Head Of Administration

The Central European Free Trade Agreement CEFTA 2006 is a modern and comprehensive regional free trade agreement, designed as an integral part of the pre-accession agenda. It provides a strong legal basis for policy formulation and implementation in key areas related to trade and investment. In addition to an ambitious agenda aimed at facilitating trade in goods and services, CEFTA is developing activities designed to improve the overall framework in trade-related areas, such as competition, intellectual property rights, and consumer protection, among others. The CEFTA Parties have agreed on an ambitious agenda to create a Common Regional Market based on European Union EU rules and best practices. Building on the progress made in the past four years, the Western Balkans leaders adopted on 14 October 2024, a new link , which sets the direction for enhancing trade, mobility, and investment across the region and the integration with the EU Single Market. The new four-year plan is divided into six pillars, three of which are to be implemented by CEFTA: free movement of goods, free movement of services, and horizontal trade measures. The Plan aims to unlock the potential of the region by boosting trade and investment and opening the door for accelerated integration into the EU Single Market. The Secretariat of CEFTA 2006 was established in Brussels Belgium in September 2008. The overall role of the Secretariat is to provide technical and administrative support to the Joint Committee, the Chair in Office, and the bodies established by the Joint Committee. A specially appointed Selection Committee is now seeking applications for the position of Head of Administration. To apply please go to the following link. Eligible applicants include individuals from public administrations, international organisations, the private sector, civil society, and academia. The successful candidate will be offered a competitive employment contract by the CEFTA Secretariat. The deadline for receipt of applications is 12 April 2026 at 23:59 (CET) . By applying for this position, you consent to the processing and sharing of your personal data by the CEFTA Secretariat and CEFTA Parties for the purpose of the recruitment and selection process. CANVASSING/LOBBYING IN ANY FORM WHATSOEVER WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFY AN APPLICANT. 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Secretariat of the Central European Free Trade Agreement CEFTA 2006 was established in Brussels Belgium on 8 September 2008. The Secretariat supports the Joint Committee and all CEFTA bodies established by the Joint Committee in accordance with the mandate of the Secretariat. The CEFTA Parties and the European Commission currently finance the Secretariat and its activities. In recent years, the CEFTA Joint Committee has agreed on an ambitious agenda to further contribute to economic growth. This includes additional liberalisation and trade facilitation, as well as advancing investment-related issues outlined in the Agreement. CEFTA plays an important role in delivering the regional economic integration agenda set out in the Common Regional Market CRM Action Plan and translated each year into annual chairmanship priorities and working programmes of the CEFTA bodies. CEFTA activities have three important pillars: trade in goods free movement of goods, trade in services free movement of services, and horizontal trade measures relevant to both goods and services. These include, but are not limited to, trade dispute settlement, competition, public procurement, statistics, trade-related aspects of environmental policies, intellectual property rights, and transparency. Furthermore, the CEFTA Secretariat plays an important role in securing and managing additional financing for the functioning of the Secretariat and for CEFTA-related activities. To date, the Secretariat has secured substantial funding under the European Commission’s IPA programme. Much of these funds are used to provide technical assistance and targeted expertise to assist the CEFTA Parties in implementing the Agreement and the various decisions of the Joint Committee. Thus, the Secretariat has an important role to play in the project management of technical assistance activities. As the number of CEFTA structures has expanded, so too has the scope of the work programmes. The Secretariat has adapted accordingly to support this broader mandate. In line with the Joint Committee Decision No 10/2024 amending Decision 1/2018 on the Functioning of the Secretariat, the core team of the CEFTA Secretariat is comprised of a Director, Trade Experts, and administrative staff. Since July 2015, the Secretariat has also benefited from a rotating system of secondments from the CEFTA Parties, which continues to this day. 2. MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES In line with the mandate of the CEFTA Secretariat, the Head of Administration leads the Administrative Unit and oversees the Secretariat’s administrative, financial, procurement, and HR functi