International Consultant - Expert on Virtual Assets (SSA Roster Call)

Disclaimer

Please note that this is a call for consultancy assignments of a temporary nature, with an expected cumulative duration of up to 180 working days within one calendar year, depending on specific project requirements and activities.

Background

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest regional security organization, with a comprehensive approach to security encompassing politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counterterrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairpersonship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.  The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) promotes economic prosperity, good governance, and co-operation among participating States to foster peace, security, and stability.

The OCEEA is implementing the extra-budgetary project “Innovative Policy Solutions to Mitigate Money-Laundering Risks of Virtual Assets”. The project assists OSCE participating States in addressing the challenges and risks posed by the misuse of virtual assets (VAs) and virtual asset service providers (VASPs) for criminal purposes, including money laundering, terrorism financing, and sanctions evasion. Its overall objective is to strengthen the capacities of national authorities – including Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), Central Banks, Prosecutor’s Offices, supervisory and compliance authorities, and law enforcement agencies – to design and implement effective regulatory, investigative, and enforcement frameworks in line with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations, in particular Recommendation 15 and its Interpretive Note on Virtual Assets and Recommendation 16 (Travel Rule).

The OCEEA supports national authorities by facilitating regulatory development, policy dialogue, and inter-agency co-operation, and by strengthening institutional capacities through targeted training and technical assistance.

Objective of the Roster

In order to deliver the above objectives, the OCEEA is establishing a Roster of Experts on Virtual Assets and Blockchain-based Finance to provide thematic and technical expertise for project activities across Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, Central Asia, and Mongolia.

The roster will serve as a pool of qualified international and national experts who can be mobilized to contribute to:

• Development of national risk assessments and policy recommendations related to VAs;

• Delivery of training workshops on blockchain analytics, investigation, compliance, and supervision;

• Preparation of country roadmaps, gap analyses, and regulatory reviews;

• Design and implement capacity-building materials and activities, including simulation exercises, practical case studies, and FIU-law enforcement cooperation modules;

• Support in drafting or revising VA-related legislation and regulatory frameworks in line with FATF Recommendations 15 and 16 and international standards;

• Contributing to research and publication efforts aimed to raise awareness about virtual assets and blockchain finance in the beneficiary participating States.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the OSCE/OCEEA, selected experts may be tasked to:

1. Design, prepare, and deliver capacity-building workshops on AML/CFT risks of virtual assets, blockchain investigation, supervision, and compliance monitoring;

2. Contribute to the development of guidelines/manuals for beneficiary agencies, covering areas such as: 
   • Regulation and supervision of VASPs (off-site and on-site);
   • Enforcement of compliance and risk-based supervision;
   • Customer due diligence (CDD) and enhanced due diligence (EDD);
   • Investigation and tracing of virtual assets using blockchain analytics;
   • Typologies of offences involving virtual assets;
   • Prosecution of offences involving virtual assets;
   • Seizure, confiscation, and management of criminal virtual assets;
   • Taxation and reporting aspects of VAs;
   • Gender-inclusive approaches to virtual assets and digital finance;
   • International co-operation and information exchange.
3. Provide expert advice on national policy frameworks, risk assessment methodologies, and institutional arrangements for VA oversight;
4. Support the preparation of training curricula, exercises, and case studies tailored to beneficiary countries;
5. Contribute to research, reports, evaluations, and lessons-learned documents to ensure sustainability and institutional memory of project results.

Assignments may be conducted remotely and/or on-site in participating States.

Necessary Qualifications

• Second-level university degree in law, economics, finance, information technology, or related discipline;
• Minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the following fields:
• Combating money laundering and terrorism financing (AML/CFT);
• Supervision and regulation of virtual assets and VASPs;
• Blockchain analytics and investigation of financial crime;
• Digital asset compliance, policy development, or financial supervision;

1. Demonstrated expertise in blockchain technology, virtual asset operations, and associated risk mitigation mechanisms;
2. Experience working with FIUs, Central Banks, VASPs, law enforcement, or regulatory authorities on AML/CFT matters;
3. Strong analytical, drafting, and presentation skills;
4. Professional fluency in English; knowledge of Russian or other OSCE languages is an asset;
5. Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity and the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities; 
6. Ability to work effectively with diverse counterparts and in multicultural environments;
7. Previous experience with international organizations (e.g., OSCE, UNODC, CoE, FATF) is an advantage.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

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 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.

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 the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.