Senior Operations Officer

The Council of Europe Office in Chisinau facilitates, maintains and strengthens working relations between the Council of Europe and the national authorities (mainly the government and parliament), regional and local authorities, representatives of civil society, political parties and the media, as well as members of the international community. Our work focuses on protecing human rights, supporting democracy and the rule of law through cooperation projects and programmes.

You will join the Office’s core team and work closely with the Head and Deputy Head of Office and the Finance Office Management Assistants, while providing guidance and support to project teams. You will also work in close coordination with the Procurement Unit at the Organisation’s headquarters in Strasbourg.

As a Senior Operations Officer, you will play a key role in supporting the effective management and continuous improvement of the Office’s procurement, financial and administrative operations. In particular, you will:

• act as the procurement focal point for the Office, supporting the local implementation of the Organisation’s Procurement Policy and the continuous improvement of procurement practices and performance; act, where relevant, as local buyer for procurement relating to the operational needs of the Office;
• support the Office management in the effective oversight of procurement processes, with a view to ensuring compliance with Council of Europe financial regulations, donor agreements and internal procedures, while promoting quality, efficiency and value for money;
• support external and internal audits, donor verification exercises, and control missions, including the preparation of documentation, analysis of findings, and follow-up to recommendations;
• support the Head/Deputy Head of Office in the monitoring and management of Office and project budgets, including by analysing financial statements, forecasts and expenditure reports; identify budgetary and administrative challenges and risks, propose solutions and opportunities for optimisation, and provide timely advice and recommendations to the Head/Deputy Head of Office as appropriate;
• provide guidance and technical support to project teams on financial, administrative and procurement matters, in coordination with the Head/Deputy Head of Office and the Finance Office Management Assistants, ensuring the consistent application of the Organisation’s rules, procedures and good practices, including by providing induction and ongoing support of staff;
• develop, maintain and promote the use of operational manuals, templates and standard operating procedures, and monitor operational and procurement performance against established key performance indicators, identifying areas for improvement and opportunities for greater efficiency, and provide regular reporting and recommendations to the Head/Deputy Head of Office and the Procurement Unit;
• liaise and coordinate with other External Offices in the region on procurement and operational matters, sharing good practices, providing support as appropriate, and identifying opportunities for consolidation of procurement needs, harmonisation and greater efficiency;
• coordinate the Office’s operational activities, including logistics, facilities and equipment, in liaison with the Directorate of Programme Coordination field support team, ensuring continuity of operations, efficiency and appropriate use of operational resources.

You must:

• have a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications in accountancy, finance, economics, management, procurement or another relevant field;
• have a minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in financial, operational or administrative management, including practical experience with procurement processes and practices;
• possess strong IT skills, particularly in Excel, and the ability to quickly learn and effectively use project management and other relevant IT tools (including CoE tools);
• have an excellent knowledge of Romanian (first language level) and a very good knowledge of English (one of the two 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 the Republic of Moldova;
• 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.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Concern for quality
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Influencing

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • expertise in procurement, contract management and the application of procurement policies and procedures;
  • good knowledge of financial management, budgeting and administrative processes;
  • ability to analyse financial and operational issues, ensure compliance with applicable requirements and propose practical improvements;
  • experience in supporting audits and control exercises and in following up on findings and recommendations.
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• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Communication

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.