Associate Project Officer

Please note that this position is funded under an Extra-Budgetary (ExB) Project, which runs until September 2022.

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are steering girls and women away from science related fields, including ICT and cyber areas. Thus, in order to achieve full and equal access to and participation the OSCE Gender Action Plan is committed to increasing the number of female staff in all areas of the OSCE's work.  Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this opportunity.

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, 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 Chairmanship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

The Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), as part of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna, Austria, plays a key role as the focal point of OSCE-wide programmatic activities aiming at countering transnational threats and ensuring coordination and coherence of action across all three OSCE dimensions, among all executive structures while respecting their mandates.

The Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) at the Secretariat responds to requests from participating States for specific expert advice on policing and police-related activities. Good policing has played a vital role in preventing conflict (particularly secondary conflicts), in preserving social stability during political crises, as well as in supporting the rehabilitation period following the end of conflict. Equally apparent is that without effective law enforcement and genuine respect for the rule of law and the institutions responsible for upholding it, there can be little likelihood of social, political or economic stability.

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Head of SPMU, as an Associate Project Officer, you will contribute to the implementation of the ExB project “Capacity Building on Combating Cybercrime in Central Asia”. The main objective of this project is to enhance national training capacities of the five OSCE participating States in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), to sustainably educate and train their police officers and prosecutors on combating cybercrime.

The project is a joint endeavour of the TNTD/SPMU, the OSCE FOs in Central Asia, relevant national authorities of the beneficiary countries, and the law enforcement training institutions that are under their authority.

More specifically, you will be tasked with the following duties:

1.Implementing and monitoring activities in co-ordination with FOs, governmental agencies in beneficiary countries, international organizations and non-governmental, active in the cybercrime area. In project development, the incumbent focuses in particular on ensuring that project plan and scheduled activities are timely developed and implemented and in this regard, providing administrative and logistical support and drafting invitations, agendas, Key Findings and Outcomes (KFO) documents, press releases and other documents as appropriate. Project monitoring includes drafting financial and narrative reports to donors as required;

2. Providing advice on the roles and responsibilities of national training institutions in beneficiary countries with an understanding of the methods relevant for the priorities of the Department. Following topical cybercrime issues and briefing the supervisor, Head of Unit/Department and Mission leaderships as required. Following the practical implementation of project activities tailored to national legislation, conditions and context in the beneficiary countries and keeping an overview of other internationally supported projects, monitoring the initiatives on changes in the cybercrime policies and reporting periodically to the supervisor;

3. Supporting the review of draft strategies and action plans prepared by the host country's institutions, and ensuring TNTD/SPMU can provide – through external expertise - proper assistance to guarantee that new government policies comply with international best practices and contributing to strengthening the existing framework to promote human rights standards and principles in investigation and prosecution of cybercrime cases. Reviewing experts’ reports, memos and analysing on cybercrime issues upon request and recommending adjustment of priorities of the Department's portfolio accordingly;

4. Liaising with the OSCE institutions and FOs to contribute to horizontal co-operation in the context of institutional capacity building to tackle cybercrime, while at the same time upholding the rule of law and ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in beneficiary countries. Participating in related events organised by the OSCE, representing the Department and contributing to the subject-matter discussions. In that regard, drafting talking points, background papers memos and other documents as appropriate;

5. Performing other duties as required.

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

Necessary Qualifications:

• First-level university degree in law, political/social sciences, or criminology;
• A minimum four years of professional experience in the field of security or criminal justice preferably in relation to cybercrime;
• Experience in project development, implementation and evaluation;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills. Professional fluency in Russian would be an asset;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications;
• 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.

Monthly remuneration is approximately EUR 5,098 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://jobs.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise 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 applicants who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see http://www.osce.org/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.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.