Executive Director of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE)

The Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DGII) contributes to advancing democratic resilience, quality education and respect for human dignity across Europe. The Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) is a flagship mechanism providing evidence-based comparative analysis and supporting high-quality history education aligned with the Education Strategy 2024–2030. Currently the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe has 19 member states and one observer state.

The Observatory operates as part of the Education Department and is composed of a Secretariat of six members based at the Council of Europe’s Headquarters, a Governing Board of 19 members representing the Ministries of Education of the member states, and a Scientific Advisory Council composed of 12 independent international experts in the field of history education. 

As Executive Director of the OHTE, you will lead its strategic, programmatic and operational development, manage staff and resources, ensure quality and results-oriented delivery, co-ordinate statutory bodies, and represent the OHTE within the Organisation and externally. You will also assist/supervise the Scientific Advisory Council and the Governing Board, the intergovernmental body in charge of the implementation of the programme of OHTE in order to contribute to strengthening evidence-based policy and history education’s role in fostering democratic culture across Europe.

Main responsibilities:

Co-ordination and Advisory

• advise the Governing Board of OHTE on the design and preparation of the Observatory policy and strategy;
• manage implementation and follow-up of strategic directions;
• manage efficiently the human and financial resources, including ordinary and extra-budgetary funding;
• supervise the organisation of meetings of the Governing Board of the Observatory and other events, including overseeing the preparation and publication of official reports and documents;
• report to the Board on results, opportunities and risks;
• provide strategic guidance and advice to the Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity, the Director for Democracy and the Head of the Education Department and report to the latter on results achieved, future requirements, risks and opportunities;
• contribute to the shaping and implementation of policies and programmes within the Education sector and the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity.

Leadership and Staff Management

• provide leadership to the OHTE Secretariat, ensuring an efficient, cooperative and inclusive working environment by facilitating internal communication and foster team-spirit;
• ensure coherent planning, implementation and reporting through close co-ordination with the relevant programmes of the Education sector and the Directorate for Democracy;
• manage human resources by ensuring clear allocation of roles and responsibilities and a harmonious working environment.

Communication and Representation

• maintain high-quality relations with member states and prospective member states;
• develop co-operation with relevant networks, institutions and international partners;
• represent the Council of Europe and OHTE in interactions with international, national, and regional institutional partners;
• ensure strong, accurate communication and visibility of OHTE’s work.

You must:  

• hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a master’s degree (2nd cycle of the Bologna process Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area) in history, education science, political science, social sciences or a related field; a doctoral degree would be an asset;
• have at least eight years of relevant professional experience with clear evidence of progression to positions involving increasing levels of responsibility and complexity in the fields covered by the OHTE’s activities in an institutional setting, including international co-operation and programme management (for example monitoring tools or comparative studies related to education systems or curriculum issues, or developing or supervising related analytical reports);
• demonstrate proven and relevant management experience, including team leadership and development, and a recognised ability in managing human resources and budgets;
• possess excellent communication skills and proven ability to collaborate and partner with multiple stakeholders;
• have an excellent knowledge of English (one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe) and working knowledge of the other (French), especially in oral communication.

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 - Vision and Strategic Insight
• Managerial - Leadership
• Managerial - Management of teams
• Operational - Creativity and innovation
• Operational - Results orientation

Professional expertise:

• strong understanding of education policy, particularly in the field of history teaching and teachers' initial and in-service preparation; 
• experience in evidence-based policy development and scientific coordination of publications and reports;
• excellent drafting skills;
• ability to manage efficiently financial resources.

• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Communication
• Interpersonal - Resilience

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.