NORDEM roster is seeking Norwegian Citizen as Policy Support Officer - OSCE - Central Asia Desk-Vienna - Expert Deployment/ NORCAP

The Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) plays a key role in supporting and co-ordinating the OSCE's activities in the field, in providing analysis and policy advice to the Secretary General and the Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) in relation to field related activities and is 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 monitors the implementation of the mandates of the individual field operations and advises the Secretary General (SG) and the Chairmanship on related policy issues. 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 Chairmanship includes background information, policy support and advice, draft decisions, draft statements and summary records. PSS facilitates the co-ordination of programmes and activities among field operations and with those of OSCE specialized units within the Secretariat and Institutions and assists field operations in the Performance-Based Programme Budgeting (PBPB) process. The PSS is composed of four regional desks covering Eastern Europe, South Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The incumbent will be a member of the Central Asia Desk. Under the direct supervision of the Senior Policy Support Officer and the general guidance of the Deputy Director for Policy Support Service, the Policy Support Officer (Central Asia Desk) is responsible for the following:

1. Monitoring and analysing developments in the region; contributing to the formulation of relevant policy advice;

2. Monitoring the implementation of the mandates assigned to the OSCE field operations in the Central Asia region;

3. Following-up to ensure timely flow of information among the field operations, the Chairperson-in-Office, the Delegations and the Secretariat;

4. Actively participating in the performance-based programme budgeting process for the assigned field operations including interacting with the delegations of the Advisory Committee on Management and Finance (ACMF), the Preparatory Committee, the Permanent Council and other relevant committees;

5. Contributing to research on selected political topics related to implementation of the mandates of assigned field operations, drafting background papers and reports, and compiling briefing materials;

6. Attending meetings and writing summaries, notes and reports for internal distribution;

7. Preparing visits of the Chairperson-in-Office and senior OSCE officials to the field operation area; accompanying high-level visits to the region and drafting reports on these visits upon request; preparing in-house briefings, publications and other material;

8. In co-operation with the Programming and Evaluation Support Unit, reviewing extra-budgetary projects from field operations to ensure that these are in line with the relevant mandate; proposing changes and further action, as necessary;

9. Contributing to other CPC-related tasks, or projects, as required.

10. Performing other related duties, such as participating in CPC-related events.

Necessary Qualifications

- First-level university degree in political sciences, public or international law, international relations or another related field; an advanced degree and regional expertise would be an asset;

- Minimum of six years of professional experience in government, national administration or other relevant professional field;

- Work experience in a diplomatic service and/or international organization would be an asset;

- Professional fluency in the English language including excellent drafting skills; working knowledge of the Russian language would be an asset;

- Excellent communication skills, resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement and team spirit;

- Project management skills would be an asset;

- Ability to operate Windows applications including word processing and email;

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

- Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective and constructive working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds while maintaining impartiality and objectivity.

Contract length 12 months with the possibility of renewal

Salary scale from kr 474 700 - 527 500 NOK + allowances

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