Communities Protection Officer (S1)

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: 

• University education in political sciences, international relations, public policy, law, international human rights law or
  other human rights related fields
• Experience working with human rights, minority or gender issues
• Demonstrable organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience in drafting reports

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:
First level university degree or equivalent experience

Experience:
Minimum 2 years of relevant professional experience including minimum 1 year in a relevant field strongly preferred

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• University degree in law, political science, international relations or related field;
• Knowledge of international law and in particular on human rights and minority rights standards, or refugee law as well as the applicable legal framework in the area of responsibility;
• Experience in analysing information from various sources in order to assist in the formulation of recommendations on the creation or the improvement of protection mechanisms;
• Knowledge of the applicable standards related to the return of displaced persons and refugees;
• Knowledge of political environment in Kosovo;
• Knowledge of the situation of non-Albanian communities;
• Cultural sensitivity and judgement;
• Experience in producing analytical reports;
• Ability to design, implement and evaluate projects;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and with limited time frames;
• 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;
• Ability to operate windows applications, including word processing and e-mail;
• Proficient knowledge of the English language.

Desirable:

• Experience in negotiation/mediation;
• Knowledge of a local language or most common lingua franca;
• Previous experience in field missions, preferably in South Eastern Europe.
   

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Communities Section, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Analysing findings resulting from OMiK proactive monitoring of relevant institutions and municipalities from the protection of non-majority communities perspective including returns, and, together with the Senior Communities Protection Advisers, providing advice and recommendations on required actions and follow up measures;
2. Contributing to the planning of protection measures by proposing necessary actions for immediate and long-term solutions, and following up on the implementation of adopted recommendations and decisions;
3. Reviewing and commenting on proposed initiatives by relevant institutions; together with the Senior Communities Protection Advisers following up on the implementation of the Council of Europe's Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities;
4. Liaising with other relevant HQ Sections and maintaining close contacts with OMiK Field Teams, also providing feedback to their reports, and contributing to training sessions organized for the Field Teams;
5. Maintaining up-to-date records on non-majority communities' rights situation in Kosovo and in the region, contributing to drafting specific reports on trends and emerging non-majority communities' issues;
6. Participating in the drafting, implementation and evaluation of projects, targeting non-majority communities;
7. Reviewing and commenting on draft laws and regulations;
8. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, please see: Mission in Kosovo | OSCE

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.

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

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.