Human Rights Adviser, Economic and Social Rights (S2)

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: 

• First-level university degree 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
• Experience in drafting reports

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

First-level university degree in political or social sciences, international relations, public policy, international human rights law or other human rights related fields

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has 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;
• First-level university degree in political or social sciences, international relations, public policy, international human rights law or other human rights related fields;
• Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience;
• Experience working with human rights, vulnerable categories or gender issues;
• Experience in project management;
• Demonstrable organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills;
• Experience in drafting reports;
• Sound knowledge of international legal standards and ability to understand domestic legal provisions;
• Experience in establishing contacts and working effectively with a wide range of government officials, civil society representatives and organizations;
• Ability to apply policies and laws to obtain tangible results;
• Ability and readiness to work in a stressful environment under time constraints; 
• 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;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

Desirable:

• Minimum of 2 years of relevant managerial experience;
• Knowledge of Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian;
• Knowledge of the political and legal framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Working experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina or in the region.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Human Rights, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Proactively leading the planning and implementation of the portfolio on access to social and economic rights for people in vulnerable situation;

2. Reviewing policy and planning pertaining to economic and social rights to identify gaps or overlaps and devises effective strategies and activities to fill or remove these gaps; Working closely with the National Legal Officer covering the social and economic rights portfolio in identifying human rights violations and prepares recommendations with the aim of advocating for their implementation;

3. Analysing information provided by Human Rights Officers in the field , co-operating with the Head of the Human Rights to devise concrete recommendations, and working closely with field officers to translate these recommendations into effective intervention strategies at the local level;

4. Providing regular, clear and concise overall guidance to Human Rights Officers in the field on the implementation of their activities and their co-operation with the relevant institutions;

5. Co-operating and communicating regularly with State and Entity-level institutions responsible for protecting economic and social rights and maintaining these relationships to ensure that human rights standards are mainstreamed into the work of these institutions;

6. Working closely with the Heads of Field Offices and Human Rights Officers in the field to keep track of policy developments at entity, cantonal and municipal levels, assessing the impact of these developments on overall policy, and advising on appropriate strategies to address any issues arising;

7. Working with other International Community (IC) actors to co-ordinate strategies to increase awareness of economic and social rights;

8. Working with civil society to develop and implement effective advocacy strategies that are aligned with the priorities of the economic and social rights portfolio;

9. Drafting or providing input in drafting key reports on economic and social rights;

10. Representing the Mission in meetings at State level and with IC actors;

11. Performing other related tasks as required.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, please see: https://www.osce.org/mission-to-bosnia-and-herzegovina

Please note that nationals or permanent residents of the duty station are not eligible to apply.

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.

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. 

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.