Language Assistant (G4, 50%)

Background:

Please note that this position will be on a fixed-term (50% of full time) with a duration from as soon as possible to 30 April 2026.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, combating human trafficking, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism 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 Secretary General (OSG) plays a key role in supporting the Secretary General in the effective implementation of his/her mandate and specific tasks given to him/her by the OSCE participating States. This includes primarily assisting the Secretary General in his/her activities, serving as a focal point for liaison and support to the Chairperson-in-Office, and co-ordinating tasks across the Secretariat. It groups horizontal services such as Executive Management, Communications and Media Relations, Legal Services, External Co-operation, Security Management, Gender Issues, Conference and Language Services, Central Records Management, and oversees the OSCE Documentation Centre in Prague (DCiP). The OSG ensures effective co-ordination of policy advice provided to the Secretary General and the Chairpersonship, and management decisions taken by the Secretary General.

Conference and Language Services provides professional support to the decision-making bodies of the OSCE and the respective delegations on matters dealing with the organization of meetings, including interpretation and translation, documents control, editing and text processing services. The Language Services Section co-ordinates linguistic and text processing support for meetings and the OSCE Secretariat.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Russian Translation Unit is part of Conference and Language Services, in the Office of the Secretary General. The Unit receives documents from the Documents Control Unit for processing and translation. Official OSCE documents are translated into one or more of the six official OSCE languages.

If selected for the position, you will work under the supervision of the Supervisor, Documents Control, and will be providing overall support to the translators in the Russian Translation Unit. In detail, you will be responsible for the following:

1. Processing and formatting documents, including statements, decisions and journals of meetings;
2. Organizing and maintaining the electronic filing system of the Service, ensuring that all files are properly indexed for easy reference;
3. Preparing documents for translation using the appropriate computer-aided translation (CAT) tool, including;

• Maintaining and updating computer files of the translation memories of the CAT tool;
• Providing references for the translators and assisting them with their terminology queries;
• Seeking and entering, in close co-ordination with the translators, new terms in the terminology and reference database of the CAT tool, including selecting the most reliable sources and providing appropriate definitions and explanations;

       4. Proofreading finalized translations for completeness, layout and spelling;

       5. Assisting with the training of new team members; acting as a backup for other team members and assisting with any other related tasks as needed;

     6. Taking steps to improve work practices and recommending workflow streamlining within the organizational unit to achieve efficient process delivery;

       7. Performing general file management of finalized work on the computer (e.g. keeping journals and decisions separate, keeping files in the respective language in the subdirectory exactly in line with the file plan and the five other languages).

       8. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat, please see: https://www.osce.org/
secretariat

Necessary Qualifications:

• Completed secondary education;
• A minimum of four years of relevant experience; a university degree in a relevant field may be considered as a substitute for up to two years of working experience only to determine eligibility;
• Experience in word processing and proofreading, with a high standard of speed and accuracy;
• Experience in using databases, document workflow systems and language service related software;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills; excellent written and spoken communication skills in Russian including spelling and grammar at the mother-tongue level; knowledge of another official OSCE language an advantage;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability and willingness to work as a member of team, with people of different cultural, and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Digital literacy and proficient use of Microsoft applications.

Remuneration Package:

Monthly remuneration, subject to social security deduction, is around EUR 2,020 (12 times a year) depending on family status. OSCE salaries are exempt from taxation in Austria. Social benefits will include possibility of participation in the Cigna medical insurance scheme and the OSCE Provident Fund.

Appointments are normally made at Step 1 of the applicable OSCE salary scale. In exceptional cases, an initial appointment at up to Step 3 may be considered. This depends on factors such as relevant experience exceeding minimum requirements or higher previous remuneration. Any such request by a candidate must be reviewed and approved by the OSCE before the appointment.

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, to offer an appointment at a lower grade 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.

Candidates interviewed and found suitable in the recruitment process for this vacancy notice will be placed on a roster of suitable candidates (valid for three years) for fixed-term posts, should a suitable opportunity arise. The placement on a roster does not guarantee a future appointment or assignment.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see https://www.osce.org/participating-states.

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 note that for this position the OSCE does not reimburse expenses such as travel in connection with interviews, tests, visas and relocation.

Please be aware that OSCE appointments are subject to medical clearance. 

The mandatory retirement age at the OSCE is 65 years for contracted positions at the general service, professional and director level. The Organization shall apply an age limit of 62 years at the time of appointment as the incumbent selected is normally expected to carry out the contractual obligation of two years. 

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