The European Centre of Excellence for Civilian Crisis Management e.V. (CoE) is looking for a Head of Director’s Office (f/m/div) in full-time. The position is foreseen to be filled as soon as possible. The position is initially limited to two years with the possibility of extension by mutual agreement. The place of work is Berlin.  

The CoE, located in Berlin, is a member-based association founded in February 2020. Created following an invitation from the German Federal Foreign Office (DE FFO) to all European Union (EU) Member States (MS), the CoE focuses on enhancing capabilities (national systems, structures and processes) to strengthen civilian crisis management within the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).  

The Centre is a service provider, supporting its 24 current members (EU MS) and working closely with the European External Action Service (EEAS), its Preferred Partner, in implementing their commitments under the Civilian CSDP Compact through expert advice and consultation, facilitating collaborative practices and information sharing, and by providing practical policy recommendations. The CoE addresses national-level challenges with a solutions-oriented approach to increase contributions to EU civilian CSDP missions and provides its members and partners with a platform for strategic exchange on civilian CSDP as a foreign policy tool, best practices, and concrete ideas to enhance European civilian crisis management.

The team of the CoE consists of contracted staff as well as personnel seconded to the CoE from its members.

The advertised position is responsible for coordination of the CoE’s organisational and strategic planning, acting as a representative for the Director, addressing and balancing competing demands and workloads, overseeing member and stakeholder relations, with line-management responsibility for the Personal Assistant to the Director (contracted staff position).  

The main responsibilities of the Head of Director’s Office are:  

·        Overseeing and monitoring the CoE’s work on its strategic priorities as assigned by the Director, and reporting to the Senior Management Team (SMT).

·    Providing strategic advice on member and stakeholder relations and liaising with members, partners, seconding agencies and other stakeholders on behalf of the Director.

·    Preparing and arranging briefing documents, talking points, and correspondence for the Director, and overseeing logistical coordination as line-manager to the Personal Assistant.

·    Building and maintaining strong relationships with member states, the DE FFO, key stakeholders, and CoE Advisory Board members.

·     Line-management, guidance, and coordination of the work of the Personal Assistant of the Director.

·    Coordinating and preparing the agendas of the fortnightly CoE Senior Management Team meetings.   

·     Planning and overseeing the All-Staff Meetings of the CoE.

·     Planning and coordinating the preparations for the CoE’s General Meetings and Advisory Board Meetings, including preparing materials, managing logistics and ensuring follow-up on action items.

·    Carry out any other tasks that may reasonably be required according to the grade and nature of the role. 

 Required profile: 

·     Completed master’s degree in a relevant field, such as social or political science, international relations, communications, or equivalent degree in related fields, recognised in Germany. 

·     Proven expertise in strategic thinking and planning and stakeholder relations.

·     Demonstrated experience in organisational development and planning and the ability to effectively lead work collaborating and communicating on horizontal and cross-cutting issues within a team.

·     Understanding of European Common and Foreign and Security Policy issues, especially CSDP and crisis management. 

·     Cultural sensitivity and awareness, discretion, diplomatic and communicative (written and verbal) experience and skills to work with international members, stakeholders and partners, representing ministries, government departments/units or EU agencies.  

·     Ability to build and maintain relationships and networks.

·     Excellent English skills (written and spoken).

·     Minimum 7 years’ experience of which 2 years in a strategic, advisory or supervisory role.

·     Ability to set priorities, manage a variety of tasks in parallel, and meet deadlines.

·     Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with attention to detail.

·     Willingness to travel within Europe if required.

·     Ability and readiness to acknowledge aspects of gender equality and human rights in the execution of tasks.  

Desirable skills:

·     Previous experience in EU policies, member state relations or national governance would be an asset.

·     Good German skills (written and spoken) to at least C1 CEFR level would be an advantage.

For this position, experience in CSDP or related policy issues at EU or Member State level would be an advantage.

Our offer:

·    A position of responsibility in a dynamic organisation  

·    Collegial atmosphere in an international team 

·    30 days’ annual leave, 24 and 31 December are non-working days 

·    State of the art equipment and spacious, wheel-chair accessible office in the heart of Berlin 

·    Options for remote work (currently two days per week) as well as flexitime around core hours 

·     Opportunities for vocational training 

·     The CoE is a recipient of institutional funding from the DE Federal Government, and the non-discrimination rule (Besserstellungsverbot) applies in relation to comparable federal employees. The CoE is not bound by collective agreements. Remuneration is based on the collective agreement for the public sector (TVöD Bund) as the upper limit.  The maximum pay grade for this position is E13/1-2 and is contingent on qualifications and relevant professional experience. It is non-negotiable. 

We value diversity and therefore expressly welcome all applications - regardless of cultural, social or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity.  People with severe disabilities and people of equal status are given preferential consideration in the case of equal suitability in accordance with the legal requirements.  

Your application (in English) should include the following documents and evidence:  

·     Letter of motivation (max. 1 page) answering the following two questions: 

1.    What is your motivation for applying to join the CoE and how does working for CoE align with your career goals? (max. 300 words) 

2.   Why are you applying for this specific position and what skills and experience will you bring to the role? (max. 300 words) 

·      Curriculum vitae 

·      University degree certificate 

·      Work references and further evidence such as language certificates or, alternatively, well-founded statements on the knowledge and competences mentioned in the job profile 

Please submit your application using the online application form on our website under https://www.coe-civ.eu/about/opportunities by 15:00 (CET) on 24 October 2025 at the latest. After submitting your application, you will receive an automatic email message confirming receipt of your application. Only applications submitted via the online application system will be considered. Applications submitted after the deadline or applications submitted by email, mail or other means will not be accepted.

 If you have any questions, please address all your enquiries exclusively to application@coe-civ.eu