Security Officer

The Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, based in Kyiv, facilitates the implementation of the Council of Europe's mission in Ukraine on human rights protection, democracy support and the rule of law. We co-ordinate and implement co-operation projects and programmes aimed at supporting Ukraine in fulfilling its statutory and specific obligations as a member State of the Council of Europe. 

The team you will join consists of the Head of Field Security Co-ordination Section and their Deputy, based at headquarters of the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg, France, as well as a Senior Security Officer based in Kyiv. The team works closely with the core staff of the Office and focuses on preparedness, prevention, and response to security incidents affecting Council of Europe staff and others travelling to Kyiv for the Council of Europe. 

As a Security Officer, you will: 

• support the Senior Security Officer in execution of their daily tasks;
• monitor Ukraine’s security situation, provide security reports, analysis, early warning and contribute to drafting security updates for the Security Management Team;
• raise awareness on security matters and emergency procedures, and organise various security and safety trainings for Office staff;
• conduct regular and ad hoc security risk assessments (areas, countries, hotels, premises) and journey planning for staff members;
• assist in drafting, updating and implementing security and contingency plans as well as Standard Operating Procedures adapted to the local context;
• document and report instances of non-compliance to security polices by staff members and on security incidents affecting staff members assets and missions in Ukraine;
• participate in regular office staff meetings, provide security briefings and advice to office staff members and official travelers;
• assist in procurement and maintenance of security and safety equipment/services;
• be part of a duty roster to follow up on security matters during non-working hours. In addition, to stand ready be reachable during non-working hours whenever necessary;
• participate in regular meetings with Headquarters and perform any other security and safety related task deemed necessary for the Office.

You must:

• have a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications for the position;
• have at least two years of proven experience in security risk assessment, management and assistance in Ukraine preferably in conflict areas;
• have an excellent knowledge of Ukrainian (first language level) and a very good knowledge of English (one of the Council of Europe's two official languages);
• 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 currently present in Ukraine;
• 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.

• Interpersonal - Service orientation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Resilience
• Interpersonal - Initiative

• Professional and technical expertise
  • experience in drafting security assessment reports and analyses;
  • ability to react effectively and calmy in emergency situations;
  • valid driving licence for Ukraine.

• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Interpersonal - Communication
• Interpersonal - Adaptability

This job vacancy is for a local external recruitment based on fixed term 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. 2/2025 on locally recruited staff members in Duty Stations 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 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.