On this page, you will find information about the fields of expertise at the OSCE, the various employment modalities, the requirements for each, and how to apply.

 

Fields of Expertise

Administration and support

Administration and support work provides a variety of day-to-day specialized support services for the substantive activities of the organization.

Civilian police

International civilian police work within the OSCE involves assessing, monitoring, advising and mentoring the local civil police.

Democratization

Democratization work may include strengthening civil society, political party development and promotion of good governance.

Economic and environmental affairs

Economic and environmental work in the OSCE context focuses on ways of identifying the risk to security arising from economic, social and environmental problems.

Education

Education work aims at developing and implementing educational reform programmes in collaboration with local and international players.

Elections

Election work involves organizing, implementing and overseeing the full range of elections-related matters.

Human rights

Human rights work involves monitoring, investigating and reporting on the human rights situation, analyzing relevant laws and practices and intervening with national authorities to address human rights violations.

Media affairs

Media affairs in OSCE field activities provides press and public information as well as media development services.

Military affairs

Military affairs-related work involves among others monitoring certain military activities and gathering information on the military situation and developments in the mission area.

Political affairs

Political affairs work involves analyzing and reporting on issues relevant to the OSCE mission mandate in the host country.

Rule of law

Rule of law work aims at enhancing the administration of justice by training of judges, prosecutors

 

 

Employment Modalities

Contracted positions

International contracted staff members are appointed by the OSCE on a direct contractual basis. The OSCE offers a number of contracted positions at the Secretariat, Institutions and Field Operations.

There are different types of contracted positions

  • General Service (GS)
  • Professional (P & D)
  • National Professional (NP)

These positions can be classified as fixed-term (FT) if they last six months or longer, or as short-term (ST) if the duration is less than six months.

Requirements

Contracted vacancies at the OSCE are open for application only to nationals of its 57 participating States. If you are not a citizen of one of these countries, your application will not be accepted unless you are applying for a consultancy position.

Applicants for positions at the Professional (P), Director (D) and National Professional (NP) category are required to have a university degree, including several years of experience at national and/or international level in a relevant field of expertise. Postgraduate specialization is necessary for a number of positions.

Note: If the position is located in a Field Operation, applicants for Professional (P) and Director (D) positions MUST NOT have the nationality of the country where the position is located in. On the other hand, National Professionals MUST have the nationality of the country where the position is located in.

Applicants for positions in the General Service (GS) category are required to have completed secondary education, supplementary courses related to the functions of the position and several years of relevant working experience.

How to apply

Candidates are invited to use the online application system to apply to specific vacancy notices.

 

Seconded positions

Seconded staff are nominated by an OSCE participating State.

The screening and nomination process takes place by the participating State.

The OSCE pays living expenses in the form of a board and lodging allowance for positions located in field duty stations. For secondments to the Secretariat and to the Institutions, all costs are borne by the nominating authority. For additional information regarding compensation/benefit packages of seconded staff, please direct all related enquiries to the designated contact point.

These positions can be classified as fixed-term (FT) if they last six months or longer, or as short-term (STA) if the duration is less than six months.

Requirements

Contracted and Seconded vacancies at the OSCE are open for application only to nationals of its 57 participating States. OSCE Partners for Co-operation can also nominate candidates for Seconded positions at S1 and S2 level. If you are not a citizen of one of these countries, your application will not be accepted unless you are applying for a consultancy position.

Applicants are required to have a university degree, including several years of experience in a relevant field of expertise. Postgraduate specialization is necessary for a number of positions.

How to Apply

To apply for a seconded position, select the job at our online application system, click on “Apply for Job” and proceed with the next steps to log in, including selecting your respective participating State. If your participating State is using the online application form, this form will be directed electronically to your respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or OSCE Delegation. If your participating State is not using the online method, you will be requested to contact your nominating authority submitting your offline application form for further processing. You can learn more about your nominating authority and their contact details on this page. 

 

Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO)

The OSCE offers a limited number of positions to young professionals who have recently completed their university degree to gain experience in the OSCE Secretariat, Institutions, and Field Operations.

The programme lasts two years. The first year in the Secretariat, followed by a second year in one of the Field Operations or Institutions.

Requirements

The Programme is open to nationals of OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, which agree to fund Junior Professional Officers for two years, and a limited number of nationals of OSCE participating States who are not in the position to receive sponsoring;

  • Candidates should be under the age of 32 on the deadline of this vacancy notice;
  • Completed first-level university degree in a field of study relevant to OSCE's mandate. This may include degrees in: political science, international relations, human rights, law, politico-military aspects of security, criminal justice, peace and conflict studies, educational/social sciences, public policy, business administration, human resources, economics, environmental studies, information technology, media studies, gender studies;
  • Previous work experience in a relevant field would be an asset;
  • Professional fluency in English, both oral and written, and the ability to communicate clearly and concisely is mandatory; knowledge of other OSCE official languages would be an asset;
  • Awareness of the importance of integrating a diversity perspective into tasks and activities;
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds whilst maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
  • Demonstrated open-mindedness, flexibility, high motivation and readiness to take on challenges;
  • Computer literacy with practical experience with Microsoft applications.

