Policy Support Officer

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Archived vacancy details

The following information is provided for archival purpose only.

Issued by: OSCE Secretariat
Vacancy number: VNSECS01505
Vacancy type: International Seconded
Field of expertise: Political Affairs
Number of posts: 1
Duty station: Vienna
Date of issue: 20 January 2020
Deadline for application: 5 March 2020 - 23:59 Central European Time (CET/CEST)

Background

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to an assignment at the Secretariat must be borne by their authorities.

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered. Seconded staff members in the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions are not entitled to a Board and Lodging Allowance payable by the Organization.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) plays a key role in supporting and co-ordinating the OSCE's activities in the field, in providing analysis and policy advice to the Secretary General (SG) and the Chairmanship, in leading work on all aspects of the conflict cycle, and in supporting the various formats dealing with protracted conflicts. The CPC also serves as the focal point in the Secretariat for co-ordinating and developing the OSCE's role in the politico-military dimension.

The Policy Support Service (PSS) serves as the Organization's primary point of contact on all matters concerning field operations; it monitors the implementation of the mandates of the individual field operations and advises the SG and the Chairmanship on related policy and operational issues. It also analyses early-warning signals regarding the situation in the field and recommends the implementation of relevant preventive or reactive action. Support provided to the SG and the Chairmanship includes background information, policy support and advice, input to speeches and travel files as well as drafting summary records. PSS facilitates the co-ordination of programmes and activities among field operations and with those of OSCE specialized units within the Secretariat and institutions and assists field operations with their input to the budget cycle process. PSS also provides support for the Chairperson-in-Office's representatives dealing with protracted conflicts and related formats.

The PSS is composed of four regional desks covering Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The incumbent will be a member of the Caucasus Desk. Under the direct supervision of the Senior Policy Support Officer and the general guidance of the Deputy Director for Policy Support Service, as Policy Support Officer, you will carry out the following duties:

Monitoring and analysing developments in the region and contributing to the formulation of relevant policy advice;
Supporting the work of the special and personal representatives of the Chairperson-in-Office dealing with the South Caucasus;
Following up to ensure a timely flow of information among the special and personal representatives and their teams, the Chairmanship-in-Office, the Secretariat, and delegations of OSCE participating States;
Supporting the performance-based programme budgeting process as necessary;
Contributing to research on selected political topics, drafting background papers and reports, and compiling briefing material;
Attending meetings and writing summaries, notes, and reports for internal distribution;
Preparing visits of the Chairmanship and senior OSCE officials to the region; accompanying high-level visits to the region and drafting reports on these visits;
Preparing in-house briefings, publications, and other material;
In co-operation with the Programming and Evaluation Support Unit, developing, managing, and reviewing extra-budgetary projects to support OSCE work in the region;
Contributing to other CPC-related tasks or projects as required;
Performing other related duties, including participating at CPC-related events.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat, please see https://www.osce.org/secretariat

Necessary Qualifications

First-level university degree in political sciences, public or international law, international relations or another related field; a second-level university degree and regional expertise would be an asset;
Minimum of six years of professional experience in government, national administration or other relevant professional field;
Work experience in a diplomatic service and/or international organization;
Project management experience and skills would be an asset;
Professional fluency in English, including excellent drafting skills, is required; knowledge of another OSCE working language, in particular Russian, and/or working knowledge of one of the languages spoken in the region would be an asset;
Excellent communication skills, resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement, and team spirit;
Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
Ability to operate Windows applications, including Microsoft Outlook and Office.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://jobs.osce.org/vacancies.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those applicants who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see https://www.osce.org/participating-states.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages the nomination of qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Please apply to your relevant authorities several days prior to the deadline expiration to ensure timely processing of your application. Delayed nominations will not be considered.

Alert

You can not apply to this vacancy anymore.
Sorry, the application deadline for this vacancy has expired.