JOB DESCRIPTION

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;
• Excellent leadership and management skills;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills;
• Diplomatic and negotiating skills;
• Experience in programme management;
• Knowledge of regional political history and developments;
• Experience in preparing analytical reports;
• Knowledge of the OSCE principles and commitments.

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

A second-level university degree in political sciences, public or international law, international relations or another 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.

Experience:

Minimum 10 years of 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;
• Strong leadership skills; ability to set a vision for the Mission’s work, to lead a collaborative team toward the organization’s goals, to prioritize tasks, and to enable creativity and initiative-taking among Mission members; ability to create a resilient organization;
• Demonstrable organizational skills; ability to understand the organization’s goals, and then plan, implement, and solve problems effectively to reach those goals;
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Mission staff and external partners of different cultural, religious, gender, and political backgrounds; ability to foster collaboration across the team and address interpersonal conflict;
• Strong management background, particularly in programme management, personnel, administration, and budgetary planning;
• Understanding of project management principles, including development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
• Experience with internal (organizational) communications and with external/media work;
• Professional fluency in the English language and ability to draft and edit documents clearly and concisely;
• Working knowledge of Russian; ability to conduct substantive business in this language;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and within limited time frames;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Experience in international negotiations; ability to be perceived as neutral, impartial, and fair in a multilateral diplomatic context;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

Desirable:

• Regional knowledge and work experience in Eastern Europe;
• Working knowledge of Romanian;
• Experience working in field operations for a multinational or international organization;
• Professional experience relevant for the politico-military dimension within the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Mission (HoM), the Deputy Head of Mission (DHoM) co-ordinates and supervises the daily operations of the Mission. The DHoM supports the HoM in implementing her strategic guidance for the Mission. The DHoM acts as the Senior Policy Advisor to the HoM. DHoM directly supervises the Press and Tiraspol offices. In particular, the DHoM is responsible for:

1. Overseeing, co-ordinating, and managing the daily implementation of the Mission’s plans, priorities, policies, projects, personnel, and participation in visits and external events;

Supervising and advising Programme Managers in the Mission to meet the Mission’s mandate and objectives;

Directly supervising the Press and Tiraspol offices;

In collaboration with the Mission’s Chief of Fund Administration, gathering inputs, reviewing, and reporting to the HoM on the Mission’s activities, general administrative matters, the Mission’s annual budget, the Mid-Year Review, and the Annual Programme Outline;

Overseeing the Mission’s political-reporting and monitoring/political-military work on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru River;

Representing the Mission with embassies, international organizations, international and national NGOs, and visiting delegations;

Acting as alternate in the HoM’s absence;

Performing other duties as required.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, please see: https://www.osce.org/mission-to-moldova

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 to Moldova
• Requisition ID: MOL000113
• Contract Type: International Secondment
• Grade: DHoM
• Job Level: Senior Management
• Job Type: Seconded
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: MOL – OSCE Mission to Moldova, Chisinau
• Issue Date: Jul 29, 2025
• Closing Date: Sep 26, 2025
• Employee Status: Fixed Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Education Level: Master’s Degree (Second-level university degree or equivalent)
• Job Field: Political Affairs

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements