Senior Geographic Information Officer (P4)

Background:

Please note that this position is funded under an Extra-Budgetary (ExB) Project which runs until 31 March 2026. The initial contract duration is until 31 July 2025, and extension of the contract of the selected candidate is subject to funding availability.

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, combating human trafficking, 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 Chairpersonship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions. 

The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) supports and co-ordinates the OSCE’s activities in the field, providing analysis and policy advice to the Secretary General (SG) and the Chairpersonship, leading work on all aspects of the conflict cycle, and 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.

Within the CPC, the Operations Service (OS) covers a broad variety of tasks, such as operational planning for the set-up, reorganization, and closure of field operations; analysis related to early warning, early action, conflict prevention, crisis management, conflict resolution, post-conflict rehabilitation and peacebuilding; the identification of lessons and best practices; mediation support; operational liaison with other international organizations; and maintaining a 24/7 Situation/Communications Room. 

The Planning and Analysis Team (PAT) in CPC/OS provides strategic and operational advice and analysis related to the conflict cycle as well as planning and support on operational issues, with a special focus on field operations and field-based crisis response efforts. It identifies lessons and best practices to strengthen and innovate operational capacities and to preserve institutional memory in this area. 

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The post is located in the PAT within the CPC/OS and is an extra-budgetary (ExB) post within the project “OSCE Geographic Information System Pilot Project” (OGIS PP), which is currently envisaged to last two years. In line with its mandate, PAT will implement the OGIS project with a view to designing, developing, testing, and supporting geographic information system (GIS) technology capabilities for OSCE executive structures, in particular those in the field. GIS will provide a modern and effective information and communications technology tool to increase the OSCE’s overall efficiency and effectiveness. 

This project will be implemented in close collaboration with the Department of Management and Finance/Information and Communication Technology Services (DMF/ICTS). In addition to this post, the project also comprises an ExB post of Geographic Information Officer.

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre for Operations Service, as Senior Geographic Information Officer, you will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Designing, developing, and deploying tailored GIS applications, reports, interactive content, and tools that meet business requirements;
2. Leading the definition and documentation of GIS development lifecycle standards and procedures for the project team;
3. Engaging users to gather and analysing functional and non-functional requirements, and documents them as functional and technical specifications; 
4. Analysing users’ needs and processes, assessing potential or existing problem situations or opportunities, and designing technical solutions (including developing GIS data from many sources of information including forms, tabular, semi-structured, unstructured, and API sites); 
5. Managing the enterprise GIS system and supporting infrastructure (including troubleshooting, debugging, resolving technical issues related to GIS applications, updates, and backups) and defining and documenting system administration processes;
6. Designing and implementing the operational support and maintenance arrangements for the GIS systems developed as part of the project, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), service level agreements (SLAs), ticketing workflows, etc.;
7. Designing and implementing quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures to ensure the accuracy and reliability of GIS data and systems; carrying out QA/QC activities including system testing, document review, and security testing; co-ordinating user acceptance testing;
8. Leading the design, development, and delivery of GIS training for ICT administrators and end-users.

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

Necessary Qualifications:

• Second-level university degree in Computer Science, Cartography, Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), or related fields; a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree;
• Recognized GIS certifications such as GIS Professional (GISP) and/or Esri Technical Certifications are desirable;
• Certification in project management (PRINCE2 Foundation or equivalent) is desirable;
• Certification in ITIL (Foundation level or higher) is desirable;
• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional-level experience in implementing GIS solutions and using GIS technologies to solve complex geospatial problems;
• Experience in designing, developing, testing, and supporting enterprise GIS products based on Esri software including ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Pro;
• Experience in ArcGIS Enterprise and Online administration and customisation;
• Experience of business analysis, gathering and analysing user’s GIS functional requirements and translating them into technical specifications;
• Experience of working in a project-based environment as a GIS technical lead, senior analyst, or equivalent, responsible for planning, estimating, and managing development tasks;
• Experience of using GIS to collect, integrate, and analyse multiple data types;
• Knowledge of spatial database systems and web mapping applications;
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in geospatial analysis tools and methods; 
• Proven supervisory and vendor management experience;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills;
• Effective communication skills to convey geospatial information and insights to non-technical users and stakeholders; 
• Understanding of information security principles, and their application to handling sensitive geospatial information;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of team, with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• ESRI-compatible script production and querying through ArcPy (Python), Arcade, and/or SQL functions would be an asset;
• Understanding of geospatial standards and protocols (OGC, GeoJSON, WMS, WFS) would be an asset;
• Computer literate with proficiency in Microsoft Office products.

Remuneration Package:

Monthly remuneration is around EUR 9,400, with the actual monthly salary depending on post adjustment and family status. OSCE salaries are exempt from taxation in Austria. Social benefits will include possibility of participation in the  Cigna medical insurance scheme and the OSCE Provident Fund. Other allowances and benefits are similar to those  offered under the United Nations Common System.

Please note that appointments are normally made at step 1 of the applicable OSCE salary scale. 

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

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

Only those candidates 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 qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

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.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation, therefore the maximum period of service in this post is 7 years.

The mandatory retirement age at the OSCE is 65 years for contracted positions at the general service, professional and director level. The Organization shall apply an age limit of 63 years at the time of appointment as the incumbent selected is normally expected to carry out the contractual obligation of two years. 

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