Deputy Director for Operations Service OSCE

Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Vienna, Austria

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre (D/CPC) and the strategic direction of the Secretary General (SG), the incumbent will lead and manage the diverse activities of the Operations Service (OS) and its staff. More specifically, the incumbent will carry out the following duties:

• Guiding the activities of the team that plans the deployment of operations in the field, including those involving REACT resources, to ensure the rapid deployment of future OSCE operations in the field; acting as focal point for all future operational build-up and as a tangible planning facility for the head of operation prior to deployment; ensuring continuity of assistance throughout the build-up phase until such point where the designated head of operation assumes operational control;
• Co-ordinating all aspects relating to staff and operational planning, as required for the expansion, closure or restructuring of OSCE field operations in line with the mandate of the field operation and the strategic direction provided by the SG and the Chairperson-in-Office;
• Developing generic mission-planning templates for a range of possible future OSCE areas of interest to ensure co-ordination and coherence of overall planning structure; identifying existing capacities and targets during the planning stage;
• Establishing and maintaining contacts with other international organizations and institutions in accordance with the Platform for Co-operative Security;
• Directing and guiding the work of the Planning and Analysis Team and activities in the fields of lessons learnt and mediation/mediation support as well as in the development of an organization-wide methodology for early warning;
• Directing and guiding the Chief /Situation/Communication Room and the Duty Officers;
• Developing regular lessons-learnt audit systems to ensure continual improvement of Secretariat planning processes based on the review of implementation of past deployments and assessing the operational experience gained; modifying procedures accordingly;
• Developing and providing background geo-political briefs to OSCE staff, delegations and other interested parties on areas of current and future mission deployment;
• Conducting targeted analysis, under the guidance of the Chairmanship and the SG, of existing OSCE areas of operation and identifying and prioritizing potential problem areas;
• Assuming other specific CPC-related areas/tasks and performing other duties as required such as deputizing for/representing D/CPC at seminars and workshops as well as writing speeches.

Necessary Qualifications

• Advanced university degree in political science, international relations or security studies or in a relevant geo-political field or completion of a military staff college and minimum commissioned rank of colonel;
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience at a senior management and policy-making level, preferably within an international organization or national administration; previous field experience would be an asset;
• Previous experience in planning and deployment of a field operation, experience in the field of lessons learnt, mediation/mediation support, early warning, crisis management and familiarity with the OSCE and its areas of operations as well as it working practices;
• Professional fluency in English; knowledge of other OSCE working languages would be an asset;
• Strong analytical, communication and diplomatic skills;
• Knowledge of and experience in utilizing computers and software applications, such as Access, Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Tact, adaptability, flexibility, preparedness to work long hours and travel extensively to remote areas;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity with ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability to establish effective relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

For more details and to apply for this job click here