Senior Political and Communications 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: 

• Experience in working in or with the media or in public relations, particularly in gathering, organizing, editing and disseminating information
• Excellent oral and written English communication skills, including the ability to prepare news- related documents and public presentations in simple, clear language for a broad non-diplomatic audience  
• Good analytical and interpersonal skills

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education: A first-level university degree in journalism, international relations or related field, communications, public relations, media studies or professional certification in journalism, public relations or media technology.
 

Experience: Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience.

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;
• Extensive experience in international organizations, preferably in an advisory capacity, political analysis and reporting and/or strategic communication; 
• Experience as spokesperson and/or journalist;
• Knowledge of different aspects of public information, communication and advocacy, as well as experience in development of communication strategies; 
• Experience in developing and leading country-wide public information campaigns, including impactful offline and online outreach with social media in focus;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, with proven ability to prepare news-related documents, social media posts, press releases, statements, speeches, feature stories, factsheets, and analytical reports in a clear, understandable and concise way; 
• Ability to address a range of issues in the context of political developments, public attitudes and local context; ability to communicate professionally and diplomatically with high level officials and media personnel;
• Ability to analyse political developments and present findings in a clear and understandable manner;
• Sound organizational, analytical, interpersonal and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with relevant interlocutors, including government institutions, civil society, media representatives and international organizations;
• High degree of initiative and result-oriented work style;
• Computer literate with practical experience with Microsoft applications and familiarity with information technology, including Internet, Intranet, digital photography and video;
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, gender diversity and varying political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and within limited timeframe;
• Knowledge of local languages or most common lingua franca spoken in the Mission area.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the regional political history and the political and cultural sensitivities of the country and region;
• Background and experience in international organizations or field missions;
• Experience in creating compelling content and messaging, as well as knowledge of advocacy strategies and pubic engagement.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Political Affairs and Communications Unit (PACU), the incumbent is responsible for:

1. Monitoring and analysing political and media developments, identifying key trends and emerging issues, and contributing to analytical inputs. 
2. Supporting coordination with relevant Mission units to gather inputs and ensure coherence of political and communications outputs. 
3. Supporting and overseeing the drafting, review and timely delivery of written outputs within PACU, including reports, press materials and social media content. 
4. Assisting in the planning and implementation of PACU activities, ensuring coherence with the Mission’s mandate and priorities. 
5. Acting as the Principal Spokesperson of the Mission and the Principal Advisor to the Head of Mission and senior management on the Mission’s communications and relations with media.
6. Overseeing the development, monitoring and evaluation of a comprehensive media and communications strategy in line with the Mission goals. In coordination with Chief of PACU, designing a crisis communication strategy, ensuring that all relevant stakeholders within the Mission are aware and able to act accordingly if necessary. 
7. Liaising and maintaining working relations with relevant interlocutors, including government institutions, civil society, media representatives and international partners. 
8. Coordinating the creation, ensuring quality check and reviewing original text, graphic and audio-visual content for Mission needs. Overseeing the management of social media channels, analysing community engagement, and streamlining Mission’s social media utilization in coordination with the programmatic departments and Office of the Head of Mission. 
9. Developing contacts and managing relations with international and local journalists, pS embassy staff and Media Officers from international organizations in the country; Conceiving, issuing, and following up on press statements and communication in order to build public support for Mission policies and goals.
10. Supervising and providing guidance in the drafting and preparation of political reporting, analytical and communications materials to three national professional staff.
11. Deputizing for the Chief of PACU, as required, ensuring continuity in the coordination and delivery of PACU outputs.

12. Performing other duties as required

     

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 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 open for secondment, should a suitable opportunity arise. The placement on a roster does not guarantee a future appointment or assignment.

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

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.