Project Officer

The Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo assists the authorities in fulfilling their membership commitments and obligations, supports legislative and other reforms, provides expertise in the Organisation’s fields of competence, develops effective training programmes or implements activities such as thematic campaigns.

You will be part of the team supporting the implementation of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye (Horizontal Facility III) action "Quality Education for All in Bosnia and Herzegovina" within the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the Council of Europe.

This 48-month action, which started in January 2023, aims to foster implementation of the Policy Recommendations with a Roadmap for improving inclusive education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the anti-discrimination standards and education policies. It enhances the quality, inclusivity, and democratic culture of education by supporting policy development, strengthening educators’ capacities, and fostering inclusive learning environments.

Subject to project validation, funding and implementation period.

As a Project Officer, you will:

• assist with the organisation, co-ordination and implementation of the activities in accordance with the work plan and calendar of activities, in close co-ordination with headquarters; 
• ensure quality and relevance of the project outputs, suggest priorities and adjustments as necessary; 
• contribute to the development of key project documents, including reports, terms of reference, briefing notes, and official communications, ensuring their clarity, consistency and alignment with project goals;
• monitor project expenditure, ensure compliance with financial regulations, and support procurement procedures in accordance with Council of Europe regulations and procedures and with donors' requirements;
• liaise with local and international stakeholders, including government institutions, civil society, and education professionals, as regards the implementation of project activities;
• support the selection and engagement of consultants and service providers, ensuring their contributions align with project needs and expected outcomes;
• contribute to enhancing the visibility of the project by drafting web news items, press releases, and social media content, while ensuring effective dissemination of project results;
• undertake official travel as required in connection with project activities;
• contribute to the overall efficiency of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo;
• promote the values of the Council of Europe internally and externally.

You must:

• hold a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications in law, international relations, political science or related field to the thematic area of the project;
• have at least three years of relevant professional experience at a national or international level in the field of education policy, education reform, or human rights education;
• have an excellent knowledge of Bosnian (first language level) and a very good knowledge of English (one of the two official languages of the Council of Europe);
• 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;
• be present in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• 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.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Results orientation
• Operational - Concern for quality
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation

• Professional and technical expertise:

• experience in project management, implementation of technical cooperation projects, or policy-oriented initiatives; 
• knowledge of project management tools (e.g., logframes, risk monitoring, PM methodologies);
  
• understanding of the political and social landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans;
• experience in working with governmental institutions, or civil society on projects and programmes related to human rights-based and education work;
• ICT skills: sound computer skills and experience using standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentations, outlook, spreadsheet, databases, internet publications).

• Operational - Drafting skills
• Interpersonal - Negotiating

• Professional and technical expertise:

• previous experience working in an international environment;

• familiarity with Council of Europe educational tools and frameworks.

This job vacancy is for a local external recruitment based on temporary contracts. Employment is limited to 31 December of the current year and may be extended. 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 Rule No. 1234 laying down the conditions of recruitment and employment of locally recruited staff members working in Council of Europe Duty Stations located outside of France. 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 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].