Programme Manager - Justice sector (Morocco)

This job is based at the Council of Europe Office in Morocco, which implements the Neighbourhood Partnership between Morocco and the Council of Europe, founded on a shared commitment to strengthening the rule of law, protecting human rights, and consolidating democracy. You will lead the Programme team “Towards a More Protective, Accessible and Efficient Justice System in Morocco – MA-JUST”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The programme’s overall expected impact is to strengthen the rule of law through an effective judiciary that complies with international standards, thereby ensuring access to justice.

As a Programme Manager, you will:

• ensure the progress, co-ordination, and overall coherence of the various components of the joint EU-CoE programme ‘Towards a more protective, accessible and effective justice system in Morocco’ (MA-JUST, 2024-2027), in close cooperation with Office management, thematic teams, headquarters departments, the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination (DPC), and the European Union Delegation (EUD) in Morocco, while ensuring that quality, deadlines, and procedures are respected;
• ensure budget forecasting and execution of the programme in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Organisation and donors, and identifying any financial measures and adjustments that may be necessary;
• ensure the preparation of programme implementation reports in line with a results-based approach, including bimonthly reports (‘Flash reports’) for the EUD in Morocco, annual interim reports, the final report, and confidential analytical reports, as required;
• co-ordinate the programme's governance structures and provide secretariat support to the Steering Committee, technical working groups, and/or focus groups;
• co-ordinate the tendering procedures necessary for the implementation of the programme;
• co-ordinate and supervise the team responsible for programme implementation, including setting objectives, monitoring progress, and evaluating the performance of team members;
• build and maintain effective working relations with stakeholders such as public authorities, civil society organisations, donors and beneficiaries, as well as with the relevant departments at the Organisation's headquarters; 
• contribute to the visibility of programme activities through communication strategies and activities, including participation in conferences, delivering speeches, giving presentations, etc.;
• monitor the effective integration of the cross-cutting approach (human rights, including gender) across all components of the programme; 
• foster co-operation, team spirit, and a harmonious working environment within the team, while upholding and promoting the values of the Council of Europe both internally and externally;
• undertake official travel in connection with the activities of the programme. 

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 political or social sciences, international relations, law, or in a related field;
• have at least five years of relevant professional experience in the fields of democracy, human rights and governance in an international context, including: (i) management of cooperation or technical assistance projects; and (ii) professional experience in the MENA region, particularly in Morocco, with a good knowledge of the regional context;
• have a very good knowledge of one of the Council of Europe’s official languages (French) and knowledge of the other (English).

You must also:

• be a citizen of the host country or one of the 46 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 - Management of teams
• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Drafting skills
• Operational - Results orientation

• Professional and technical expertise: 
  • experience in administration and management, including staff supervision and budgetary management;
  • good knowledge of project management methodologies and tools;
  • knowledge of relevant international instruments and standards relating to democracy, human rights and participatory governance;
  • knowledge of the mandate, standards and working methods of the Council of Europe;
  • sound computer skills and experience in using standard office applications (word processing, presentations, e-mail, spreadsheets, databases, internet publishing).

• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Communication
• Interpersonal - Initiative

Professional and technical expertise:

• experience in designing and/or delivering capacity-building programmes or projects;
• knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage.

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.