Chief of Communities Section

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

The general minimum requirements for working in this field of expertise are:

• Second-level university degree in political sciences, international relations, public policy, law, international human rights law or other human rights related fields
• Experience working with human rights, minority or gender issues
• Demonstrable organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience in drafting reports

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

Second-level university degree/certified training course in a relevant field desirable

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 3 years at the management level relevant to the actual position

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• Second-level university degree in law, human rights, political science or international relations;
• Extensive knowledge of international human and community rights standards;
• Previous experience working on community rights issues, with governments, and/or other relevant stakeholders;
• Proven ability to design monitoring programmes for data collection on a variety of thematic issues dealing with community rights;
• Ability to develop strategic programming for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on community issues;
• Proven management and supervisory experience;
• Professional fluency in English;
• Project and budget management experience;
• Knowledge of the political environment of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, including mandate and structure of the international presence in Kosovo;
• 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;
• Cultural sensitivity and judgement;
• Understanding of gender sensitivity in the work environment;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and with limited time frames;
• Ability to produce analytical reports;
• Ability to operate Windows applications, including word processing and e-mail.

Desirable:

• Sound knowledge of the Council on Europes Framework Convention on National Minorities and, more generally, the international policy and legal framework on community rights;
• Knowledge of the legislative framework in Kosovo related to human rights and community rights;
• Experience in negotiation/mediation; 
• Experience in gender mainstreaming;
• Working knowledge of a local language or most common lingua franca;
• Previous experience in field missions, preferably in South Eastern Europe.

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Director of the Department of Human Rights and Communities, the incumbent will be responsible for:

1. Directly supervising a team of international and local staff in headquarters, and providing guidance to the staff in the field offices working in the Communities Section related portfolios;

2. Identifying community related issues, analysing their implications and advising on programmatic policies to achieve measured improvement in the performance of Kosovo institutions, including the municipalities, in respect of community policies and community rights. Developing strategies to implement recommendations and policy decisions adopted in analytical and policy/advocacy reports;

3. Co-ordinating the analysis of findings and the proactive monitoring of institutions in Kosovo at all levels, the implementation and effective application of legislation, policies and procedures with respect to community policies and community rights;
4. Based on the findings of proactive monitoring, proposing the design and development of programmes in the area of community policies and rights, with an emphasis on promoting gender equality through programming;
5. Supporting the implementation of pro-active monitoring and the capacity building programmes through the OSCE HQ units and Field Teams by providing expertise and guidance on issues of community policies and community rights;
6. Closely co-operating with the other Chief of Sections in the Department and closely co-ordinating activities, through the line manager or directly - as requested - with the Office of Political Affairs and Communications and other relevant staff in the Mission;
7. Closely co-operating with the Departments gender team in order to integrate gender issues into monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and activity implementation;
8. Acting as departmental focal point on community policies and community rights in relation to other Mission departments and liaising with relevant international agencies and institutions in Kosovo;
9. Advising the Deputy Director and the Director of the Department of Human Rights and Communities on communities related issues;
10. Developing and supervising the implementation of the community component of the Missions annual programme and budget;
11. Ensuring the effective flow of information between other relevant actors in non-Albanian communities rights protection and policy development in the Mission. Serving as a focal point for community rights related issues between the Mission and other relevant actors;
12. Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of the community rights situation in Kosovo and the region;
13. Facilitating dialogue and negotiating solutions between community representatives and governmental actors;
14. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, please see: http://www.osce.org/mission-in-kosovo

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

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered.

Please apply to your relevant authorities several days prior to the deadline expiration to ensure timely processing of your application. Delayed nominations will not be considered.