Junior Professional Officer

As part of its efforts to develop a gender and geographically balanced pool of qualified candidates for future job openings, the OSCE will offer five openings for a period of twelve months to graduates up to the age of 30 within the framework of its Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme.

Please direct all inquiries to your relevant national authorities and apply several days prior to the expiry of the deadline to allow enough time for your application to be processed by them. Delayed nominations and nominations sent directly to the OSCE Secretariat will not be considered.

The goal of the programme is to provide JPOs with a comprehensive overview of the Organization, with a particular focus on familiarization of the OSCE programmatic approach and managerial framework. JPOs will be offered the opportunity of gaining practical experience in different subject areas during a six-month period at the Secretariat (March - August 2017) and a six-month period in a field operation (September 2017 - February 2018).  The respective supervisors will establish specific workplans for the JPO assigned to them towards this end.  Whilst there is no guarantee of future employment with the OSCE, JPOs may apply for job openings in the OSCE field operations/Institutions for which they meet the necessary requirements after completion of the programme.

JPOs will be expected to commit to a set of core values which are expected of all OSCE staff and mission members:

Commitment: actively contributing to achieving organizational goals; Diversity: respecting others and valuing their diverse perspectives and contributions; Integrity: acting in a manner consistent with the Organization's core values and organizational principles; Accountability:  taking responsibility for own action and delegated work.

• Graduation (completed degree) from accredited universities in appropriate fields of study relevant to the OSCE's mandate and fields of work (this includes graduates from recognized police training schools or with university degrees in economics, finance, accounting, human resources, environmental studies, educational/social sciences, international criminal law, terrorism studies, Central Asian or East European studies, peace and conflict studies);
• Applicants should be under the age of 30, be open-minded, flexible, highly motivated and ready to take on challenges and be willing to be assigned to any OSCE duty station;
• Professional fluency in English, both oral and written, with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely; knowledge of other OSCE working languages is desirable;  working knowledge of Russian  would be a strong asset;
• Computer literacy with familiarity with Microsoft Office applications, including word processing and e-mail;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds whilst maintaining impartiality and objectivity;  gender awareness and sensitivity;
• Excellent physical condition;
• Possession of a valid driving licence and ability to drive a car using a manual transmission;
• Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours and in an environment with limited infrastructure.

The evaluation of qualified candidates will include a combination of a written test and a competency-based interview.  In addition to the technical/post-related competencies, the OSCE has defined an inventory of expected skills and behaviours that lead to excellence on the job.  These competencies are:

• Communication: Actively works to achieve clear and transparent communication with colleagues and with stakeholders of the Organization
• Collaboration: Works effectively with others on common goals and fosters a positive, trust-based working environment
• Planning: Works towards the achievement of goals in a structured and measured manner
• Analysis and Decision-Making: Analyses available information, draws well-founded conclusions and takes appropriate decisions
• Initiative-Taking: Proposes and initiates new ideas, activities and projects
• Flexibility: Responds positively and effectively to changing circumstances

Each of the five JPOs will receive a monthly training allowance of Euro 1.000 and will be enrolled in the OSCE health and life/accident/disability insurance schemes: travel expenses by most economic route to/from the country of residence to Vienna and to/from Vienna to the respective field operation will also be covered by the OSCE.    Successful candidates will be responsible for making their own accommodation arrangements in Vienna/at the duty station, however, the OSCE is willing to provide advice if required.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States. Refer to see http://www.osce.org/who/83.

Candidates interested in participating in this programme are requested to apply online using the application form to be found under http://www.osce.org/employment/108714

The OSCE online application system will forward applications directly to the respective authorities in your country of nationality, usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or national government recruitment agency, who may conduct an initial selection before nominating their candidates to the OSCE.

If your country does not provide the possibility of an online application for seconded positions, you should contact the respective OSCE delegation, whose address can be found under the link http://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations

The selection process for this round of the Junior Professional Officer programme is scheduled to take place in December 2016/January 2017.  Selected candidates will be expected to join the programme on 1 March 2017 and will remain at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna for six months, after which they will be assigned to the respective field operation for the six month period September 2017 - February 2018.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the organization.

Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.