The Alpine Convention is an agreement between eight alpine countries (Austria, France, Germany,
Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland) and the European Community aimed at
promoting the protection and the sustainable development of the Alps.
The Convention text and additional information about its activities and structure can be downloaded
from the website: www.alpconv.org
The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention has, inter alia, the following tasks:
• facilitating the implementation of the Convention and the compliance with its protocols,
• communicating and disseminating information about the Convention, its protocols and their
implementation,
• promoting the development of projects in line with the Convention and protocols objectives to be
jointly carried out by the contracting countries, their local communities, NGOs and any other
interested partner.
The Permanent Secretariat is based in Innsbruck (A) and has a branch office in Bolzano (I).
The official languages of the Convention are French, German, Italian and Slovene.
The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention is recruiting
A Press and Communication Officer
I. Description of the fixed-term contract job
The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention has the specific task of preparing,
organising and monitoring the meetings of the Alpine Conference and the Permanent Committee, is
responsible for activities related to the Alpine Observation and Information System (SOIA), public
relations and communication. In relation to its public relations and communication activities, the
Permanent Secretariat is looking for a skilled and highly motivated press and communication
officer. The Press and Communication Officer will have tasks of making the activity of the Alpine Convention
visible, for example through:
• The drafting and diffusion of press releases and their follow-up;
• The systematic contact of Press on the territory of the Alpine Convention as well as – where
relevant – elsewhere;
• The systematic collection of articles and news of relevance for the Alpine Convention.
• The production of newletters
• The update of the website
• Graphic design, multimedia, animated presentations for online display;
The Press and Communication officer will work, under the direct authority of the Secretary
General, in close contact with the staff of the Permanent Secretariat. He/she will have to learn
about the ongoing projects, propose and implement communication initiatives in order to
enhance the visibility of these projects. This may include the participation at events in the
territory of the Contracting Parties of the Alpine Convention and, in case of relevance, in third
States.
II. Required profile
The applicant must be a citizen of one Alpine Convention contracting state or European Union
member State and must provide before his/her recruitment a medical certificate stating that he has
no disease, physical disability or other illness which could prevent him/her from accomplishing its
tasks.
The applicant must have a University degree at Master level and at least a three-year work
experience in the field of Press and Communication, preferably in relation to international affairs. A
very good spoken and written knowledge of the main languages spoken in the Alps is an important
asset. Knowledge of environmental and sustainable development issues is also an asset.
He/she must be a native speaker of one of the four official languages of the Alpine Convention or
have a level of knowledge of this language equivalent to the one of a native speaker. In addition,
must have an excellent written and spoken knowledge of at least two other official languages of the
Alpine Convention and of English. The Permanent Secretariat reserves the right to assess his/her
linguistic skills by asking him/her to present relevant certificates and to carry out oral or written
tests.
He /she must also be able to work in a team in an international context and must show the ability to
quickly summarise complex information and make it available in the adapted form for the Press.
He/she must be able to use modern communication technologies (web based programmes, social
networks). The ideal candidate has a pro-active attitude, makes proposals and takes initiatives to timely implement them after agreement of his/her superior.
He/she must be able to use MS Office software programmes (including: Word, Excel, PowerPoint) as
well as graphic programmes.
III. Contract offered
In compliance with the staff regulation and on the basis of the currently applicable budget, the
Permanent Secretariat offers a fixed-term one year contract renewable (up to 6 years in total) on the
basis of his/her performance and the budgetary situation of the Secretariat. A three-month
probatory period applies.
Place of work: Innsbruck. Frequent trips to Bolzano and, as needed, to other countries of the Alpine
Convention or third countries.
The contractual relationships between the Permanent Secretariat and its employees working at the
main office in Innsbruck are governed by the laws of the Austrian Republic. These relationships are
specified in the Permanent Secretariat staff regulation.
The Press and Communication officer will enjoy all the privileges and immunities granted by the
Austrian Government to the staff of the Permanent Secretariat in compliance with the relevant
agreement signed on 24 June 2003 published in the Bundesgesetzblatt of 31.3.2004.
The yearly minimum net salary will amount to approximately 35,900€ plus, where applicable, 16%
expatriation allowance, 6% household allowance and child education allowance.
The selected candidate must be able to start working on 2.1.2012 at the latest.
Please, submit your application (including CV, motivation letter not exceeding one page, copies of
your educational qualifications, proofs of professional experience), exclusively in electronic form,
before 13 October 2011 to the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention at the following email address:
vacancies@alpconv.org
Should you not meet the abovementioned requirement in terms of qualification and experience (in
particular in relation to languages and communication skills), please do not apply for this position
