitor progress;
• coordinate and oversee the design, negotiation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of co-operation projects and activities on anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion and mobilise resources for them, in co-operation with the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination (DPC);
• supervise the preparation and organisation of co-operation conferences and events;
• establish and maintain contacts and effective relations with national, regional and local authorities, counterparts in other institutions or organisations – in particular the European Union and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) – and civil society organisations;
• represent the Anti-discrimination and Inclusion Department and the Division in external or internal events related to anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion, also undertaking official journeys in connection with activities, if needed;
• contribute to reaching the overall objectives of the Department, taking into account transversal priorities and activities of the Department and the Organisation, for example in the areas of artificial intelligence, data protection, combating violence against women, protection of children, and integration of persons with disabilities.

You must:

• hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a Master’s degree (2nd cycle of the Bologna process framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area) in a subject relevant to the Division’s work, preferably in law, political science, social sciences, international relations, public administration, or a related field;
• have at least eight years of relevant professional experience with clear evidence of progression to positions involving increasing levels of responsibility and complexity in intergovernmental work, capacity building or international relations, including a minimum of three years of proven experience in managing co-operation activities applying Council of Europe or other European standards, relevant international instruments and measures in the fields of anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion;
• demonstrate solid experience in administration and management, particularly in staff supervision, financial resources oversight, and budgetary matters;
• have an excellent knowledge of English (one of the Council of Europe’s two official languages) and basic knowledge of French (the other official language), or capacity to acquire it 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 - Leadership
• Managerial - Management of teams
• Managerial - Decision making
• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building

Professional and technical expertise:

• Managerial - Vision and Strategic Insight
• Operational - Concern for quality
• Interpersonal - Resilience

Professional and technical expertise:

This job vacancy is for an international external recruitment. You can consult the conditions of employment (salaries, allowances, pension scheme, social insurance etc.) on the webpage What we offer.

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process. This recruitment is carried out in accordance with Article 490 of the Council of Europe Staff Rules. 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). When applying, make sure your motivation shows how your competencies make your profile the best for the role.

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.