Vacancy: Director General of the CBSS Secretariat

The CBSS Secretariat is recruiting its Director General, appointed for a period of four years with the possibility of a prolongation of up to two years.

• Posted April 30, 2024
• CBSS

The CBSS Secretariat is currently seeking to appoint a new Director General, who will serve a four-year term with the possibility of extending up to two additional years.

Currently, there are 25 employees at the CBSS Secretariat. The Secretariat has a number of specialised units dealing with topics such as counter-trafficking, children's rights, civil protection, sustainable development, culture and youth.

Under the instructions and supervision of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO), the decision-making body of the CBSS, the Director General has the following specific responsibilities and tasks:

• Providing overall leadership of the work of the Secretariat, including overall coordination of its core and expert units
• Ensuring adequate technical, organisational and analytical support to the CBSS Presidency, the CSO and CBSS Experts Groups
• Ensuring high-level liaison with CBSS Member States, CBSS Observer States and relevant regional and international organisations and networks
• Ensuring high-level representation of the Secretariat at selected meetings and conferences and in the media;
• Taking the organisation forward, notably by driving the implementation of the decisions made by CBSS Member States, in accordance with the revised Terms of Reference of the CBSS and the revised Terms of Reference of the CBSS Secretariat
• Making proposals and presenting initiatives to the CSO in order to promote the objectives and implement the priorities
• Establishing and pursuing a structured dialogue with selected regional actors to promote enhanced co-operation and alignment;
• Ensuring that the Secretariat acquires and maintains a staff substructure and a composition of competencies appropriate to the priorities of the CBSS, while providing adequate efficiency, flexibility and financial control;
• Acting as the legal representative and public face of the Secretariat;
• Overall responsibility for directing and managing the Secretariat human resources, including recruitment, motivation, professional development and dismissal;
• Overall responsibility for preparing and implementing the Secretariat's annual budget and for ensuring appropriate control of all financial resources managed by the Secretariat.

The Director General may delegate certain duties within the Secretariat as s/he deems necessary to secure proper and effective administration.

Together the Director General and the Deputy Director General constitute the Senior Management of the Secretariat. The Deputy Director General assists the Director General, in particular as regards the day-to-day management of the Secretariat, with specific responsibilities regarding the oversight and administration of staff and financial resources.

The Director General's job involves frequent travel to destinations in CBSS Member States and, occasionally, beyond.

The Director General will be appointed for a period of four years with the possibility of a prolongation of up to two years.

The place of employment is Stockholm. In addition, the Director General shall be obliged to undertake official journeys connected with her/his work.

The Director General, provided that s/he is not a Swedish citizen or permanently resident in Sweden immediately prior to her/his employment by the Secretariat, and members of her/his family forming part of the household, shall enjoy the privileges and immunities accorded to heads of diplomatic missions by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961.

A competitive remuneration and allowances package, depending on professional background and family situation, is offered. The package is exempted from direct Swedish taxation.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the selection phase, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Be a national of a Member State of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
• Hold a university degree, preferably in a field relevant to the mission of the CBSS Secretariat.
• Have at least 10 years of professional experience, 5 years of preferably in international political affairs (for instance in multilateral diplomacy/relevant international organisation/relevant academic institution) or from practical cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region.
• Have at least 5 years of proven experience in a management post with responsibility for managing personnel and financial resources.

The CBSS Child Safeguarding Policy

The CBSS Secretariat and its Expert Units are fully committed to keeping children we come in contact with through our work protected and safeguarded from actions that place them at risk of violence, abuse, exploitation, injury and any other harm. The CBSS Secretariat is committed to recruiting staff that are suited to apply strict child safeguarding practices.

Application

You are welcome to apply for the position of Director General of the CBSS Secretariat with a personal application letter and CV in English.

Apply at Mercuri Urval's website (Ref.: SE-15188, "Submit CV") as soon as possible, at the latest on 19 May 2024.

For further information, send an email to Mr. Ulf Hillstedt, consultant at Mercuri Urval, [email protected].