Before taking up his position as Minister of Education and Training in 2008, Dr Ben Salem was Secretary of State for European Affairs. Prior to that, he held government positions as Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Maghreb and African Affairs and General Coordinator of Human Rights within the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

From 1996 to 1999, Dr Ben Salem was successively appointed Ambassador of Tunisia in Senegal, Guinea, Gambia, Cape Verde, Turkey, and then Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the United Nations in Geneva. He also lectured at the universities of Lund (Sweden) and Graz (Austria), and at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg.