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:

• Work experience in either public administration, relevant international organizations, civic associations (including NGOs), political parties/affairs, or economic and political development;
• Demonstrable management, organizational, communication, analytical and interpersonal skills.

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

First-level university degree in political sciences, social sciences, international relations, public policy, law;

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience.

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;
• First-level university degree in law, political science or international relations;
• Knowledge of good governance principles;
• International field work experience in project management, monitoring, reporting and policy-advice;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Demonstrated leadership skills, experience in managing a team;
• Cultural sensitivity and judgment;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and within limited time frames;
• Professional fluency in English language, both oral and written;
• Ability to operate Windows applications, including Word processing and e-mail;
• 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.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the political situation in southeast Europe and of the legal system in the mission area of responsibility;
• Previous international work experience and/or experience in field operations;
• Knowledge of OSCE principles and commitments;
• Knowledge of the local language or most common lingua franca spoken in the mission area.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Democratization Programme supports the development and functioning of democratic institutions and processes, including strengthening good governance standards at national and local levels. The Programme promotes youth inclusion and empowerment, as well as gender equality.

Under the general direction of the Head of Mission (HoM) and the direct supervision of the Deputy Head of Mission, the Programme Manager performs the following tasks:

1. Managing the Democratization Programme, including annual strategic planning and budgeting; monitoring and evaluation; and administration. Leading the work of the programme’s five staff, managing their performance and providing cohesion within the Programme;
2. Ensuring consistent, high quality written output in terms of all programmatic documents;
3. Providing timely advice and expertise to the HoM, DHoM/Programme Co-ordinator and relevant Mission Members on all aspects pertaining to the implementation of the Programme’s activities and future planning, including on ways to maximize funding and support from the international community;
4. Liaising with governmental, non-governmental and international organizations active in sectors relevant to the Democratization Programme to gather information and ensuring appropriate level of co-operation.
5. Actively liaising with other Mission programmes to facilitate internal communication, information exchange and cross-programme coordination and synergies;
6. Preparing speeches, policy papers and briefing materials in a timely manner, as requested by Senior Management;
7. Performing other duties as required.

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

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 Montenegro
• Requisition ID: MNG000037
• Contract Type: International Secondment
• Grade: S2
• Job Level: Senior Professional
• Job Type: Seconded
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: MNG – OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Podgorica
• Issue Date: Nov 4, 2025
• Closing Date: Dec 15, 2025
• Employee Status: Fixed Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Education Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)
• Job Field: Democratization
• Target Start Date: As soon as possible

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements