Political Affairs Officer (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: 

• University education in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields;
• Diplomatic experience or experience working in political affairs with international organizations 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:

First-level university degree in a relevant field; a second-level university degree in a relevant field is preferred. 

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience.

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• At least 6 years of relevant international work experience in international organizations and/or experience in OSCE field missions;
• Proven skills in political analysis and reporting, including ability to identify socio-political developments and analyze potential impact;
• Ability to draft and communicate messages clearly and effectively while tailoring language, tone, style and format to match the audience;
• Ability to establish contacts, develop and maintain relations with local political, institutional and civil society interlocutors, as well as with the diplomatic corps;
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and meet tight deadlines;
• Fluency in the English language, both oral and written, with demonstrated drafting and editing skills;
• Experience in supervising teams;
• Experience in the area of public affairs, including political and diplomatic skills as well as knowledge of protocol;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and with limited time frames;
• 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;
• Ability to operate windows applications, including word processing and e-mail.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the history and political and cultural sensitivities of the country and southeast Europe;
• Prior experience working in the region;
• Knowledge of the local language.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Head of Mission and the general direction of the Head of Mission, the Political Affairs Officer will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Advising the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission on political issues and providing advice and policy options on issues requiring a response or action by the Mission;
2. In co-ordination with the Mission’s Senior Management, managing, supervising and planning the work of two national mission members: National Political Officer and National Public Affairs Officer;
3. Monitoring and analyzing the political situation in the country and trends affecting the area of responsibility; monitoring and analyzing regional political and security developments; providing information to the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission; drafting the Mission’s reporting products including Activity Reports, background reports, spot reports and the Weekly Political Overview;
4. Drafting, reviewing and/or editing talking points, speeches, briefing materials and analyses for the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission; guiding the development and delivery of the Mission’s public affairs strategy; preparing and editing public statements, press releases;
5. Establishing and maintaining regular contacts with political, institutional and civil society interlocutors, as well as with the diplomatic corps and partner organizations;
6. Establishing and maintaining regular contacts with the Mission’s programmes to ensure good communication and the highest quality of the material prepared for the Senior Management; providing feedback to the Mission’s programmes on the OSCE and the Mission’s policies and practices regarding the preparation of talking points, speeches and other communication material; 
7. Establishing and maintaining regular contact with the relevant desk officer(s) in the OSCE Secretariat to ensure alignment with the OSCE-wide policies; 
8. In co-ordination with the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission, representing the Mission at relevant conferences, seminars, meetings and other events;
9. Providing informational briefings to third parties on political issues, as tasked;
10. Performing other duties as required.

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

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.

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.