Policy Advisor - Reykjavik Process and the Environment

The team you will work with, the Department of the Reykjavik Process and the Environment, oversees the implementation of the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment, and encompasses the secretariats of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), the Landscape Convention (Florence Convention) and the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement.

As a Policy Advisor, you will:

• provide high-quality policy advice and analysis to senior management and governing bodies, contributing to the Reykjavík process on the environment by strengthening the Council of Europe’s work to counter the impact of the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity on human rights, democracy and rule of law;
• actively contribute to the implementation and promotion of the Council of Europe Strategy on the Environment and its related Action Plan, and, in this context, participate in the organisation of meetings of the Council of Europe Inter-Secretariat Task Force on the Environment and of a possible future intergovernmental steering committee on the environment; 
• contribute to developing synergies and foster co-operation between the Reykjavík process on the environment, the Bern Convention, the Florence Convention and the European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement and, if need be, assist colleagues in these areas by providing both strategic and operational contributions;
• strengthen and develop cooperation with other services of the Organisation and external stakeholders on the Reykjavík process on the environment, maintaining internal and external partnerships, and strategically propose new ones;
• collect and analyse information, carry out background studies and research, and provide policy-relevant analysis to support evidence-based decision-making;
• draft and co-ordinate communication outputs and visibility of the work carried out by the Council of Europe on the environment (publications, press releases, articles for the website and news on any other means of communication);
• promote the Council of Europe’s contribution to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - in particular Goals 3, 5, 13, 15 and 16 - by ensuring their integration across relevant programs within the scope of the Reykjavík process on the environment, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, producing the related deliverables, and measuring and reporting on progress.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Drafting skills

• Professional and technical expertise:

• ability to use standard office applications (word processing, spreadsheets, databeses, presentation sofware, Outlook).

• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Adaptability

• Professional and technical expertise:

• experience in secretariat work of intergovernmental and/or experts committees.

This vacancy is for a secondment, ruled by Article 23 of Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2. You can consult the conditions of secondment to the Council of Europe (days of leave, allowances etc.) on the webpage What we offer. This secondment foresees the relocation allowance and the travel expenses from the Organisation as indicated in Article 23 of the Resolution. 

This secondment should start as soon as possible.

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process of our Career's website. 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). Only applicants who meet the conditions of the Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2) and who best meet the abovementioned criteria will be considered for selection and for the next stage.

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.