Human Rights 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:

• 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;
• Knowledge and/or practical experience in human and community rights at international, central or local/municipal level. Alternatively, knowledge and/or experience in human rights monitoring in developing/transitional countries and/or experience with protection of vulnerable groups;
• Knowledge of the political setting of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo;
• Awareness of the situation of all communities in Kosovo;
• Ability to produce analytical reports, very good report writing skills;
• Professional fluency in the English language;
• Relevant international experience;
• 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;
• Cultural sensitivity and judgment;
• Interpersonal and diplomatic skills;
• Political awareness and understanding;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and with limited time frames;
• Ability to operate windows applications, including word processing and e-mail.
• Possession of a valid automobile driving license and ability to drive using manual transmission is a requirement for this post; new hires will be required to pass an OMIK administered driving test using a manual transmission vehicle within six months of assuming the post and be able to confidently self-drive.

Desirable:

• International work experience and/or experience in field missions, preferably in South Eastern Europe;
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: return, reintegration, education, access to services, participation and representation, security, dialogue, language rights, inclusion of vulnerable communities, inter-faith dialogue, cultural heritage, property rights, judicial institutions, non-judicial human rights mechanisms;
• Experience in negotiation/mediation;
• Knowledge of local language or most common lingua franca.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Communities Officer, implements the programmatic goals of the Department of Human Rights and Communities (DHRC) and supports its development in the Regional Office  as determined by the senior management of the DHRC and in co-operation with the Regional Center Director. The successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Pro-actively monitoring and building the capacities of local institutions and communities' mechanisms in the field of human and communities' rights, assessing/evaluating developing and proposing remedial actions when appropriate. This includes reporting, advocacy, as well as other forms of assistance or advice, aiming to improve compliance with international human rights standards and communities’ rights principles;

2. Regularly meeting local counterparts to exchange and gather information on human and communities’ rights related issues, assessing and reporting on developments, successes and concerns regarding compliance with human and communities’ rights standards;

3. Co-operating closely and co-ordinating work with colleagues in the Regional Office, as well as with the DHRC in the Headquarters, in particular the relevant Section (such as the Communities Section) within the DHRC;

4. Being responsible to identify key human and communities' rights related issues in the incumbent's area of responsibility and, where deemed necessary, follows up with analytical reporting, including recommendations to the Senior Communities Officer, the Regional Center Director and the DHRC in the Headquarters;

5. Assisting in project development, implementing project activities, and evaluating impact and achievements at the regional/local level;

6. Reaching out to all local communities, assessing their situation and reporting on identifying needs;

7. Drafting and assisting the drafting of policy recommendations that address specific human rights and communities’ rights issues/concerns;

8. Contributing to the reporting and to periodical analytical reports of the DHRC;

9. Performing other duties as required.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, please see: https://www.osce.org/mission-in-kosovo

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 the vacancy notice, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment/assignment at a lower grade or to offer an appointment/assignment with a modified job description/terms of reference or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

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.