Programme Manager on police matters

Through bilateral co-operation activities and projects, the Co-operation in Police and Deprivation of Liberty Division (CPDL) plays a major role in assisting the beneficiary countries to integrate the Council of Europe standards in their penitentiary, probation and law enforcement institutions. The work related to prisons, probation and the police is an integral part of the overall work of the Council of Europe related to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, the three pillars of the raison d’être of the Organisation, in accordance with its Statute. The main objective is to help the Member States improve their legislation and practice related to the work of the police as well the execution of penal sanctions and measures. 

As a Police Programme Manager on police matters you will be asked to plan, implement and assess programmes and activities to support member states to fulfil their commitments in the field of police, in compliance with Council of Europe conventions, regulations, standards and values and to provide secretarial support to the Council of Europe Network of National Correspondents of Police Authorities (Police Network). 

You will be responsible for providing the secretarial support to the Police Network and for the implementation of targeted cooperation programmes in the field of police. In this connection, you will perform the following main tasks:

• Supporting the organisation of the annual conference of the Police Network ;
• Providing maintenance of the Police Network web platform ;
• Devising and implementing co-operation programmes, in particular with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, concerning police matters ;
• Drafting texts for reports and legal proposals concerning police matters ;
• Carrying out research and providing information on legal matters relating to police ;
• Liaising and co-ordinating with colleagues the Council of Europe field offices concerning the implementation of the police cooperation programmes ;
• Advising on progress and results achieved, further requirements, risks and opportunities; discussing strategy, in particular on complex and politically sensitive issues ;
• Establishing and maintaining internal and external contacts with relevant commissions, committees, professional associations and national and international institutions and authorities; maintaining a network of experts ;
• Undertaking official journeys in connection with the activities described above ;
• Promoting Council of Europe values internally and externally.

• Interpersonal - Service orientation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Communication
• Interpersonal - Adaptability

• Professional and technical expertise:

• Vision on international affairs: awareness of the international political, economic, social, and cultural context; organisational awareness ;
• Managerial skills: management of programmes and coaching of others ;
• Good knowledge of questions relating to the police in the Council of Europe member States ;
• Appropriate professional experience at national level and/or within an international organisation.

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

• Professional and technical expertise:

• Capacity of using current ICT tools, including management software ;
• Experience in policy/guideline development and interagency coordination ;
• Experience in capacity building (training, coaching) ;
• Information seeking.

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 Central European Time (CET). 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 beetwen 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 [email protected], 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 beupdated 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 [email protected].