Programme Manager - Intercultural Inclusion

Your Team

The Intercultural Inclusion Unit, within the Standards and Intercultural Inclusion Division (DGII), leads the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme and supports the Committee of Experts on Intercultural Inclusion (ADI‑INT). It works with national, regional and local authorities to promote the implementation of the Council of Europe’s intercultural inclusion approach, which strengthens democratic resilience by building societies grounded in equality, valuing diversity, meaningful interaction, and participation. The Unit supports cities and member States through practical tools, peer learning, thematic cooperation, capacity‑building, peer-learning, communication, and multi‑level policy development. The Unit's mission is to help authorities turn diversity into an asset for cohesive, innovative and vibrant democratic communities.

Your Role

As an Programme Manager, you will:

• Contribute to the effective development and implementation of the Intercultural Cities Programme, while reinforcing synergies with ADI-INT; 
• Support relations with members, namely cities participating in the Intercultural Cities Programme and national networks; 
• Carry out outreach and support actions for prospective member cities, national governments, and regional authorities; 
• Support the organisation, planning, and implementation of ICC events, study visits, thematic activities, and capacity-building initiatives; 
• Contribute to the implementation of the ICC membership reform, including communication and follow-up with members; 
• Take part in the planning and delivery of initiatives related to the 20th anniversary of the ICC Programme in 2027, including flagship events and publications; 
• Ensure communication, dissemination, and visibility of ICC tools, practices, and results; 
• Assist national network coordinators and contribute to thematic work and the Index process; 
• Foster synergies between ICC and ADI-INT activities and provide operational and strategic support to the Head of Unit.

Requirements to apply

You must:

• have the support of the member State seconding you to the Council of Europe;
• hold a higher education qualification (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent to 1st cycle of the Bologna process framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area) in fields such as political sciences, humanities and social sciences, public administration, or directly related to intercultural inclusion;
• have a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience acquired in the field of intercultural inclusion policies or practices;
• have very good knowledge of English and a basic knowledge of French or the capacity to learn it on the job;
• be a citizen of one of the member States of the Council of Europe.

Key competencies

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Operational - Drafting skills
• Interpersonal - Relationship building
• Interpersonal - Communication

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • Solid knowledge and practical experience with the intercultural inclusion approach, including its principles, tools and application in public policy, local governance or community engagement;
  • Competencies in outreach, partnership building and stakeholder engagement with public authorities, civil society, academia or international organisations.

Desirable competencies

• Operational - Results orientation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • Ability to work with Office tools and digital collaboration platforms.

What we offer

This vacancy is for a secondment, ruled by Article 23 of Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2. You can consult the conditions of secondment to the Council of Europe (days of leave, allowances etc.) on the webpage What we offer. This secondment does not foresee any allowances or travel expenses from the Organisation.

This secondment should start as soon as possible.

Applications and selection procedure

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process of our Career's website. 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). Only applicants who meet the conditions of the Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2) and who best meet the abovementioned criteria will be considered for selection and for the next stage.

Important information

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].