Head of Building and IT Infrastructure Department

Your Team

The mission of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) is to contribute to public health protection by engaging with an international community of experts and stakeholders. We achieve this by promoting access to safe medicines and healthcare through the elaboration of quality standards, which are recognised as a scientific benchmark worldwide. The EDQM's standards for medicines and their ingredients, compiled in the European Pharmacopoeia, are legally binding in 39 member states of the Council of Europe and are also widely used across the globe in the human and animal health sectors. The EDQM also plays a crucial role in the areas of blood transfusion, organ, tissue and cell transplantation and in developing and setting consumer health standards, such as for cosmetics and food contact materials.

The Building and IT Infrastructure Department of the EDQM brings together more than 50 professionals across IT, General Services and Publications, working collaboratively to deliver reliable, secure and efficient infrastructure in support of the EDQM’s strategic objectives. It operates in close partnership with other EDQM units and the Council of Europe’s administrative entities, ensuring high‑quality services, effective project delivery and a strong culture of cooperation, performance and continuous improvement.

Your Role

As Head of the Building and IT Infrastructure Department, you will:

• provide leadership as part of the EDQM’s Management Team by:
  • contributing to the formulation and achievement of the strategic objectives, ensuring that Department’s goals and activities align with the EDQM’s overall direction;
  • leading and co-ordinating cross-functional projects and programmes, supporting the development of organisational policy and ensuring effective co-operation between different areas of responsibility;
  • advising senior management on matters related to the department’s work, ensuring the effective implementation of good practices;
• manage the Department comprising IT, General Services, and Publications by:
  • setting clear objectives, allocating responsibilities, and monitoring performance against agreed targets and indicators;
  • promoting co-operation, professionalism, and high standards of conduct, and ensuring a supportive framework for staff development and training;
  • overseeing change management processes, supporting the integration of the newly established department, and promoting a culture receptive to organisational evolution;
• ensure the efficient operation and continuous improvement of the Department in support of the EDQM’s mission by:
  • co-ordinating closely with other EDQM entities to ensure harmonised and effective support for organisational activities and programmes;
  • ensuring that IT systems, building infrastructure, and publication services are managed to meet current needs and anticipate future requirements;
• collaborate with counterparts in the Council of Europe’s Directorate of General Administration and other entities by:
  • overseeing the planning, implementation, and review of relevant projects, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations, standards, and sustainability objectives;
  • managing relationships with key service providers, contractors, and external partners, ensuring the timely and effective delivery of services;
  • identifying and managing risks related to buildings, IT, and publications by developing and maintaining appropriate mitigation strategies;
  • monitoring budgets and resources, identifying opportunities for efficiency improvements while maintaining the required quality and safety standards;
  • promote a culture of service, quality, and continuous improvement within the Department, ensuring that internal processes are robust and staff are supported in the delivery of high-quality services;
• communicate effectively and represent the Department and the EDQM by:
  • engaging with internal and external stakeholders at all levels to support the objectives of the EDQM;
  • participating in, and contributing to, relevant committees, working groups and professional events as required.

Requirements to apply

You must:

• have a higher education degree or qualification (2nd cycle of the Bologna process framework of qualifications for the European Higher Education Area) in engineering, information technology, business management or another relevant field. The degree requirement may be waived if the candidate has at least 12 years of the experience described below;
• have at least 10 years of relevant professional experience in roles of increasing responsibility and in the fields covered by the Department’s activities, ideally in both building and IT, including significant experience in a leadership role (managing large multi-disciplinary teams with more than 20 staff members), in particular in leading and managing teams through major change;
• have a substantial project/programme management experience, including overseeing large-scale infrastructure projects, preparing and managing budgets, managing contracts and controlling costs;
• have a very good knowledge of one of the two official languages (English or French) and a good knowledge of the other.

You must also: 

• 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.

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.

Key competencies

• Managerial - Vision and Strategic Insight
• Managerial - Leadership
• Managerial - Management of teams
• Operational - Results orientation

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, together with the ability to collaborate and partner with multiple stakeholders.

Desirable competencies

• Managerial - Organisational and contextual awareness
• Interpersonal - Service orientation
• Interpersonal - Relationship building

What we offer

This job vacancy is for an international external recruitment. You can consult the conditions of employment (salaries, allowances, pension scheme, social insurance, etc.) on the webpage What we offer.

Applications and selection procedure

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process. This recruitment is carried out in accordance with Article 490 of the Council of Europe Staff Rules. 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.

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].