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.

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

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, combating human trafficking, 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 Chairpersonship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

The Department of Human Resources (DHR) ensures that the OSCE has the human resources capacity necessary to successfully implement its mandates. DHR sets the policies and provides services in the areas of talent acquisition, administration of benefits and entitlements, payroll, performance management, talent development, and policy and employee relations across the Organization.

The HR Administration and Policy Unit is responsible for the accurate and timely administration of employee benefits and entitlements through the employee life cycle; for the development and interpretation of the HR regulatory framework; and for the management of employee relations cases, such as grievances. The Unit develops and delivers timely, client focused and innovative approaches on all aspects of HR administration, policies and employee relations.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Employee Relations Officer provides expert advice and guidance on the interpretation and application of rules related to staff conduct, discipline and grievance. S/he provides advice ensuring the Organization adheres to due process in handling staff cases, including appeals and disciplinary matters, while advising senior managers and staff on compliant and viable solutions. Additionally, the incumbent fosters collaboration with decentralized OSCE institutions and field operations, as well as staff representatives, to develop and co-ordinate the OSCE’s duty of care framework.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief, HR Administration and Policy and the overall supervision of the Deputy Director for Human Resources, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

Advising management, institutions and field operations on the application of rules in respect to standards of conduct, professional working environment and disciplinary cases; advising staff and management on their roles and responsibilities in respect to conduct, professional working environment and discipline; ensuring provision of coaching on the management and documentation requirements for individual cases, and on the potential for appeals;

Managing the assigned formal grievance procedures and disciplinary processes, ensuring compliance by the Organization with the due process and procedural requirements, by reviewing submissions from the parties, preparing the analysis of the case, in consultation with the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), proposing the composition of the investigation panel, and drafting the proposed determination for the Director of DHR;

Liaising with the OSCE institutions, field operations and staff representatives to implement activities aimed at the promotion of diverse, inclusive and professional working environment and early detection of issues, to resolve HR matters of mutual concern, and to research and propose enhancement to staff/management consultative mechanisms; delivering presentations and interventions in relevant meetings, workshops and training activities;

Through collaboration with relevant stakeholders, conducting research, participating in inter-agency meetings and/or working groups, to develop and interpret the OSCE’s duty of care framework; identifying trends and issues in this field within the context of HR management across the OSCE, and developing and proposing strategies and feasible solutions to address and mitigate identified risk exposures, with special focus on staff serving in the field and taking due account of gender equality and other institutional values;

Conducting research for preparation of relevant HR policy papers, analyzing precedents and practice throughout the OSCE, and other international organizations, in order to propose or draft changes to the HR related Common Regulatory Management System (CRMS) and for consideration by the supervisor;

Providing advice and research on requests for exceptions to the CRMS covering human resources, which includes providing recommendations to DHR management on the creation of precedents under delegated authority, and proposing actions to be taken;

Performing other related duties as assigned.

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

Necessary Qualifications:

First-level university degree in human resource management, law or a closely related field;
A minimum of seven years (five years with a relevant second-level university degree) of experience in human resource management or administrative law, such as dealing with employee grievances or disciplinary procedures;
Legal or paralegal experience in drafting and reviewing documents of a procedural and technical issues;
Experience working in an international or multicultural setting;
Experience approaching difficult situations with empathy, patience and neutrality;
Proven experience in the management of sensitive information, whilst displaying confidentiality, integrity and discretion;
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;
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 literacy with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

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.

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

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.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation; therefore, the maximum period of service in this post is 10 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 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.

Issued by: OSCE Secretariat
Requisition ID: SEC000803
Contract Type: International Secondment
Grade: S
Job Type: Seconded
Number of posts: 1
Location: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Vienna
Issue Date: Apr 25, 2025
Closing Date: Jul 8, 2025
Employee Status: Fixed Term
Schedule: Full-time
Education Level: Bachelor's Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)
Job Field: Human Resources Management
Target Start Date: As soon as possible