Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity

European Audiovisual Observatory

External recruitment competition

Grade A1/A2

Location: Strasbourg

Are you familiar with the topical issues of media law in Europe? Do you have the potential to contribute to extensive legal reports in areas of relevance for the audiovisual industry with a pool of experts and in three languages (English, German and French)? Do you enjoy writing, editing, and speaking in public? If so, our job advertisement may be the right opportunity for you.

Who we are

With over 2500 staff members coming from all its 46 member States, the Council of Europe is a multicultural Organisation. We all strive towards protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law and our three core values - professionalism, integrity and respect - guide the way we work.

The European Audiovisual Observatory, an enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe, was created in 1992 in order to collect and distribute information about the audiovisual industries in Europe. By making this information available, the Observatory aims at promoting greater transparency and a clearer understanding of the ways in which the audiovisual industries in Europe function, both from an economic and legal point of view.

The Observatory provides information on the various audiovisual markets in Europe and their financing and analyses the legal issues affecting the different sectors of the audiovisual industry. It publishes reports, maintains several databases, and organises professional events. The Observatory offers the combination of a well-established system for continuous data collection assisted by a thoroughly built-up international network, 30 years of experience in analysing information, unique in- house expertise in the relevant subject matters and related methodological questions, a multi-national setting and strict commitment to offer solely neutral and objective information.

The work of the Observatory involves collecting, checking, processing and analysing data and information from a variety of sources, for the preparation of reports or to feed its databases. Examples of projects can be found on the Observatory website.

The Council of Europe has its headquarters in Strasbourg (France) and has external presence in more than twenty countries. See here for more information about the Council of Europe external presence.

Your role

 As a Legal Advisor, your role will focus on:

• elaborating legal studies, analysing necessary information and monitoring relevant legal developments to prepare Observatory reports and presentations, notably:
  

- concept development and drawing up of legal publications;

- contribution to and project management of reports commissioned by external donors;

- editing and co-ordination of experts’ contributions to Observatory publications;

- organisation of workshops and delivery of presentations at conferences.

• providing advice with regard to content-related questions concerning the IRIS newsletter and IRIS Merlin database;
  
• coaching of team members;
  
• establishing and maintaining internal and external contacts relevant for the area of work, including with partner institutions of the Observatory;
  
• contributing, in close co-operation with the Head of Department, to the Observatory’s general products and services;
  
• representing the Department for Legal Information in public events (e.g. by presenting its work results).
  

What we are looking for

You must:

• hold a higher education degree or qualification equivalent to a master’s degree (2nd cycle of the Bologna process framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area) in law.
• have a minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience in the analysis of regulatory developments in the media field;
• have a very good knowledge of English and good knowledge of French (English and French are the two official languages of the Council of Europe).
• have a very good knowledge of German (German is the third working language of the Observatory);
• be a citizen of one of the member States of the Council of Europe and fulfil the conditions for appointment to the civil service of that state;
• 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.

Demonstrate to us that you have the following competencies:

• Professional and technical expertise:
  

- experience in conducting legal research in European law and comparative analysis of legal concepts under different regulatory frameworks and in different languages;

- proven editing and drafting skills (e.g., editorial work in publisher's team, master's thesis, end-of-course dissertation, or equivalent);

- solid understanding of the legal framework for the audiovisual industry in Europe.

• Drafting skills
  
• Concern for quality
  
• Analysis and problem solving
• Planning and work organisation
• Teamwork and co-operation  Initiative
• Communication

These would be an asset:

• Professional and technical expertise:
  

- knowledge of other European languages.

• Creativity and innovation
• Learning and development
• Organisational and contextual awareness

What we offer

If successful, you may be offered employment based on an initial fixed-term period of at least one year, corresponding to the probationary period, at grade A1/A2 depending on your previous professional experience. After successful completion of a one-year probationary period, which may be extended if needed, the initial contract may be renewed one or several times for a total duration of service not exceeding four years. A fixed-term appointment shall be converted into an open-ended appointment at the end of four years’ continuous service subject to the fulfilment of the conditions established by the Secretary General.

In Strasbourg, you will receive a basic monthly gross salary of €5 536 (grade A1) or €7 074 (grade A2) which is exempt from national income tax. Different salary scales are applied at our external offices according to the cost-of-living conditions. This salary may be supplemented by other allowances depending on your personal situation. You will benefit from the Council of Europe pension scheme, and also from private medical insurance, annual leave and other advantages (including flexible working hours, training and development, possibility of teleworking, etc.).

This competition is carried out in accordance with Article 490 of the Staff Rules. You can consult the conditions of employment (salaries, allowances, pension scheme, social insurance, etc.) on our recruitment website. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process are updated on this site and will apply at the time of the job offer.

Applications and selection procedure

The deadline for applications is 18 July 2024 (midnight Central European Time). Applications must be made in English or French using the Council of Europe online application system. You can create and submit your online application on our website (www.coe.int/jobs). Please fill out the online application form providing all requested details and explain how your competencies make your profile the best for this role. It usually takes a few hours to fill in an application form, so please take this information into consideration while applying.

Only applications that best meet the criteria set out in the Staff Rules and in this vacancy notice, and that demonstrate the best profile in terms of qualifications, experience, and motivation, shall be considered for the next stages of the recruitment evaluation process, which may consist of different types of assessment. The tentative dates for each stage of the recruitment process will be published on our website.

People who perform best in the evaluation process shall be placed on a pre-selection list, valid for four years. Being on a pre-selection list does not give a right to appointment. People on the pre-selection list with the most suitable profile may be invited to an interview to assess their suitability for a specific job and may, if successful, be recommended for the appointment.

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 opportunities 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. During the different stages of the recruitment procedure, specific measures shall be taken to facilitate access for people with disabilities.