Programme Manager (100%)

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) is a worldwide organization of judges and lawyers united in affirming international law and rule of law principles that advance human rights. Its strategic goals for 2021-2025 are: (1) to develop, defend, and strengthen international institutions, instruments, and standards on rule of law and human rights; (2) to improve domestic implementation of, and compliance with, international law and standards; (3) to bolster the effectiveness and independence of judges and lawyers; and (4) to improve access to justice for all and accountability. With its Headquarters based in Geneva, Switzerland, ICJ has a presence in Africa, Latin America, Asia & the Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, and the Middle East.

To help ensure the ICJ Europe and Central Asia Programme (ECA), we are seeking a full-time Programme Manager. The Programme Manager for the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Programme supports the broader objectives of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in promoting human rights, justice systems, the rule of law, and access to justice across the region. Based in Brussels and operating under direct supervision of the ECA Director this position provides support to the work of the Programme Director and Legal Advisers in close collaboration with staff based in Brussels, Geneva and elsewhere in the region.

 RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supporting ECA Programme Director and Legal Advisers in administering programmatic work and project implementation;
• Supporting administrative aspects of the ECA Programme, including administrative aspects of human resources, logistics, and financial matters;
• Updating the ECA Programme work plan and tracking data for donor reporting;
• Drafting reports to donors and ensuring the accuracy between narrative and financial reports;
• Fundraising, including identifying opportunities, and supporting proposal, log frame and budget development, in coordination with the ECA team;
• Managing complex budgets, in coordination with the Finance Officer and Geneva head office Finance Team;
• Working with the Compliance Officer to follow organizational and donor policies and guidelines, including the usage of programme management tools so that project outputs are compliant, high quality and on time;
• Drafting narrative reports and ensuring accuracy between narrative and financial reports.
• Ensuring project amendments are tracked and raised with donors in a timely manner;
• Taking part in events relevant to the programme management, projects or other events at the request of the ECA Programme Director;
• Working with the MEL lead and ICJ’s Results Based Management framework, and in coordination with the ECA Programme Director and Legal Advisers, developing, implementing and tracking a monitoring and evaluation plan that assesses the effectiveness of the Programme;
• Contributing to developing strategies for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the ECA Programme;
• Assisting in other ICJ activities at the request of the ECA Regional Director.

 QUALIFICATIONS

 The successful candidate will have:

 Education & Experience

• Degree in development, international relations, management, human rights, or a related subject; further academic studies and qualifications in management and/or project management desirable;
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in programme management and administration involving human rights, rule of law or justice sector-related projects, including project design, budgeting, work plan development, implementation and monitoring, budget-tracking and reporting;
• Successful track record in project proposals development an asset;
• Knowledge of legal and human rights issues, including international law, independence of the judiciary and access to justice particularly in Europe and Central Asia an asset;
• Experience in working on projects funded by institutional donors, especially the European Union, highly desirable.

Essential Skills

• Spoken fluency and writing ability in English. Fluency in French and/or other European languages will be considered an asset;
• Excellent administrative and project management skills;
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and to adjust priorities flexibly in response to external events;
• Excellent analytic and written and oral communication skills. Sensitivity and responsiveness to all partners and project staff;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with a multi-cultural team;
• Computer literate (Microsoft Office including excel);
• Willingness to travel in Europe;
• Demonstrated commitment to human rights;
• Holding a EU Member State citizenship or a valid work permit in Belgium.

 APPLICATIONS

Interested applicants should provide all materials outlined below to europe-recruitment@icj.org.  

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submissions are encouraged as the ICJ reserves the right to close the recruitment process as soon as a suitable candidate is identified.

• A CV (maximum 2 pages);
• A cover letter (maximum 1 page);
• The names and contact information of at least two recent references.

Please include “Programme Manager” in the subject line of the application e-mail. The ICJ shall not be liable for not opening proposals that are submitted with a different subject.

Only candidates with the relevant work authorization will be considered.

Please appreciate that due to the volume of applications, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.   

The ICJ is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity and value a diverse workforce. The ICJ’s policy is to practice a fair and non-discriminatory recruitment and selection procedure and to strive for and maintain international and multi-cultural personnel.

Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

ICJ staff must adhere to its Code of Ethics which states that discrimination, bullying and harassment in any form will not be tolerated, nor sexual harassment, violence or assault in any form. The ICJ conducts systematic reference checks to confirm the absence of such misconduct during previous employments.