Chief of Criminal Justice and Police Reform Unit (STA)

Background:

OSCE field operations are the front line of the OSCE’s engagement on the ground, supporting host authorities in fulfilling OSCE commitments and implementing a comprehensive approach to security. The OSCE Mission to Skopje is the Organization's longest-serving field operation working on social cohesion, fundamental rights, gender equality, the rule of law, good governance, integrity and anticorruption, criminal justice and police reform.

This is a temporary position with a start date of as soon as possible and an initial duration of 5 months and 29 days with a possibility of an extension.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Public Safety and Community Outreach Department, the incumbent will be responsible for the overall management of the Criminal Justice and Police Reform Unit, more specifically:

1. Functioning as the main contact on all policy matters related to criminal justice and police reform; ensuring that the criminal justice and police reform components are fully aligned with other related work of the Mission;
2. Leading the development and implementation of the overall strategy and policy framework related to the police/prosecution protocol as well as coordinating and supervising the Mission’s support to the implementation of the Police Prosecution Protocol;
3. Providing recommendations to the Mission’s leadership on the analysis, development, and implementation of law enforcement and prosecution capacity building programs/projects in the area of criminal justice, anti-corruption and police reform;
4. Assisting the Ministry of the Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, prosecutors and other actors in the criminal justice chain in identifying and analyzing challenges/needs/risks, as well as improving strategies, policies and practices in investigations and prosecutions, and proposing appropriate initiatives, plans, projects and activities to address them;
5. Providing training, advice and mentoring to prosecutors and investigators as well as to Mission members on the correct application of the Criminal Code and the Law on Criminal Procedure;
6. Overseeing the Mission’s contribution to the training, advising, and mentoring of criminal justice sector officials to establish expertise in building, prosecuting, and hearing cases related to all forms of criminality, and acting as contact point for capacity building interventions involving police and prosecutors that focus on specific criminal offences;
7. Promoting and facilitating national and international coordination and cooperation among all the relevant authorities and agencies involved in capacity building and other initiatives with respect to professionalizing the criminal investigations process;
8. Participating in the delivery of activities and mentoring to national law enforcement, prosecutorial and judicial trainers or other relevant staff on criminal investigations;  
9. Leading the case study analysis of selected adjudicated cases to identify best practices and gaps, and based on monitoring of ongoing investigations, proposing specialized training programmes and/or other measures to address these gaps;
10. Organizing, facilitating or participating/representing the Mission in various events aimed at improving capacities to address existing criminal justice challenges with an emphasis on related problems and challenges; 
11. Coordinating activities with relevant international partners to prevent duplication and overlap; cooperating with neighboring OSCE missions for promoting a regional approach while providing assistance in various aspects associated with professionalizing the criminal justice process;  
12. Having overall management responsibility for the Unit, supervising 20+ Mission Members (international and local), providing organizational, administrative, financial and logistical decisions; directing and guiding the programmatic implementation in close liaison with line managers under supervision;
13. Having cross-departmental coordination responsibility, working in close coordination with the Mission’s Chief of Policy and Planning Unit, OPAC and colleagues in the Human Dimension Department and the Community Outreach Unit on related issues;
14. Ensuring an effective expenditure of OSCE Unified Budget and extra-budgetary funds for the Unit, preparing as needed, budget revisions and annual budget submissions for the Head of the Department’s consideration;
15. Performing other tasks as assigned. 

For more detailed information on the work of OSCE Mission to Skopje, please see www.osce.org/skopje

Necessary Qualifications:

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 a manual transmission;
•    Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours and in an environment with limited infrastructure.

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

•    University education in law or significant work experience in criminal justice and/or law enforcement 
•    Experience in the practice of law, e.g. judges, prosecutors, lawyers, etc. 
•    Knowledge of courtroom proceedings and criminal law and procedure 
•    Knowledge of international legal procedure standards and instruments
•    Demonstrable organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills 

Furthermore, the candidates should fulfill the following specific requirements:
Mandatory:

• International mission members in the OSCE are internationally recruited. For the purposes of OSCE Missions (Field Operations) this means that they are hired to work in a duty station outside of their home country or country of permanent residence. As a result, nationals and permanent residents of the duty station are not eligible for international mission member positions. In the case of individuals with multiple nationalities, candidates are still ineligible for consideration even if using another citizenship for application while simultaneously maintaining the citizenship or permanent residence status of the country where the duty station is located;
• Second level university degree in law and significant work experience in criminal justice and/or law enforcement and/or prosecution;
• Strong leadership skills and experience managing multinational teams; 
• At least 6 years of proven experience in working in the criminal justice chain, specialized crime investigation and prosecution, and/or legal analysis and reforms within the criminal justice sector;
• Proven work experience in project management, in particular researching, identifying, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating specific projects and/or activities relating to criminal justice as well as police reform;
• Proven experience in liaison and collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, prosecutor’s offices, international and regional Inter-Governmental Organizations, Civil Society and Non-Government Organizations as well as independent experts;
• Advanced problem solving and decision-making skills, ability to work with own initiative and minimum supervision, including the ability to multi-task, work under pressure and within limited timescale;
• Proven facilitation, training, coaching and mentoring experience;
• Professional fluency in English and effective oral and written communication and presentation skills;
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different gender and cultural and religious backgrounds and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender and youth perspective into tasks and activities;
• Computer literate with practical experience with Microsoft applications.

Desirable:

• International experience, particularly with multi-national and international organisations;
• Understanding of the principles of codified law and its application into criminal investigations; 
• Good understanding of the political and security situation of the Western Balkans, in particular North Macedonia;
• Knowledge of the local language or most common lingua franca spoken in the mission area.

Remuneration Package:

The incumbent shall be entitled to receive Board and Lodging Allowance (BLA) at the current daily rate of 123.00 EUR, in accordance with applicable OSCE procedures.
Social benefits will include participation in the OSCE Group Insurance Scheme and the OSCE will cover 50% as the employer’s share of the monthly premium and the premiums for Cigna Life & Accident Disability.

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.

Candidates interviewed and found suitable in the recruitment process for this vacancy notice will be placed on a roster of suitable candidates, 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 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 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.