Senior Project Officer

The Council of Europe Office in Tunis facilitates and co-ordinates the Council of Europe policy with the MENA region, including the Neighbourhood Partnership with Tunisia. We co-ordinate and implement co-operation projects and programs on human rights protection, democracy support and the rule of law.

You will join the team combating transnational organised crime in the Southern Mediterranean, part of the regional programme “Strengthening Euro-Mediterranean legal space for shared prosperity and human security” (South Programme VI). Working closely with national partners and international stakeholders, the team focuses on capacity building and fostering international and regional cooperation based on international standards. The South Programme VI is a joint initiative between the European Union and the Council of Europe for the period from November 2025 to December 2028, co-financed by both organisations and implemented by the latter.

As a Senior Project Officer, you will:

• plan, organise, coordinate, implement, and follow-up on project activities related to transnational organised crime (TOC) in the Southern Mediterranean, in line with the project workplan, under the supervision of the Programme Manager for TOC, in close coordination with the South Programme VI team based in Tunis and colleagues in the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, and in collaboration with partners and stakeholders in beneficiary countries;
• build and maintain effective contacts and liaise with national stakeholders and experts to ensure implementation of quality activities;
• keep abreast of political and regional developments to inform project activities, identify potential risks, and suggest priorities and adjustments for enhanced impact;
• ensure relevance and quality of project outputs; propose adjustments as necessary;
• draft and contribute to project-related reports (activity reports, progress notes, evaluations, briefings) and visibility materials within established deadlines;
• coordinate and contribute to financial, administrative, and technical implementation of the project; ensure close budgetary follow-up of expenditures in accordance with Council of Europe regulations and donor requirements;
• support experts and participants in the effective delivery of project activities and liaise with suppliers and other stakeholders to ensure timely provision of services and inputs;
• provide linguistic support (Arabic/English/French), as required;
• undertake official journeys in connection with project activities;
• perform any other tasks related to project implementation, as required;
• contribute to the efficient functioning of the Council of Europe Office in Tunis;
• promote Council of Europe values, both internally and externally. 

You must:

• hold a completed full course of general secondary education and appropriate professional qualifications;  
• have at least four years of relevant professional experience in management of technical assistance/co-operation projects in relevant fields at international or national levels;
• have excellent knowledge of Arabic (first language level) and very good knowledge of one of the Council of Europe's two official languages (French or English) in both written and spoken; knowledge of the other language (French or English) would be an asset;
• 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 Tunisia;
• 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 - Drafting skills
• Operational - Concern for quality
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Communication

• Professional and technical expertise:

• experience in managing and implementing cooperation projects on combatting transnational organised crime or similar areas;
• knowledge of relevant Council of Europe and/or international standards, policies and good practices in the field of combating transnational organised crime and/or criminal justice/criminal law; 
• sound computer skills and experience in using standard tools in office applications (word processing, presentations, outlook, spreadsheets, databases, internet publications).

• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Adaptability

• Professional and technical expertise:

• relevant experience on the fight against trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling, trafficking and destruction of cultural property, and/or counterfeiting of medical products;
• practical knowledge of project management tools (project management methodologies, logical frameworks, risk monitoring, etc.);
• higher education degree in law, public administration, political science or a related field.

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.