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:

Second-level university degree/certified training course in relevant fields. Advanced university degree in a management discipline an asset; Minimum 10 years relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 5 years at the management level relevant to the actual position.

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

Second-level university degree/certified training course in relevant fields. Advanced university degree in a management discipline is an asset. 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 10 years relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 5 years at the management level relevant to the actual position

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:


Mandatory:

International mission members in the OSCE are internationally recruited. For the purposes of OSCE Missions (Field Operations) this means that they are hired to work in a duty station outside of their home country or country of permanent residence. As a result, nationals and permanent residents of the duty station are not eligible for international mission member positions. In the case of individuals with multiple nationalities, candidates are still ineligible for consideration even if using another citizenship for application while simultaneously maintaining the citizenship or permanent residence status of the country where the duty station is located; Experience in providing substantive legal counsel to an international organization or a governmental or institutional body; Experience in providing legal representation in administrative, employment, or contract matters; Broad and deep experience in analyzing complex legal issues; Proven ability to exercise sound judgement, discretion, and political sensitivity; Strong advocacy, organizational, and managerial skills; Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and within limited time frames; Ability to operate Windows applications, including word processing and email. Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills; Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities; Demonstrated 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.

Desirable:

Knowledge of the regional political landscape and the legal framework in the Mission area; Knowledge of legal issues related to the functional areas in the Mission; Experience with negotiation or other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Mission, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

Directing and supervising the work and personnel of the Office of Legal Affairs; Providing authoritative legal opinions and advice on:
a) all areas of the mandate of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (Mission), inter alia, human rights, democratization, media, elections, police and public safety training;
b) the independent institutions established by the Mission (Central Election Commission, Independent Media Commission, Kosovo Judicial Institute, Ombudsperson Institution, Radio Television of Kosovo, Press Council and Kosovo Academy for Public Safety);
c) issues related to the functions, structure, and activities of the Mission; and
d) the general legal framework in Kosovo. Serving as final authority on the legal interpretation of the Mission’s mandate; Coordinating, supervising, approving, and, as appropriate, undertaking research and examination of legal precedent related to the activities of the Mission, inter alia the areas set out in the Mission’s mandate and international, public, private and administrative law; ensuring consistency of interpretations of legal instruments relevant to the work of the Mission; reviewing, revising and clearing from the legal perspective prior to final decision by Head of Mission; Advising on questions of international law affecting the status and, privileges and immunities of the Mission and its legal relationships with local institutions and international organizations; advising on privileges and immunities of Mission members (arrest/detention/safe passage/communication with Courts)
and on legal matters related to the interpretation and application of the OSCE regulatory framework; Providing legal advice and interpretation of OSCE Permanent Council Decisions and UN Security Council Resolutions affecting the Mission and its mandate; advising on the interpretation of international agreements, treaties, and conventions affecting the Mission; preparing or overseeing the preparation of drafts of correspondence, notes, and agreements, as required; Advising and interpreting the issues related to Mission property and assets; Undertaking consultations and participating in negotiations with representatives of local institutions, UNMIK, KFOR, and the international presence in Kosovo, contractors and implementing partners, and representatives of OSCE participating States; providing advice and assistance in resolving procedural and substantive legal questions in committees, conferences, and meetings; Advising on claims by and against the Mission; reviewing and clearing all Memorandums of Understandings (MoU), Implementing Partner Agreements (IPA), contracts, leases, and agreements; drafting or overseeing the drafting of Mission legal documents, including contracts, MoUs, IPAs, Notes Verbale and correspondence related to proceedings before courts and other tribunals; preparations of briefs and/or other filings; Drafting documents and advising on matters related to OSCE Committees and Boards, including the Fund Material Management Committee and other committees and boards as established; Participating in Disciplinary Committees and Internal Review Boards as an ex-officio member; reviewing and clearing all disciplinary matters and appeals prior to a decision by the Head of Mission; Co-ordinating and liaising with the Legal Services Office and the OSCE of Internal Oversight in the OSCE Secretariat; Performing other duties as required.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, please see: OSCE 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.

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.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation; therefore, the maximum period of service in this post or in the same Mission is seven years.

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.


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


If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/. If your participating State does not provide the option to apply online for seconded positions, you are kindly requested to submit your offline application form available at https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/offline-application-form to the respective OSCE delegation whose address can be found at https://www.osce.org/contacts/delegations.

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.

Please be aware that OSCE appointments are subject to medical clearance.

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

Issued by: OSCE Mission in Kosovo Requisition ID: KOS000261 Contract Type: International Secondment Grade: S4 Job Level: Senior Professional Job Type: Seconded Number of posts: 1 Location: KOS - OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Prishtine / Pristina Issue Date: Jan 24, 2025 Closing Date: Feb 20, 2025 Employee Status: Fixed Term Schedule: Full-time Education Level: Master's Degree (Second-level university degree or equivalent) Job Field: Rule of Law Target Start Date: 5 April 2025

Recommended for you