Head of Division - Venice Commission

The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional matters, is attached to the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI). Composed of 61 member states and independent experts, it produces legal opinions on constitutional and legislative reforms, draws up benchmark studies on the rule of law and helps to develop a common constitutional heritage in Europe and beyond.

As a Head of Division, you will:

• contribute to the strategic management of the Commission and reporting to the Secretary on political and legal developments in member states, risks, opportunities and relevant developments in the Organisation;
• manage the Division’s human resources by leading, supervising, guiding and motivating staff members, and managing the corresponding financial resources;
• prepare opinions and reports, in particular those which are most complex and most sensitive, with a view to their adoption by the Commission and guaranteeing the quality and consistency of the Division’s work;
• support and facilitate the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations and helping to plan and implement its activities so that its objectives are achieved and its work makes an impact;
• liaise with members, experts, bodies and partners inside and outside the Council of Europe involved in the Division’s work, co-ordinating activities with other Council of Europe departments and other international organisations and helping to raise the Commission’s profile;
• help to organise the Commission’s plenary sessions and organising conferences and seminars in its areas of expertise and strategic interest;
• promote the Council of Europe’s values internally and externally and conducting official visits or taking part in field visits in connection with the above-mentioned activities.

You must have:

• a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a master’s degree (second cycle of the Bologna process qualifications framework for European Higher Education) in law;
• at least seven years of experience of public law, with expertise in comparative constitutional law and international law (including human rights), and a proven ability in comparative analysis and drafting clear and precise legal opinions in line with international and Council of Europe standards;
• proven experience in managing and supervising interdisciplinary teams comprising legal and administrative staff;
• proven experience in budgetary and administrative management, preferably in an international context;
• excellent command of English, one of the Council of Europe’s official languages, and good knowledge of French, the other official language.

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 - Management of teams
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • ability to analyse the relevant political context and monitor institutional positions;
  • ability to analyse and assess complex legal texts (constitutions, legislation) against international and CoE standards, comparative material and Venice Commission's previous work;
  • proven experience in legal advice, in the Venice Commission’s areas of expertise or similar fields;
  • ability to ensure the compliance and quality of work in line with the Commission’s standards and to co-ordinate and co-operate effectively within a collegial body;
  • sound experience in international co-operation and good command of the corresponding working methods.

• Managerial - Organisational and contextual awareness
• Operational - Planning and work organisation

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • ability to manage, rank and distribute priorities within an interdisciplinary team facing multiple demands, while maintaining high standards and ensuring that deadlines are met;
  • knowledge of other languages and legal systems.

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.