Senior Project Officer

The Council of Europe Office in Yerevan assists the authorities in fulfilling their membership commitments and obligations, supports legislative and other reforms, provides an 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 implementing the project "Support to the Justice Reform in Armenia" within the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards Department. The project aims to support the effective implementation of criminal justice legislation in line with European standards, and to contribute to the implementation of the Judicial and Legal Reforms Strategy 2022–2026, with a view to strengthening the alignment of national legislation and judicial practice with European standards and Armenia’s commitments arising from its membership in the Council of Europe.The Project team will include two Senior Project Officers working in close co-ordination on distinct aspects of the project and a Project Assistant, based in the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan. A Project Manager, based at the Council of Europe’s headquarters in Strasbourg, will be responsible for the overall coordination of the project.

As a Senior Project Officer, you will: 

• ensure and supervise the planning, organisation, implementation, and follow-up of project activities under your responsibility 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 under your responsibility and ensure close monitoring and follow-up of expenditures in accordance with the Council of Europe regulations and procedures and in co-ordination with local partners and management in headquarters;
• ensure budget monitoring and the processing of financial files under your responsibility, in accordance with regulations and procedures;
• co-ordinate, organise and supervise the work of the Project Assistant, as well as of international and national short-term consultants, including ensuring follow-up and quality of progress and final submissions, in cooperation with the other Senior Project Officer and under the overall guidance of the Project Manager;
• prepare and draft documents related to your area of responsibility 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 the proofreading and correction of documents prepared by non-native speakers (in English/Armenian);
• assist in the preparation of administrative and content-related files and information for the internal and external evaluations and audits; 
• contribute to project reporting in line with the requirements;
• contribute to raising the visibility of the project by drafting web news, press releases and disseminating information, in line with applicable communication policies;
• establish and maintain close working contacts with the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Judicial Council, Court of Cassation, other relevant institutions and relevant non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in justice sector reform;
• 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 Yerevan, co-ordinate internally with other projects implemented by the Office, and regularly inform the Office management on the implementation of the project and co-ordinate work within the broader framework of the overall activities; 
• follow developments at national level (legal, policy, institutional) in the areas covered by the project and keep the Office management and the Project management team in headquarters regularly informed of project results, further needs and risks, and opportunities for further interventions;
• contribute to the development of new project proposals and activities;
• substitute for the other Senior Project Officer in their absence; 
• perform other duties as required to ensure the efficient implementation of the project;
• promote the Council of Europe's 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 five years of relevant professional experience relating to justice, human rights, judicial and/or prosecutorial reform, and capacity-building for legal professionals and legal institutions, of which at least three years were spent in the implementation of technical assistance and capacity-building projects;
• have an excellent knowledge of Armenian (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 Armenia;
• 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:

• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Communication
• Interpersonal - Adaptability

• Professional and technical expertise:

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 working in 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 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.