How to Apply

JPO calls for expression of interest will take place every two years and will appear on our online application system, click on “Apply for Job” and proceed with the next steps to log in, including selecting your respective participating State. If your participating State is using the online application form, this form will be directed electronically to your respective Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or OSCE Delegation. If your participating State is not using the online method, you will be requested to contact your nominating authority submitting your offline application form for further processing. You can learn more about your nominating authority and their contact details on this page. 

 

Special Service Agreements (SSA)

SSAs are contractual agreements with a duration that can vary from a few hours or pages, to 1 or 2 days, several weeks, and up to a maximum of 6 months or 180 days in a calendar year.

The OSCE requires consultants to provide advisory services, expert assistance, special skills or knowledge that core staff/mission members of the OSCE are not able to provide or support services in exceptional circumstances and for which there is no continuing need.

Requirements

The requirements vary depending on the level of the nature of services.

How to apply

Candidates that wish to be part of the OSCE Roster of Consultants are invited to use the online application system to apply to specific vacancy notices.

 

Internships

The OSCE Internship Programme provides a framework for graduate/postgraduate students or recent graduates to develop their professional skills and gain practical work experience in an international environment.  The aim of the programme is to expose interns to the work of the OSCE and to provide OSCE departments with qualified and specialized assistance in various professional fields.

Please note that in line with other international and multilateral organizations, the OSCE does not provide remuneration to interns or reimbursement for their travel expenses for relocation to/from Vienna. However, selected national and international interns who do not hold permanent residence in Vienna may be eligible for receiving an allowance to contribute towards their living costs in Vienna.

Interested in knowing what it’s like to be an intern at the OSCE? Check out this video.

Requirements

  • Students in the final year of higher education (university or other accredited institution) at graduate or postgraduate level; or recent graduates or postgraduates, i.e. within two years of graduation.
  • The upper age limit for applicants is 30 years.
  • Applicants should have professional fluency in English, both oral and written, and computer literacy.
  • Be able to adapt to an international, multicultural working environment.
  • In addition to these minimal requirements, some field operations may require working knowledge of Russian or additional requirements, which will be listed in the vacancy notice.

How to Apply

Candidates are invited to use the online application system to apply to specific vacancy notices.

 

Rosters

Rosters are pools of pre-assessed, approved candidates who may be considered for immediate or anticipated vacancies. Candidates may be placed on a roster for three years from the date of approval by the appointing authority.

There are two primary pathways for candidates to join a roster: through a generic vacancy or a specific post, normally up to P5 level. These vacancies will normally include a standard clause stating that "candidates interviewed and found suitable during the recruitment process for this vacancy will be placed on a roster of suitable candidates should a suitable opportunity arise."

Placement on a roster does not guarantee a future appointment or assignment.

Candidates placed on a roster will be notified of their status and are encouraged to keep their profiles up to date on the TALEO system to ensure their profiles are kept up to date (i.e. education, work experience, references). Candidates who wish to withdraw from a roster may do so at any time by contacting recruitment@osce.org.

 

Other opportunities

For more information regarding other opportunities within the OSCE and elsewhere, please visit:

 

 

Important Information

Please note that incomplete applications, or applications received after the published deadline will not be considered. Please be advised that if your current or previous experience is with the United Nations or other international organizations using a similar post grading system, the grade/step should be added to the "Exact Job Title" in the "Employment History" section of the application form.

Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last minute to submit their application since heavy internet traffic or other dysfunctions could lead to difficulties in submission. The Organization shall not be held responsible for such difficulties and applications which are incomplete or submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Please ensure that the contact details (telephone numbers, email addresses) that you provide on your application form are up-to-date.

 

Candidate support 

In case of any recruitment related question, please feel free to contact the relevant email addresses below and remember to quote the vacancy notice number and job title in the subject line to:

If you require support with you candidate account on TALEO, please contact taleo@osce.org. 

If you encounter technical problems while applying for a job opening, the issue may be internet browser-related. In the first instance we recommend that you erase any cookies and history prior to using our online application system. We further recommend using the Chrome browser. However, if technical issues continue to arise, please contact ICTServicedesk@osce.org with further information on the issue you are experiencing and, if possible, by providing screenshots. 

Please note that the online application system undergoes regular maintenance during which time the site is temporarily unavailable. Vacancies expiring during a planned maintenance will be extended automatically to allow candidates to apply for the desired job opening.