Senior Project Officer

The Office of the Council of Europe in Tirana 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.

The team within which you will work will implement the Project "Support to the Electoral Cycle in Albania"¹ (hereinafter "the Project") and will include a Project Assistant, a Project Officer and a Senior Project Officer, with a Project Manager supervising project implementation in Strasbourg. The Project's implementation will be supervised by the Parliamentary and Elections Cooperation Division within the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). 

¹Subject to project validation, funding and implementation period.

As a Senior Project Officer, you will:

• ensure and supervise the planning, organisation, implementation, and follow-up of project activities in accordance with the project work plan and in line with the Council of Europe's procedures and the Project Management Methodology (PMM), with a concern for quality, efficiency, accuracy, and confidentiality;
• design project activities and financial work plans and ensure close monitoring and follow-up of expenditures in accordance with the Council of Europe regulations and procedures and in co-operation with the Programme Manager; 
• co-ordinate and support the organisation of project inputs through tailor-made events (seminars, workshops, conferences, expert meetings, etc.);  
• ensure budget monitoring and the implementation of project related procurement procedures and verify the purchase files, draft contracts, deliverables, and payment documents; 
• co-ordinate, organise and supervise the work of a project officer and a project assistant, as well as of international and national short-term consultants, including ensuring follow-up and quality of progress and final submissions; 
• prepare and draft documents in accordance with the quality and style requirements of the Council of Europe (e.g. progress, annual, and mission reports, terms of reference for various contractual engagements; briefings, speaking notes, official speeches, relevant meeting documentation and minutes etc.), including editing documents prepared by non-native speakers (in English/Albanian);
• assist in the preparation of files and information for the internal and external evaluations and audits; 
• contribute to raising the visibility of the project by drafting web news, press releases and disseminating information;
• establish and maintain close working contacts with relevant project partners and local stakeholders, international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the field of electoral support; 
• undertake official journeys in connection with project activities and participate in meetings, seminars, working groups, etc. related to project activities;
• contribute to the efficient functioning of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana and regularly inform the Head of the Office and the Deputy Head of Office on the implementation of the project and co-ordinate work within the broader framework of the overall activities of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana; 
• monitor developments at national level (legal, policy, institutional) in the areas covered by the Project and keep the Programme Manager, Head of Office, Deputy Head of Office and the project management at headquarters regularly informed, including on project results, further needs and risks and opportunities for further interventions;
• contribute to the development of new project proposals and activities;
• perform other duties as required to ensure the efficient implementation of the project;
• promote Council of Europe values internally and externally. 

You must:

• have a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications for the position;
• have a minimum of four years of relevant professional experience in the areas of elections, good governance, human rights relevant to electoral support, and experience in project management/implementation of technical cooperation, or policy-oriented programmes at an international and/or national level; 
• have an excellent knowledge of Albanian (first language level) and a very good knowledge (at least C1 level) of English (one of the 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 Albania;
• 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 - Drafting skills
• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation

• Professional and technical expertise:

• good knowledge of and experience in applying internationally recognised project management methodologies and tools;
• good knowledge and understanding of Council of Europe and other international standards relevant to the field of design and implementation of electoral support;
• strong understanding of the electoral landscape and broader political context in Albania;
• experience in working with authorities at the national, regional and local levels as well as with Civil Society Organisations and other international organisations; 
• sound computer skills and experience in using standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentations, outlook, spreadsheets, databases, internet publications).

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

• Professional and technical expertise:

• higher education degree in law, public administration or political science; 
• experience in working with governmental actors, civil society and media;
• knowledge of the Council of Europe Project Management Methodology and corresponding IT tool;
• experience in supervising the implementation of grants.

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 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 [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 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 [email protected].