Assistant Director, EDLA Executive Office

Vacancy Notice 1912

INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 196 Member Countries. Created in 1923, it facilitates cross-border police co-operation, and supports and assists all organizations, authorities, and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime.

INTERPOL actively encourages applications from women and nationals of member countries that are currently unrepresented among our staff (please click on this link to access the list of countries). Candidates from these countries are particularly encouraged to apply.

INTERPOL’s recruitment process is merit-based hence all hiring decisions are made considering the applicant’s qualifications and the needs of the Organization.

Job Title: Assistant Director, EDLA Executive Office
Reporting To: Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel (EDLA)
Location: Lyon
Type of contract: Fixed-term Contract
Duration (in months): 36.00*
Grade: 2
Number of post: 1
Level of Security screening: Enhanced
Deadline for application: 15 July 2026

Conditions applying for all candidates

Only professional experience for which candidates can provide official proof of employment will be considered. Candidates could be requested to provide copies of such official documents prior to interviews/test.

* Subsequent extension to this post will be subject to the terms of the Organization’s Staff Manual, to satisfactory performance and to availability of funds.

Tests/interviews in connection to this selection procedure will take place approximately 1/3 weeks after the deadline for applications. Applicants are kindly requested to plan their availability during this period accordingly, in case they are short-listed.

​Selected candidates will be expected to report for duty approximately two to three months after receiving an offer of employment at the latest.

This selection exercise may be used to generate a reserve list of suitable candidates that may be used to address Organization's similar staffing needs in the future.

SUMMARY OF THE ASSIGNED DUTIES, INCLUDING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE POST

The incumbent reports directly to the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel, he/she is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day functions of the Executive Directorate Legal Affairs (EDLA) Executive Office that includes the planning, coordination, prioritization and management of a wide range of legal, organizational, and administrative issues. He/she handles the files requiring strong ability to design, assist the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel to develop and implement strategic initiatives and papers as well as ability to negotiate at high level inside and outside the Organization. He/she will manage the team in the EDLA Executive Office and ensure the efficient and effective co-ordination of key deliverables and reporting to senior management, and will be responsible for INTERPOL requirements, monitoring and supervising the projects within the EDLA Executive Office. He/she also proposes new policies on his/her own initiative and handles most of files with large autonomy.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND ACTIVITIES

DUTY 1:

Assist the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel in the management of the activities in the EDLA, supporting him/her in discharging his/her responsibilities and providing appropriate advice and recommendations, where necessary:

• Assist the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel in the planning, coordination and prioritization of activities pertaining to legal advisory services on sensitive and strategic issues, procedural and organizational matters in the Executive Directorate.
• Make recommendations for the consideration of the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel to ensure not only that procedures and policies are enforced, but to enhance the functioning of the areas under Executive Director’s responsibility with focus on legal, strategic and procedural matters.
• Draft or supervises the drafting of correspondence, reports and other strategic documents for the governing and supervisory bodies or other entities outside the Organization.
• Identify challenges and issues to be addressed and propose actions.
• Work together with all components of the Organization to develop, communicate and implement agreed priorities and coordination delivered according to set timeframes.
• Liaise and coordinate activity with the Director Institutional Affairs and Director Legal Support to Programmes to support their activities as necessary, and ensure the seamless coordination of tasks, including the reporting to senior management.

DUTY 2:

Manage the EDLA Executive Office within the established guidelines and planning to ensure effective and efficient delivery against priorities, activities and timeframes, especially:

• Act as the point of contact with other departments within the General Secretariat (Cabinet, Office of Governance, Executive Directorates) in relation to legal, procedural and strategic advice, staffing, strategic priorities and high-level deliverables.

• Manage day-to-day performance of the EDLA Executive Office, including the budget and staffing matters.
• Assign, supervise and ensure the quality and prompt delivery of the work of staff members assigned to the EDLA Executive Office.

DUTY 3:

Assist the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel managing stakeholder relationships and consultations at high level both internally and externally to ensure productive outcome and achievements, including:

• Organize and convene internal and/or external meetings related to her/his areas or responsibility.
• Represent EDLA in meetings with internal and external stakeholders and convey the views of the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel.
• Draft required agreements and protocols.

Also consistent with his/her areas of responsibility, maintain cordial and collaborative relationships with the member country National Central Bureaus, representatives of member countries and international organizations.

DUTY 4:

Supervise the work of the EDLA Executive Office staff in the context of specific programs, projects or tasks defined by the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel, especially:

• Guide the respective project teams to share a common strategy and performance standards.
• Monitor progress against milestones and deadlines.
• Keep the Executive Director Legal Affairs and General Counsel informed of the progress and bring to his/her attention any matters of significance.

Perform any other duties as required by the hierarchy.

QUALIFICATIONS, COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

Education and qualification required:

• Higher education in law (Master's, JD, LLM, LLD or equivalent).
• Specialization in public international law or criminal law, desired.

Experience required:

• Ten years' professional legal experience at increasing levels of responsibility in a legal, law enforcement, or policing environment.
• Experience supervising teams of lawyers and administrative staff.
• Sound knowledge of the legal aspects of law enforcement or police operations or projects, desired.
• Previous project management experience in multi-disciplinary projects, desired.

languages:

• Professional fluency in English: Knowledge of a second official working language (Arabic, French, Spanish) would be desirable.
• Knowledge of a third working language of the Organization would be an asset.

Abilities required:

• Strong communication skills, both in written and oral form (public speaking and delivery of presentations).

• Personal and professional maturity.
• Strong management and coordination skills.
• Ability to maintain objectivity and apply logical, specifically inductive, reasoning.
• Ability to work in teams as well as individually with a minimum of supervision.
• Ability to synthesize and organize data.
• Ability to work persistently and under pressure.
• Good social, specifically multicultural skills.
• Political awareness and critical mind.
• Ability to solve problems quickly and effectively.
• Ability to resolve conflict to reach mutual consensus.

As part of our commitment to transparency throughout our recruitment process, INTERPOL's Staff Manual Regulation 11.4: Age-limit, which states that:

'Officials of the Organization shall not normally be retained in service beyond the age of 65 years. The Secretary General may, in exceptional cases and in the interests of the Organization, extend this age limit, in which case he shall inform the official concerned sufficiently in advance.'

Given this Regulation and in case candidates reach the age of 65 during the potential duration of the appointment, should they be selected for the position and the process proceed to appointment, the employment period may be affected by this regulatory limit and may therefore not extend for the full standard contract duration as published in the vacancy notice.

We are sharing this information to ensure transparency at this stage of the process.