Programme Manager - European Action for Local Democracy

The team within which you will work, the National Associations and Civil Society Relations Unit, is responsible for maintaining relations with national associations of local and regional authorities and organising events with them, particularly in relation to citizen participation in the life and decision-making processes of local authorities. The team manages and coordinates, in particular, the European Local Democracy Action (formerly European Local Democracy Week) and the Congress's participation in the World Forum for Democracy.

As a Programme Manager, you will:

• Promoting the annual European Action for Local Democracy (ELDA) initiative (formerly ELDW), which aims to strengthen citizen participation at the local level;
• Supporting and coordinating the planning and implementation of ELDA activities;
• Develop and maintain relations with ELDA partners by acting as their contact person within the Congress and strengthen links with national and international associations of local authorities, local and regional authorities, international organisations, NGOs and other partners to promote the annual ELDA initiative;
• Organise the annual award and certificate ceremony and the annual evaluation meeting;
• Prepare the annual evaluation report for the Congress Bureau and an oral presentation for the annual evaluation meeting, both based on contributions from participating partners;
• Ensure the Congress's participation in events organised by ELDA partners;
• Draft project proposals, speeches, reports, brochures and publications, and oversee the preparation of the new promotional and visibility materials following the initiative’s change of name;
• Manage and improve the ELDA website and provide information about the ELDA for the Congress website and social media;
• Organise the Congress contribution to the annual World Forum for Democracy of the Council of Europe, including participation of a Congress delegation;
• Evaluate activities and make proposals for improving working method;
• Monitor developments in the field and conduct relevant research on issues related to the above activities;
• Ensure coordination with relevant Council of Europe bodies and experts;
• Liaise and co-operates with relevant authorities and secretariats to ensure coordination and synergies;
• Undertake missions in connection with the above activities.

• Managerial - Decision making
• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Drafting skills
• Interpersonal - Communication

• Professional and technical expertise:

• experience in the field of local and regional self-government issues and policies, in particular in relation to citizen participation;
• knowledge of, and commitment to Council of Europe’s mandate, values, strategic direction and priorities;
• ability to take initiative and master assignments with a high degree of autonomy and acute political awareness and sensitivity.

• Interpersonal - Service orientation
• Interpersonal - Negotiating

• Professional and technical expertise:

• Knowledge of other European languages would be an advantage.

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 does not foresee any allowances or travel expenses from the Organisation.

This secondement could start as from 1st November 2025.

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.