Associate Regional Project Officer (S)

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.
 
 

The duties and requirements of this seconded (S) position correspond to a P2-level role in the UN common system. 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.

Please note that this position is Extra-Budgetary (ExB) funded until 31 December 2027.  

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 post is located in the Forum for Security Co-operation Support and Operations Support Service (FOSS) within the OSCE Secretariat, Conflict Prevention Centre. It is an ExB post within the project "Strengthening OSCE action against the illicit proliferation of Small Arms & Light Weapons (SALW) and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition (SCA) - Phase 3", which is currently envisaged to last 3 years. In addition to this post, the project also comprises the following ExB posts: Project Co-ordinator, Associate Project Officer, Seconded Project Officer, and Project Assistant.

The FOSS works to support the implementation of politico-military commitments of the OSCE participating States, particularly in areas related to arms control, confidence- and security-building measures in promotion of transparency and military stability in the OSCE area, and supports the Forum for Security Co-operation, serving as its operational arm in administrative and expert assistance in operationalizing the SALW and SCA assistance mechanism. Within this context, the FSC Projects Unit (PU) is responsible for project management, covering a wide variety of tasks related to SALW and SCA assistance ExB projects, such as organizing expert assessments, supporting the ExB development, fundraising, information sharing, and implementation. Lastly, on behalf of the Forum for Security Co-operation, the FSC PU operationalizes the clearinghouse's role in the field of SALW and SCA control by collecting and sharing information, aligning donor support with identified needs, and helping co-ordinate regional and international arms control initiatives. Other posts in the FOSS related to SALW/SCA work include: Chief, FSC Support Officer, Chief, FSC Projects Unit, Network and Confidence and Security Building Measures Officer, and Associate Project Officer.

Tasks and Responsibilities:
 

To support the implementation and co-ordination, and contribute to the efforts of participating States (pS) in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) to establish a Regional Canine Training Center through a tailored set of project activities. To strive, in co-ordination with SEE beneficiaries, international partners, and based on national ownership, to ensure that implementation activities are synchronized, coherent, and complementary. Provide support and advice where appropriate, oversee the work of external experts and partners to support project implementation.

Working under the supervision of the Project Co-ordinator, the Associate Regional Project Officer supports the project by providing advice and guidance beneficiaries on all aspects related to the planning and implementation of the project activities, and consults, where required, with other OSCE executive structures, participating States and/or partner organizations.

The Associate Regional Project Officer supports the implementation of Activity no. 2.2 delivering tailor-made support to the OSCE assistance providing states necessary for their timely and effective allocation of resources to SALW and SCA assistance mechanism. 

The incumbent reports to and operates under the first-level supervision of the Project Co-ordinator of the project “Strengthening OSCE action against the illicit proliferation of Small Arms & Light Weapons (SALW) and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition (SCA) - Phase 3”; the Chief, FSC Projects Unit serves as the second-level supervisor.

The incumbent regularly liaises with current and prospective donors and more specifically, will be tasked with the following:

1. Providing advice and supporting co-ordination, with a view to enabling the establishment of a Regional Canine Training Center in South-Eastern Europe;

2. Supporting the development, of the project by identifying potential project activities; preparing project and activity proposals; proposing implementation modalities; monitoring expenditures; providing briefings to donors; and supporting fundraising. Conducting assessment missions to each one of the SEE law enforcement, Canine governance, and training structures;

3. Reviewing and adjusting the project outputs and activities to ensure consistency with national, regional, and sectoral priorities and programs. Using available resources, accomplish the following:
   - Conducting consultations with potential beneficiary pS, partners and donor pS;
   - Organizing awareness raising and fundraising meetings in Vienna and capitals of the pS;
   - Developing a Concept Note and a draft ExB project document that would provide technical assistance to the beneficiary pS to harmonize regulatory frameworks for service dog training and the use of service dogs by law enforcement institutions of SEE necessary for the establishment and functioning of a Regional Canine Training Center in South-Eastern Europe;

4. Exchanging information and formulating, planning project activities with government officials; donors and international partners;

5. Systematically monitoring and expediting project implementation through discussions and correspondence with technical, and project staff, field visits, analyzing periodic project progress reports, participating in project reviews; utilizing information obtained as an input to corrective revisions;

6. Organizing and conducting briefings and debriefings on projects with special regard for the country and regional aspects, resources, and development characteristics;

7. Conducting six (6) consultations organized in support of the development and operationalization of the SEE regional K9 Training Center; organizing four (4) awareness-raising meetings and engagements with potential donors and strategic partners: Developing one (1) Concept Note followed by a draft of the dedicated ExB project that will support the establishment of the SEE Regional Training Center;

8. Drafting regular progress reports submitted to the Project Co-ordinator (P3) of the project "Strengthening OSCE action against the illicit proliferation of Small Arms & Light Weapons (SALW) and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition (SCA) - Phase 3" for donor reporting;

9. Conducting frequent duty travel within South-Eastern and Eastern Europe as required.
   
    

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 international security, political science, law enforcement, military/technical engineering, or related field;
• A recognized project management certification would be an asset;
• A minimum of four years (2 years with second-level university degree) of progressively responsible professional-level law-enforcement field experience and project management;
• Experience in canine capacity building would be an asset;
• Law enforcement or Military service officer experience would be an asset;
• A previous experience of at least 1 years in an international environment is required;
• Experience in the field of canine would be an asset;
• Proven knowledge of project management, ideally including knowledge transfer/training;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Working knowledge of Albanian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin or North Macedonian languages would be an asset;
• 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;
• Digital literacy and proficient use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), internet.
   

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.

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 interviewed and found suitable in the recruitment process for this vacancy notice will be placed on a roster of suitable candidates (valid for three years) for fixed-term posts open for secondment, should a suitable opportunity arise. The placement on a roster does not guarantee a future appointment or assignment.

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.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation; therefore, the maximum period of service in this post is 10 years.

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.

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.