Senior Mediation Support Officer (S)

Background:

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to an assignment at the Secretariat must be borne by their authorities.

The duties and requirements of this seconded (S) position correspond to a P4-level role in the UN common system. Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered. Seconded staff members in the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions are not entitled to a Board and Lodging Allowance payable by the Organization.

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. 

Within the Secretariat, the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) supports and co-ordinates the OSCE’s activities in the field, providing analysis and policy advice to the Secretary General (SG) and the Chairpersonship, leading work on all aspects of the conflict cycle, and supporting the various formats dealing with protracted conflicts. The CPC also serves as the focal point in the Secretariat for co-ordinating and developing the OSCE's role in the politico-military dimension.

The Policy Support Service (PSS) serves as the Organization's primary point of contact on all matters concerning field operations; it also analyses early-warning signals regarding the situation in the field and recommends the implementation of relevant preventive or reactive action. Support provided to the SG and the Chairpersonship includes background information, policy support and advice, input to speeches and travel files as well as drafting summary records. PSS also provides support for the Chairperson-in-Office’s (CiO) representatives dealing with protracted conflicts and related formats, and to field operations, specifically in relation to mediation support and dialogue facilitation. This post is located in the Mediation Support Team (MST) within the CPC's PSS, under the direction of the Deputy Director.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

As mandated by MC Decision No. 3/11, the Senior Mediation Support Officer works to enhance OSCE mediation-support capacities by providing mediation and dialogue facilitation advice, expertise, and strategic, operational and analytical support to OSCE mediators at all levels, including the SG, the Director of the CPC, heads of field operation, and staff of OSCE executive structures, the OSCE Chair, Special/Personal Representatives of the Chairperson-in Office (CiO), by building their mediation, mediation support, and dialogue facilitation capacities; and by improving knowledge management related to OSCE mediation efforts.

As mandated by MC Decision No. 3/11, the Senior Mediation Support Officer works to enhance OSCE mediation-support capacities by providing mediation and dialogue facilitation advice, expertise, and strategic, operational and analytical support to OSCE mediators at all levels, including the SG, the Director of the CPC, heads of field operation, and staff of OSCE executive structures, the OSCE Chair, Special/Personal Representatives of the Chairperson-in Office (CiO), by building their mediation, mediation support, and dialogue facilitation capacities; and by improving knowledge management related to OSCE mediation efforts.

The Senior Mediation Support Officer reports to the Deputy Director for PSS, while the Director of CPC acts as the second-level supervisor. The Senior Mediation Support Officer directly supervises the MSOs, as well as project staff.

More specifically, the incumbent will be tasked with the following:

1. Co-ordinating and managing the work of the MST, acting as the team lead, including supervising all Mediation Support Officers and project staff, and overseeing the Mediation Support Extrabudgetary (ExB) project, by providing direction and oversight for the project, ensuring coherence with organizational priorities, quality standards and intended results;

2. Analysing mediation and dialogue facilitation processes and providing advice and operational, including on mediation and dialogue facilitation strategy, process design, and possible steps to be taken by OSCE mediators to increase the effectiveness of mediation and dialogue processes, upon request;

3. Observing high-level mediation processes, drafting reports, and providing advice and support to high-level OSCE mediators to improve their tactics or strategies, upon request. Providing advice on mediation and dialogue facilitation to field operations, in co-ordination with geographical desks within CPC/PSS, to increase the effectiveness of mediation and dialogue facilitation processes;

4. Developing, designing, and implementing training and capacity-building on mediation and dialogue facilitation, by (1) developing related curricula for training and capacity building and delivering training, (2) designing and providing tailor-made coaching and thematic workshops for high-level OSCE mediators and field operations, (3) advising field operations on an integrated training and mediation and dialogue facilitation capacity-building strategy;

5. Improving knowledge management and providing operational guidance with regard to mediation, mediation-support and dialogue facilitation, by (1) conceptualizing and facilitating debriefings of OSCE mediators to identify lessons toward enhancing the effectiveness and impact of OSCE mediation activities, (2) developing and maintaining a central depository for documents, lessons learned, and best practices related to OSCE mediation activities to preserve institutional memory, (3) developing knowledge products related to conflicts and mediation contexts, in co-ordination with relevant units within the Secretariat, (4) conducting research on topics related to mediation, dialogue facilitation, and mediation support, and (5) devising and publishing operational guidance on relevant topics in the field of mediation;

6. Contributing to briefs, speeches, and speaking points, particularly focused on issues related to mediation and dialogue facilitation for senior management of the Secretariat and the Chair, as well as (1) representing the OSCE in meetings, conferences, and workshops on mediation support topics, including as a speaker, (2) contributing to the visibility and relevance of OSCE mediation and dialogue facilitation processes, and (3) establishing and maintaining working contacts with relevant international, governmental, non-governmental, and academic organizations and institutions, as well as with prominent research centres;

7. Deploying temporarily to crisis areas in support of conflict resolution/crisis response efforts, as required. 
    

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 in mediation, political science, international relations or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree;

• Successful completion of a nationally certified mediation training would be desirable;

• A minimum of seven years (nine years with a relevant first-level degree) of progressively responsible professional experience in mediation, mediation support, and/or dialogue facilitation, with a government agency, a national or international organization or a non-governmental organization;

• Experience in co-ordinating, managing, or leading teams in the area of mediation, mediation support or dialogue facilitation would be desirable;

• A minimum of three years of practical experience in mediation and/or dialogue facilitation processes;

• Previous field experience in mediation, mediation support, and/or dialogue facilitation would be desirable;

• Thematic expertise and familiarity with the relevant international efforts on mediation and dialogue facilitation;

• Demonstrated knowledge of mediation, process design and conflict analysis;

• Excellent research and analytical skills;

• Demonstrated political acumen;

• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;

• Ability to work in a team and establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds whilst maintaining impartiality and objectivity;

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English;

• Knowledge of at least one other language from the OSCE region would be desirable;

• Experience in project management in an international environment would be desirable;

• Computer literate with practical experience with Microsoft applications.
   

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-formto the respective OSCE delegation whose address can be found at https://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations.

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.

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 the nomination of qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation; therefore, the maximum period of service in this post is 10 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.

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.