Senior Strategic Adviser (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. Seconded staff members in the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions are not entitled to a Board and Lodging Allowance payable by the Organization. Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered.
 
 

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 Office of the Secretary General (OSG) plays a key role in supporting the Secretary General in the effective implementation of her/his mandate and specific tasks given to her/him by the OSCE participating States. This includes primarily assisting the Secretary General in her/his activities, serving as a focal point for liaison and support to the Chairman-in-Office, and co-ordinating tasks across the Secretariat. The OSG ensures effective co-ordination of policy advice provided to the Secretary General and the Chairmanship, and management decisions taken by the Secretary General. 

Building on the work done in the past years, the OSG is launching a project aimed at providing expertise and advice to the Secretary General in her functions and supporting discussions among participating States on how to increase the Organization’s effectiveness and improve co-operation based on OSCE commitments and principles in view of the 50 anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act in 2025. The ultimate aim of the project is to contribute to increasing mutual trust and co-operation among participating States and fostering co-operative security on a stable basis. To this end, a small team of Strategic Advisers will be established in the OSG. 
 

Tasks and Responsibilities:

In collaboration, and in complementarity with internal stakeholders in the Secretariat, institutions and field operations, the Senior Strategic Adviser will provide relevant policy advice and recommendations to the SG and through her to the Troika/Chairmanship, primarily with a view toward increasing effectiveness in the years 2022-2025. The Senior Strategic Adviser will provide strategic policy advice against the political background and developments in OSCE participating States and adjacent regions. Specifically, s/he will be responsible for:

1. Monitoring and analyzing political and operational trends in the OSCE area and in regions adjacent to the OSCE area, collecting background information, undertaking research and identifying issues of strategic importance, gaps and opportunities for attention and (re)engagement of the OSCE, and preparing information and presentations on these topics; 
2. Providing advice and recommendations to enhance priority-setting and continuity, particularly in support of the work of the OSCE Secretary General and, by extension, to the Chair and Troika;
3. Following and providing background briefings on geo-strategic debates that relate to the OSCE and the OSCE area;
4. Providing advice on long-term strategic approaches to cross-cutting and thematic issues, as well as regional and country-specific strategies;
5. Developing and enhancing strategic co-operation with Track II (non-state) initiatives, academia and think tanks, including through the OSCE Academic Network and Security Days, in order to enhance focus on priority issues, generate concepts to inform multilateral discussion, provide a platform for informal, sustained and well-focused dialogue, and raise the OSCE’s profile;
6. 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:

• Second-level university degree in international studies, public policy, political science, law or a related field. 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;
• A minimum of eight years of academic, policy and/or programmatic experience in relevant fields; of which at least three years should have been in a multilateral, multidisciplinary and/or multi-stakeholder environment;
• Demonstrated knowledge of issues affecting security and co-operation in the OSCE area;
• Expertise in developing policy related analysis, assessments and programmatic design;
• Experience in strategic forecasting, global trends and/or dealing with big data;
• A good network of contacts relating to Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security issues;
• A high degree of analytical skill, initiative-taking and sound judgement;
• Ability and desire to engage in solutions-oriented creative thinking;
• Experience in preparing and presenting high impact visual presentations;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent drafting and communication skills; knowledge of other OSCE working languages is an asset;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• 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;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

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.

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.

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

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.