Deputy Director and Head of the International Legal Assistance Directorate

Bern | 80-100%

Your contribution

• As a member of the executive management, actively participate in the strategic development of the office
• Lead the International Legal Assistance Directorate with around 50 employees in technical, financial, personnel, and organizational respects
• Be responsible for international authority cooperation in criminal, civil, and administrative matters and make principle decisions in complex legal assistance cases
• Lead legislation projects in the field of international legal assistance and shape the further development of the legal framework
• Represent Switzerland in international organizations and negotiations and negotiate treaties and other cooperation instruments
• Maintain strategic relationships with national and international partner authorities and further develop cross-border cooperation

What makes you unique

• University degree in law; bar admission, doctorate, or LL.M. is an advantage
• Several years of leadership experience; proven expertise in Swiss law and in international legal assistance is an advantage
• Experience in legislation, international negotiations, or cooperation with authorities at home and abroad
• Ability to analyze complex legal and political issues, develop viable solutions, and bring different interests together
• Strong leadership, communication, and negotiation skills as well as diplomatic skill and political intuition
• Very good active knowledge of two official languages, passive knowledge of the third official language, as well as very good English skills

In a nutshell

You shape Switzerland's international legal assistance at a decisive point. With your legal expertise, your political intuition, and your leadership experience, you strengthen international cooperation and shape the further development of legal assistance within the field of tension.

What we offer

• Working for Switzerland We are committed to the success model of Switzerland and work for the welfare of the population.
• Lived diversity Thanks to equal opportunities, we develop our competencies and bring in different perspectives.
• Healthy at the workplace We support and advise our employees in the area of physical and mental health.

All benefits (https://www.stelle.admin.ch/stelle/de/home/bundesverwaltung/ihre-vorteile-auf-einen-blick.html)

The Federal Office of Justice (BJ) is the legal competence center of the Confederation. It supervises legislation projects in state, administrative, private, and criminal law. The office accompanies all legislative transactions of the Confederation in an advisory capacity and works with foreign authorities in the field of legal assistance and extradition. The BJ represents Switzerland in numerous international organizations and before the European Court of Human Rights. It carries out its business in a multilingual environment.

Additional information

Start of position: 1. April 2027 or by arrangement.

Questions about the position

Michael Schöll
Director BJ
+41 58 46 24101

Questions about the application

Cindy Robert
Head of HR BJ
+41 58 46 24795