Senior Co-ordination Adviser (P4)

Background:

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 Chairmanship, and management decisions taken by the Secretary General. The OSG is led by a Director who also functions as the Head of Executive Management.

The Senior Co-ordination Adviser will closely assist the Director of the Office of the Secretary General. He/she will provide timely advice and inputs on matters which are escalated to the level of the Executive Management team or brought to the attention of the Secretary General, with a particular focus on managerial and administrative matters will be prevailing. The incumbent will be readily available to perform other related duties as they might be assigned by the Secretary General or the Director of the Office of the Secretary General.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Senior Co-ordination Adviser is a member of the Executive Management team and, under the general supervision of the Secretary General and the direct supervision of the Director of the Office of the Secretary General, is responsible for advising the Secretary General in discharging his/her duties as Chief Administrative Officer of the OSCE, particularly in relation to policy and OSCE Rules and Regulations. The incumbent is also responsible for supervising the preparation and consolidation of inputs for the Secretary General and the Director of the Office of the Secretary General, including speeches, travel files, analytical reports, talking points, briefing notes, background and other documents, coordinating preparation and providing input to their interventions before OSCE decision-making and negotiating bodies.

More specifically, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Co-ordinating, including with relevant Secretariat Departments/Units, the preparation and consolidation of inputs for the Secretary General, including speeches, travel files, analytical reports, talking points, briefing notes, background and other documents;
2. Co-ordinating and liaising with all other Secretariat Departments/Units in order to report and advise on thematic matters to the Director/OSG and the Secretary General;
3. Participating in internal management meetings and as appropriate, preparing meeting notes. May at times represent the Secretary General and/or the Director/OSG at these meetings;
4. Supporting the Director/OSG in ensuring that proper internal co-ordination precedes decision-making;
5. In close co-operation with the Senior Adviser, assisting the Director/OSG in reviewing incoming correspondence and documents before they reach the attention of the Secretary General, when appropriate, providing recommendation on the follow-up edits and revisions, ensuring the document flow functions efficiently;
6. Serving as the primary contact point for Chairpersonship support within OSG in ensuring proper co-ordination and follow-up to tasks from the Chair and Troika;
7. Acting on behalf of the Secretary General and the Director of the Office of the Secretary General on administrative, financial and human resources-related matters, in close co-ordination with the Directors of the Departments of Management and Finance, Human Resources and Internal Oversight;
8. When requested, represent the Secretary General and/or the Director/OSG in internal management meetings and interview boards, decision-making meetings and negotiating bodies and their working groups and, as appropriate, preparing meeting notes and recommendations for follow-up;
9. Co-ordinating activities of Units and supervising staff members of the Office of the Secretary General, particularly in relation to budget-related documentation (statement of programmatic priorities, programme Outline, unified budget, programme budget performance report, mid-year-review), ensuring the implementation of sound financial management and budgeting for the Office;
10. Monitoring and reviewing budgetary allocations, transactions and documents, and ensuring implementation of procedures to control budget and expenditures. Ensuring that effective monitoring reports and data is provided regularly. Identifying deviations from plans and proposing corrective measures;
11. Preparing files and internal papers for the Secretary General, advising him/her and the Director/OSG on administrative, financial and personnel matters;
12. As appropriate, closely liaising with the participating States in order to best advise the Secretary General and the Director/OSG on management issues and developments;
13. Performing other related 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:

• Second-level university degree preferably in international relations, business/administration, social sciences, public, international, business law. A first-level university degree in the relevant fields in combination with two additional years of relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree;
• A minimum of seven years (nine years with a relevant first-level university degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in administration and coordination of work in a dynamic office environment, preferably in a large governmental, intergovernmental or international organization;
• Sound judgement and high levels of tact and political sensitivity in routinely interacting with senior officials, prior experience in working across an extensive network of senior internal and external stakeholders would be an asset;
• Previous experience in effectively reviewing, developing and managing workflows and standard operating procedures, communication flows and protocol procedures is strongly desirable;
• Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds whilst remaining impartial and objective;
• Proven managerial and analytical skills; high degree of initiative with ability to proactively identify problems and recommend solutions;
• Good knowledge of the OSCE and its areas of activity;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written), drafting, editing and report-writing skills; knowledge of other OSCE working languages would be an asset;
• 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 Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint), internet.

Remuneration Package:

Monthly remuneration is around EUR 9,400, with the actual monthly salary depending on post adjustment and 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. Other allowances and benefits are similar to those offered under the United Nations Common System.

Please note that appointments are normally made at step 1 of the applicable OSCE salary scale.

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.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation, therefore the maximum period of service in this post is 7 years.

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.