Project Officer

The Council of Europe Office in Tirana assists the authorities in fulfilling their membership commitments and obligations, supports legislative and other reforms, provides expertise in the Organisation’s fields of competence, develops effective training programmes or implements activities such as thematic campaigns.

You will be part of the team implementing the Project “Youth Initiatives for a Louder Voice against Discrimination and Hatred in the Western Balkans“¹.

This 36-month project, which is expected to start in January 2027, aims at supporting the beneficiaries in Albania, Montenegro and in Kosovo² in addressing discrimination, hatred and racism at local level while promoting social inclusion – with attention to Youth from different groups at risks of marginalization.

¹Subject to the signature of the contract with the donor and the actual implementation period of the project.

²All reference to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations’ Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

As a Project Officer, you will play a key role in implementing the project’s activities related to Albania, as well as assisting in the implementation of the activities at regional level. More specifically, you will:

• contribute to the development of the project workplan and other relevant planning documents relating to Albania;

• contribute to the design, organisation, co-ordination, implementation and follow-up of project activities in Albania, in accordance with the project workplan and calendar of activities, in close co-ordination with the project team at headquarters (HQ) and in co-operation with local partners, stakeholders and consultants; report implementation difficulties and suggest adjustments as necessary;

• contribute to regional activities on anti-discrimination, combating racism and hatred, and promoting diversity, including by facilitating the participation of local stakeholders and ensuring timely follow-up on requests relating to the regional dimension of the project;

• establish and maintain working relationships with relevant national and international stakeholders, including public authorities, international organisations and non-governmental organisations, particularly those active in the fields of anti-discrimination, combating hatred, diversity and equality, with attention to the youth dimension;

• contribute to the preparation and drafting of project-related documents, including reports, terms of reference, briefings, speaking notes, speeches and meeting documentation, as well as editing, translating and proofreading documents in English and Albanian;

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• contribute to the implementation of procurement procedures required for project activities, including the preparation and verification of purchase files, draft contracts and payment documents, and follow up on related expenditure in accordance with Council of Europe regulations and procedures and donor requirements;

• contribute to the visibility of the project by drafting web news items and press releases, organising visibility activities, disseminating information and providing input on publications;

• contribute to the efficient functioning of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, regularly inform the Office management about project implementation and co-ordinate activities within the broader framework of the Office's work;

• co-supervise the work of the project assistant based in Pristina, in relation to the implementation of project activities.

You must:

• hold a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications;
• have a minimum of three years of relevant professional experience at a national or international level in the field of anti-discrimination, combating hate crime/speech and/or promotion of diversity and equality, youth engagement and experience in providing technical assistance on issues related to human rights;
• have an excellent knowledge of Albanian (first language level) and a very good knowledge of English (one of the Council of Europe's official languages).

You must also:

• be a citizen of the host country or one of the member states of the Council of Europe and fulfil the conditions for appointment to the civil service of that state;
• be currently present in Albania;
• 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 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.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Creativity and innovation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Communication

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • good knowledge of Council of Europe and other international standards in the fields of anti-discrimination, combating hate crimes/speech, promotion of diversity and equality;
  • sound knowledge of the political and human rights situation in the country, including for Youth and the human rights situation of LGBTI, Roma and other groups at risk of discrimination;
  • experience using standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentations, outlook, spreadsheet, databases, internet publications).

• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Resilience
• Interpersonal - Initiative

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • previous professional experience in an international environment;
  • knowledge of specific project management tools (Project Management Methodology, logframes, risk monitoring, etc.);
  • previous professional experience in working with governmental institutions, or civil society on projects and programmes related to human rights-based and anti-discrimination work, and/or youth participation.

This job vacancy is for a local external recruitment based on fixed-term contracts. Employment is limited to 31 December 2027 and may be extended. 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 Rule No. 2/2025 on locally recruited staff members in Duty Stations outside of France. 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.