Senior Adviser on National Minorities (S2)

General Minimum Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working with the OSCE are:

• Excellent physical condition
• Possession of a valid automobile driving license and ability to drive using 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 degree in political sciences, social sciences, international relations, public policy, law or equivalent professional experience
• Work experience in either public administration, relevant international organizations, civic associations (including NGOs), political parties/affairs, or economic and political development
• Demonstrable organizational, communication, analytical and interpersonal skills

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

First-level university degree in a relevant field; a second-level university degree in a relevant field is preferred.

Experience:

A minimum of 6 years (4 years with a second-level university degree) of relevant professional experience.

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• Experience in the area of national minority issues, human rights, and/or democratization, including at least two years at international level;
• Demonstrated managerial experience and proven ability to supervise staff;
• Solid understanding of democratic development in post-conflict and multi-ethnic environments, with special focus on national minorities;
• Experience in policy formulation, project/programme cycle management and co-ordination with donors and implementing agencies;
• Professional fluency in the English language, both oral and written, with demonstrated drafting, editing, presentation, and communication skills;
• 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;
• Demonstrated gender and youth awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender and youth perspectives into tasks and activities;
• Computer literacy with practical experience in Microsoft packages.

Desirable:

• Excellent knowledge of international standards and best practices in the protection of national minorities;
• Familiarity with political and historical developments in Serbia and/or South-Eastern Europe;
• Second-level university degree in a management discipline is an asset;
• Knowledge of the local language or the most common lingua franca spoken in the mission area.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The National Minorities Section (the Section) of the Mission's Democratization Department works on strengthening Serbia's institutional framework regarding national minorities and the capacity of Serbia's institutions to ensure compliance with relevant OSCE commitments, while promoting inter-culturalism across Serbia. Within this context and under the direct supervision of the Head of the Democratization Department, the Senior Adviser on National Minorities is responsible for:

1. Overseeing the work of the Section in planning, developing and implementing the Section's programme and projects in accordance with the Mission's mandate, Department's objectives, OSCE project and programmatic guidelines and administrative regulatory framework;
2. Ensuring that programmes and tasks executed by the Section, including extra-budgetary projects, are effectively managed; establishing mechanisms for effective monitoring and self-evaluation of projects and activities;
3. Supervising and managing the Section’s reporting, analyses, publication and public outreach; ensuring the Section’s written output follows the Mission’s requirements and established practice; preparing and delivering speeches, briefings and presentations; attending and representing the Section at relevant internal and external events; accompanying the Mission’s management in relevant meetings;
4. Ensuring that the Section provides high-quality expert advice to the Head of the Department and the Mission's management on the Mission's priorities, policies and interventions in the area of the Section's competencies, including through regular reporting and analyses; ensuring that the protection of national minorities is synergetic with other interventions of the Mission; co-ordinating and contributing to the work of the Section with other Departments in the Mission, particularly the field outlets in Bujanovac and Novi Pazar;
5. Liaising and maintaining effective relations with the Section's interlocutors, government officials, international organizations, civil society representatives and national minority representatives, to ensure the best use of OSCE resources, compatibility of projects and a co-ordinated approach; liaising with the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities;
6. Supervising and managing two national staff members, appraising their performance and identifying development opportunities;
7. Providing support to the Head of Department, including with co-ordination and review of tasks, representing and acting on behalf of the Head of the Department, as assigned;
8. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, please see http://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.

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

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.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/. If your participating State does not provide the option to apply online for seconded positions, you are kindly requested to submit your offline application form available at https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/offline-application-form to the respective OSCE delegation whose address can be found at https://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations.

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. 

Please be aware that OSCE appointments are subject to medical clearance. 

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