Chief, Political and Reporting Unit (S3)

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:

• Diplomatic experience or experience working in political affairs with international organizations or governments
• Experience in preparing analytical reports
• Excellent communication and drafting skills
• Knowledge of regional political history and developments
• Diplomatic and negotiating skills
• Some knowledge of the OSCE principles and commitments

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:
Second-level university degree in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree

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

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• Extensive experience in the political field, preferably in an advisory capacity and in an international environment or within operational Missions;
• Proven experience as a leader and manager;
• Strong communication (oral and written), analytical, problem solving, diplomatic, interpersonal and organizational skills;
• Knowledge of the regional political history and the political and cultural sensitivities of the country and region;
• Ability to establish contacts, develop and maintain relations with high-level political actors, as well as government officials and institutions;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Flexibility and ability to work and manage the work of others in a high pressure environment with limited time frames;
• Professional fluency in the English language, both oral and written;
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a leader and member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Ability to operate Windows applications, including word processing and e-mail.

Desirable:

• Experience working on an electoral campaign and/or with (or in) a legislative body and/or in civil society;
• Experience working in an ethnically-diverse location outside of country of citizenship;
• Experience in working with the OSCE or other international organizations;
• Knowledge of one or more of the main languages spoken in the Mission area.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission, should you be selected for the position of Chief, Political and Reporting Unit you will be responsible for:

1. Assisting the Head of Mission in defining general Mission policy and in developing official stances on issues of political importance for the Mission and the Organization;
2. Advising the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission on political issues and advising the Mission and assisting the OSCE institutions on political and other related matters;
3. Directing, managing, supervising and planning the work of the two international and four national staff;
4. Monitoring and analyzing the political situation and developments in the country and the region and providing information to the Head of Mission and Deputy Head of Mission;
5. Supervising the process of document drafting and providing the necessary revisions for Mission Activity Reports, the Unit’s weekly reports, ad hoc reports, analyses, talking points, briefing materials and other related documents;
6. Establishing and maintaining contact at the central level with representatives of political parties, and liaising with the State institutions, Government bodies, partner organizations and participating State (pS) embassies;
7. In co-ordination with the Head of Mission, Deputy Head of Mission, representing the Unit and/or Mission at relevant conferences, seminars, meetings and other events;
8. Providing advice on the creation and support for the implementation of the Mission’s programmatic work to strengthen parliament;
9. Providing informational briefings to third parties on political issues, as tasked;
10. Performing other tasks as required.

For more detailed information on the work of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, please see www.osce.org/skopje 

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 duty station are not eligible to apply.

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/ourcompetencymodel.

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 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