Head, Office of Political Affairs and Communications (S4)

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: 

• Second-level university degree in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields
• Diplomatic experience or experience working in political affairs with international organisations or governments
• Experience in preparing analytical reports
• Excellent communication and drafting skills
• Knowledge of regional political history and developments
• Diplomatic and negotiating skills
• Some knowledge of the OSCE principles and commitments

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

Second-level university degree in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree

Experience:

Minimum 10 years of relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 5 years at the management level relevant to the actual position

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• Experience in the political field, preferably in an advisory capacity, political analysis and/or political reporting;
• Ability to establish contacts, develop and maintain relations with high-level political actors, as well as government officials and institutions;
• Knowledge of different aspects of public information, communication and advocacy;
• Flexibility and ability to work and manage the work of others in a high-pressure environment with limited time frames;
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and meet tight deadlines;
• Knowledge of different aspects of public information, communication and advocacy;
• Demonstrable analytical, problem-solving, diplomatic, interpersonal and organizational skills;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills;
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relations 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 awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Computer literate with practical experience with Microsoft applications. 
  
  

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the regional political history and the political and cultural sensitivities of the country and region, with prior experience working in international organizations in the region;
• Experience working with (or in) state institutions, legislative bodies, international organizations, and/or in civil society;
• Knowledge of the local language or most common lingua franca spoken in the Mission area.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head of Mission, the incumbent will be responsible for:

1. Advising the Head of Mission in defining general Mission policy and in developing official stances on issues of political importance for the Mission and the Organization;
2. Monitoring and analyzing the political situation and developments in the country and the region and providing information to the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission;
3. Supervising and managing all aspects of the Office’s political function, including drafting and providing necessary revisions for Mission Activity Reports, the Unit’s weekly reports, ad hoc reports, analyses, talking points, briefing materials, media posts, media statements and other related documents. Reviewing and contributing to the drafting of Mission strategies, concepts and approaches to new challenges;
4. Establishing and maintaining contact at the central level with representatives of political parties, and liaising with State institutions, Government bodies, partner organizations and participating State (pS) embassies. Providing informational briefings to third parties on political issues, as tasked. Advocating for the Mission’s goals and values to raise awareness of the Mission’s work with local and international actors;
5. Acting as the Principal Spokesperson of the Mission and the Principal Advisor to the HoM and senior management on the Mission’s communications and relations with media;
6. Overseeing the development of communication and advocacy policies and strategies for the Mission, aimed at increasing public understanding of the work of OSCE and generating maximum coverage of Mission activities in local, regional, and international media;
7. Directing, managing, supervising and planning the work of the two international and six national staff;
8. In co-ordination with the Head of Mission, and Deputy Head of Mission, representing the Unit and/or Mission at relevant conferences, seminars, meetings and other events;
9. Providing advice on the creation and support for the implementation of the Mission’s programmatic work and providing inputs to the Mission’s strategic programmatic documents;
10. Performing other tasks as required.      

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

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/assignments are subject to medical clearance. 

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