Call for International experts on Probation and Penal Reform (SSAs)

Background:

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (further – the Office), within the framework of its Rule of Law activities, strives to support the Host Country’s efforts in the area of penal reform and the establishment of a functional probation system through a complex and multi-stakeholder approach. Since 2020, in close partnership with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan and civil society organizations, the Office has facilitated legislative, institutional, and capacity-building improvements aimed at humanizing the penitentiary system and protecting the rights of persons in conflict with the law The Project supports the implementation of the National Strategy on Penal Reform for 2020-2030 and the corresponding National Action Plan through:

• Legislative Reform: supporting the development of legislative frameworks for probation and the revision of the Criminal Executive Code;

• Institutional Capacity Building: strengthening the capacity of the Main Prison Department and the newly established probation services to implement alternative sentencing and non-custodial measures:

• Rehabilitation and Reintegration: developing prisoner classification and risk assessment tool and related rehabilitation program to facilitate the successful social reintegration of adult and juvenile offenders;

• Strengthening Partnerships: fostering dialogue between state authorities, civil society, and international counterparts to ensure transparent and human rights-based penal reform.
   

Objective of Assignment: 

The objective of this roster call is to expand the Office’s pool of qualified international experts in the areas of probation, alternative sentencing, and broader penal and penitentiary reform. Probation system development is the primary focus of this roster: Tajikistan has recently finalised a draft Law on Probation and is now engaged in the foundational work required to operationalize a functioning Probation Service within the Main Prison Department. Expert input on probation design, institutionalization, and capacity-building is therefore the most immediate need.  However, the Office also seeks to maintain capacity across the wider penal and penitentiary reform field. Experts with backgrounds in penitentiary management, prison system reform, rehabilitation, and offender reintegration are also invited to apply, and may be mobilized to support complementary activities under the existing programme.  Preference will be given to experts who:

1. Possess practical experience in designing or establishing probation systems, including clarity on probation terminology, institutional roles, and the legislative frameworks that underpin them;

2. Understand the full offender management cycle, including the interfaces between courts, prisons, probation services, and community reintegration mechanisms, and can advise on how these systems should be coordinated;

3. Have experience working in transitional contexts where probation is underdeveloped or newly emerging, and understand the particular institutional and cultural challenges of establishing non-custodial systems in such environments;

4. Can support both technical design work (legal frameworks, institutional regulations, operational manuals) and capacity-building activities (training design and delivery, Trainer-of-Trainers programmes, guidance notes);

5. Alternatively (or additionally), bring expertise in penitentiary management, prison system governance, prisoner classification and risk assessment, rehabilitation programming, or penitentiary staff training — areas which remain active components of the Office’s broader penal reform portfolio.
    

Necessary Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in Law, Criminology, Criminal Justice, Social Work, Public Policy, or a related field;

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in criminal justice reform, penal system development, probation system design, or related fields, including experience in a government, judicial, or international organization context;;

• Experience in legal analysis and reporting, application of international standards to domestic legislation and legal frameworks;

• Regional experience with post-Soviet or transitional criminal justice systems, including first-hand familiarity with the institutional and cultural context of penal reform in Central Asia or comparable environments;

• Extensive experience in working with relevant government agencies in application of aspects of the UN guidelines, handbooks and other related international standards on penal reform;

• Excellent research, analytical and reporting skills;

• Good organizational and communication skills;

• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications;

• Familiarity with penitentiary staff training design, including needs assessment, curriculum development, or Trainer-of-Trainers methodologies, is an asset;

• Professional fluency in English language;

• Experience in working with international organizations and fluency in Russian is advantageous;

• 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.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, please see: https://dushanbe.osce.org/.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

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 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.

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.

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