Background:

With 57 participating States in North America, Europe and Asia, the OSCE – the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe – is the world’s largest regional security organization. The OSCE works for stability, peace and democracy for more than a billion people, through political dialogue and through practical work to build and sustain peace and stability. The OSCE takes a comprehensive approach to security encompassing three dimensions – the politico-military, the economic and environmental, and the human.

The OSCE Secretariat is looking for qualified candidates to carry out internships for 2-6 month periods in both administrative and programmatic areas. What can the OSCE’s internship programme offer?

The chance to learn about the day-to-day working environment of the OSCE and about the Organization’s mandate;
The opportunity to develop your professional skills and gain practical working experience in a multi-national environment;
The chance to meet many professionals and benefit from their knowledge and mentorship;
The opportunity to meet and link-up with like-minded young professionals.

Please note that:

OSCE internships are full-time (40 hour week);
OSCE internships will only be offered to nationals of the OSCE participating States/Partners for Co-operation. Applicants holding dual or multiple nationalities must be nationals of at least one OSCE participating State/Partner for Co-operation;
Start dates for selected candidates will depend on the needs of the Hiring Offices;
The cumulative duration of internship at the OSCE is limited to 6 months for any individual. Once this duration of internship has been served, regardless of the OSCE duty station, further applications for internships from the same person shall not be considered;

Tasks and Responsibilities:

To give you an idea of what kinds of assignments you can expect, we have listed some typical day-to-day duties which interns perform in our different departments:

Drafting research papers, policy reports, concept papers, and other written materials such as briefing papers/memos/talking points/speeches/documents/newsletters/presentations;

Assisting in project management and implementation such as the preparation of project proposals/budgets, and compiling project progress reports for donors;

Conducting thematic research, assisting with the revision legal documents and with the preparation of legal opinions, assisting with media monitoring, or conducting surveys and/or financial analyses;

Supporting communication-related events/outreach activities such as website updates, putting together booklets and leaflets and creating audio-visual content for social media;

Supporting the organization of events, meetings, regional workshops, press conferences, round-tables and other conferences;

Attending meetings of the OSCE decision-making and OSCE-related bodies, taking minutes, drafting official records and writing reports;

Supporting daily operational work in our administrative departments such as human resources, financial services, supply chain/travel management/procurement activities, information and communication technology;

Assisting senior managers in preparing for trips, bi-lateral meetings and country visits by compiling background documents, dealing with logistic arrangements and communicating with a range of OSCE internal and external stakeholders.

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

We also recommend you visit https://jobs.osce.org/internships, where you can find more information about the internship.

Necessary Qualifications:

You should not be older than 30 years on the deadline of this vacancy;
You should have completed two years of full-time post-secondary education or graduated within two years prior to 31 December 2025;
You should be professionally fluent in English, both oral and written, and have the ability to communicate clearly and concisely (interviews will be conducted);
You should bring along high motivation, open-mindedness, and flexibility;
You should be able to establish and maintain effective working relations with people of different national, cultural and religious backgrounds whilst maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
You should be aware of the importance of integrating a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
You should be able to operate a computer, with familiarity of Microsoft Office applications (Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint, word processing and e-mail).

Desirable:

Previous work experience in a relevant field;
Experience of working in a multilateral/multicultural environment;
Organizational, multi-tasking and analytical skills; drafting skills;
Knowledge of other OSCE official languages, especially Russian.

Remuneration Package:

Please note that, in line with other international and multilateral organizations, the OSCE does not provide remuneration to interns or reimbursement for their travel expenses for relocation to/from the duty station. However, in lieu of remuneration, the receiving office shall contribute towards the cost of living of international and national interns who are non-residents at the duty station (place of assignment). Should the receiving office not be in the position to contribute towards the cost of living, they may accept interns, who are residents at the duty station.

The internship lasts from 2 to 6 months and does not constitute a commitment to future employment with the OSCE.

Should the selected intern not have already existing health insurance applicable to the duty station, he/she will participate in the group health insurance scheme at his/her own expense, but the OSCE will cover life and disability insurance.

Please note that some nationals may require a D-visa in order to work at the OSCE Secretariat, if selected for the internship, the OSCE will assist you with a support letter.

If you meet the above requirements and wish to apply for this internship opportunity, please use the OSCE's online application system. Please mention your availability dates in the cover letter.

Candidates are recommended to tailor their application forms to the units/departments where they wish to carry out the internship.

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. Candidates holding nationality of OSCE Partners for Co-operation may be considered for the Generic Internship programme.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, or offer an internship with modified terms of reference or a different duration.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

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.

Issued by: OSCE Secretariat
Requisition ID: SEC000754
Contract Type: Intern
Grade: No grade
Job Type: Intern
Number of posts: Multiple
Location: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Vienna
Additional Locations: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Prague
Issue Date: Mar 23, 2025
Closing Date: Dec 31, 2025
Employee Status: Short-Term
Schedule: Full-time
Education Level: Bachelor's Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)
Job Field: Administration & Support
Target Start Date: Various