The Council of Europe is recruiting a Senior IT Developer for the Register of Damage for Ukraine, based in Kyiv, with applications closing on 21 September 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we read the full vacancy notice so you can see the exact stack, the experience threshold and the conditions that decide eligibility before you invest time in an application.
This is not a generic backend vacancy. The notice names the framework versions, the cloud services and the authentication standards, which tells you the team already knows what it is building and is hiring someone who can step into it.
What You Would Be Building
The platform at the centre of this role is RCMS, the Register's claims management system. Your work would form its backend foundation: secure, high performance ASP.NET Core 8.0 LTS components and RESTful APIs, integrated with MongoDB as the NoSQL layer and Azure Storage underneath.
The Full Technical Brief
🧱 Design, develop, test and maintain secure and high performance ASP.NET Core 8.0 LTS application components and RESTful APIs, integrating with MongoDB and Azure Storage.
⚡ Build and integrate serverless and event driven components within Microsoft Azure, using Azure Functions and related services for scalable automation and asynchronous workflows.
🎨 Develop and maintain frontend components using React, with responsive design, accessibility and intuitive user interaction.
🚀 Configure and maintain Redis caching to optimise performance and responsiveness for high volume data operations.
🛡️ Apply Azure cloud security and networking best practices so that applications interact securely with resources such as Functions, Storage and Key Vault.
🔑 Implement authentication and authorisation using OpenID Connect, in line with the Register's and the Council of Europe's information security standards.
🔁 Contribute to CI/CD pipelines within Azure DevOps, supporting continuous integration, automated testing and reliable deployment.
📦 Containerise and deploy application components using Docker, keeping development, staging and production consistent.
📉 Troubleshoot, optimise and monitor system performance across backend, frontend and database layers.
🧑💻 Collaborate with cross functional colleagues and external DevOps teams on the secure configuration of Azure resources and on the quality, security and usability of delivered features.
📚 Document code, application logic, APIs and deployment processes for maintainability, traceability and knowledge transfer.
📈 Take part in continuous improvement work, contributing technical insight to enhance RCMS functionality, performance and security.
The Stack in One Place
If you want to judge fit in thirty seconds, this is the list the notice gives you: ASP.NET Core 8.0 LTS, REST APIs, MongoDB, Redis, React, Docker, Azure Functions, Azure Storage, Azure App Service, Azure Key Vault, Azure DevOps, OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0, plus microservices and distributed system patterns.
Who Runs the Register
The Register of Damage for Ukraine was established in May 2023 through an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe. It is based in The Hague, the Netherlands, with an office in Kyiv, Ukraine. It serves as a documentary record of claims and evidence on damage, loss or injury caused by the Russian Federation's internationally wrongful acts in or against Ukraine, and it receives claims from individuals, businesses and state and municipal entities in Ukraine.
The IT Section and the Kyiv Base
The Information Technology Section manages the Register's systems and data. It implements digital solutions intended to be innovative and cost effective, built around user focused, data driven and streamlined business processes and platforms, and it is also responsible for data management and information security. This post is based in Kyiv.
Minimum Requirements
🎓 A completed full course of general secondary education plus appropriate professional qualifications, such as a diploma in software development, computer science or a related field. A bachelor's degree in those fields is highly desirable.
🕔 A minimum of five years of relevant professional experience, including at least two years in software development roles using modern backend and frontend frameworks.
🗣️ A very good knowledge of English.
Administrative Conditions
🛂 You must be a citizen of the host country or of one of the member states of the Council of Europe, and fulfil the conditions for appointment to the civil service of that state.
📍 You must be currently present in Ukraine.
🎖️ You must have discharged any obligation concerning national service, military, civil or comparable.
👪 You must not be the parent, child, stepchild or grandchild of a serving staff member of the Council of Europe.
🔞 You must be under the age of 65.
The Expertise That Is Actually Scored
Beyond the minimum requirements, the notice lists the professional and technical expertise your application should evidence:
🏗️ Designing and developing secure ASP.NET Core applications and REST APIs, with a focus on performance and scalable cloud architectures.
🗄️ Working with NoSQL databases, particularly MongoDB, including data modelling and query optimisation.
⏱️ Using Redis for caching strategies that improve application responsiveness.
🖼️ Developing frontend applications in React, including component optimisation and API integration.
🐳 Deploying and maintaining containerised applications with Docker in development and production.
📜 Azure certification, for example Azure Database Administrator Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Azure Developer Associate.
⚙️ Practical knowledge of CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps or an equivalent, for automated build, test and deployment.
☁️ Hands on experience with Azure services such as Functions, Storage, App Service and Key Vault.
🔐 Knowledge of secure authentication and authorisation standards, OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0.
🕸️ Understanding of microservices, distributed systems and API driven architectures.
🔎 The ability to debug, troubleshoot and optimise across backend, frontend and integration layers.
The key competencies assessed alongside the technical list are planning and work organisation, analysis and problem solving, learning and development, and service orientation, with communication and adaptability listed as desirable.
Contract and Grade
📑 This is a local external recruitment based on fixed term contracts.
⌛ Employment is limited to 31 December 2027 and may be extended.
🏷️ The grade is B5 and the vacancy number is 1482/2026.
💼 The notice publishes no salary figure: salaries, allowances, pension scheme and social insurance are set out on the Council of Europe's conditions of employment page.
Selection and Deadline Mechanics
📅 The vacancy was posted on 24 August 2026 and closes on 21 September 2026 at 23:59:59 CET or CEST.
📘 Recruitment follows Rule No. 2/2025 on locally recruited staff members in duty stations outside France.
✍️ The instruction in the notice is direct: your motivation should show how your competencies make your profile the best for the role. For a developer post, that means evidencing the stack items one by one rather than attaching a repository link and hoping.
Equal Opportunity
⚖️ The Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified people, irrespective of sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, disability, religion or belief.
👥 It aims for gender parity in each category and grade, and at appointment, preference between suitable candidates goes to the person of the under represented gender in the relevant grades.
♿ Reasonable accommodations can be requested at any stage of the recruitment process.
How to Apply
The application is submitted through the Council of Europe recruitment portal against this vacancy number, with a motivation that maps your experience onto the listed competencies. Certifications are worth naming explicitly, since Azure certification appears in the expertise list rather than in the general requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a computer science degree required?
A completed secondary education plus appropriate professional qualifications, such as a diploma in software development or computer science, is the requirement. A bachelor's degree in those fields is highly desirable rather than mandatory.
How much experience do I need?
Five years of relevant professional experience in total, of which at least two years must be in software development roles using modern backend and frontend frameworks.
Can I work remotely from another country?
No. The notice requires you to be currently present in Ukraine, and the post is based in Kyiv.
Is this the same job as the one in The Hague?
No. This is vacancy 1482/2026 with Kyiv as the duty station. The Register advertises a separate Senior IT Developer post for The Hague under its own vacancy number, with the same closing date.
Which cloud platform does the team use?
Microsoft Azure, including Functions, Storage, App Service, Key Vault and Azure DevOps, with Docker for containerisation.
What does the contract look like?
A fixed term local contract at Grade B5, with employment limited to 31 December 2027 and the possibility of extension.
Deadline
⏳ 21 September 2026
The cut off is 23:59:59 CET or CEST, and the portal closes on time. Find more opportunities like this, explained in plain language, on Youth Works Hub.
