Political Affairs Officer (S2)

General Minimum Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working in this field of expertise are:

• Excellent physical condition;
• Possession of a valid automobile driving license and ability to drive using a manual transmission;
• Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours and in an environment with limited infrastructure.

Field of Expertise Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working in this field of expertise are:

• First-level university education in a relevant field;
• Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience;
• Diplomatic experience or experience working in political affairs with international organizations or governments;
• Experience in preparing analytical reports;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills;
• Knowledge of regional political history and developments;
• Diplomatic and negotiating skills;
• Some knowledge of the OSCE principles and commitments.

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

First-level university education in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields.

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience in public service, international organizations, political affairs and/or media affairs.

Mission Specific Requirements:

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience in public service, international organizations, political affairs and/or media affairs;
• Demonstrated experience in political analysis, including the ability to identify socio-political developments and analyze their potential impact;
• Demonstrated experience in leading a team or co-ordinating its work;
• Professional fluency in the English language, both oral and written, with demonstrated drafting and editing skills;
• Ability to draft and communicate messages clearly and effectively while tailoring language, tone, style and format to match the audience;
• Problem solving and organizational skills, flexibility and ability to work under pressure and with limited time frames;
• Ability to establish contacts, develop and maintain relations with high-level political actors, government officials and institutional and civil society interlocutors, as well as with the diplomatic corps;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Ability to operate windows applications, including word processing and e-mail.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the historical and political developments of the country and South-Eastern Europe;
• Experience in working with the OSCE or other international organizations;
• Prior experience working in the region;
• Knowledge of the local language.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

This position is located in the Office of the Head of Mission (OHoM)’s Political, Communication and Reporting Section.

The Political Affairs Officer reports to the Chief of Policy and Co-ordination, supervises the Political and Reporting Units, provides political advice to the Head of Mission (HoM) and Deputy Head of Mission (DHoM) and ensures quality and accuracy in written material for their attention. In particular, this position is responsible for the following functions:

1.    In co-ordination with the Chief of Policy and Co-ordination, advising the HoM and DHoM on political issues;

2.   Monitoring and analyzing the political situation in the country and trends affecting the area of responsibility; monitoring and analyzing regional political and security developments; briefing senior management as needed;

3.    Acting as the Mission’s early warning focal point in line with Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/11;

4.   Establishing and maintaining regular contacts with political, institutional and civil society interlocutors, as well as with the diplomatic corps and partner organizations, providing written notes as required;

5.   Overseeing the collation of, reviewing, drafting and clearing the written inputs to regular reports, such as the Monthly Report, Annual Report on progress with regard to the 2004 Gender Action Plan, police-related activity report, weekly report by the Secretary General to the Permanent Council, the annual report to the Permanent Council;

6.   Drafting, reviewing and/or editing talking points, speeches, briefing materials and analyses for the HoM and DHoM and clearing similar material for thematic departments;

7.    Establishing and maintaining regular contacts with the Mission’s programmatic departments to ensure good communication and the highest quality of the material prepared for senior management; providing feedback on OSCE and Mission policies and practices regarding the preparation of talking points, speeches and other material;

8.    Maintaining regular contact with the relevant desk officer(s) in the OSCE Secretariat’s Conflict Prevention Center to ensure alignment with OSCE-wide policies;

9.     Performing other duties as required.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, please see www.osce.org/mission-to-serbia.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages the nomination of qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious, ethnic and social backgrounds. Please note that nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are not eligible to apply.

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.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model 

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered. 

Please apply to your relevant authorities well in advance of the deadline expiration to ensure timely processing of your application. Delayed nominations will not be considered. The OSCE can only process Secondment applications that have been nominated by participating States. For queries relating to your application, please refer to the respective delegation as listed here: https://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations