Serbia Regional Co-ordinator, BPRI (P3)

This is an extra-budgetary position. The initial contract will be for one year, renewable until the project ends on 30 November 2013. The selected candidate should commit to be available for the duration of the project.

Together with the OSCE Mission to Serbia and other OSCE field operations in South Eastern Europe, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the principal institution of the OSCE responsible for the human dimension, is implementing the Best Practices for Roma Integration (BPRI) project.

The BPRI Project, mostly funded by the European Commission, aims to contribute to the integration of minorities and, more specifically, to improve the quality of life and access to rights of the Roma communities in the Western Balkans.

The incumbent will be engaged in the planning and implementation of the project, which is expected to bring five main results: (1) to strengthen and apply in practice the region’s good practices in multi-sector municipal collaboration, Roma involvement in decision-making and participation of Roma in political life; (2) to increase Roma people’s interest in and possibilities to access civil registration and legal aid services; (3) to empower Roma people to advocate and have greater opportunities to benefit from mechanisms and initiatives for legalization and improvements of their settlements; (4) to enhance possibilities for Roma participation in public life through anti-discriminatory policies and practice and increased public awareness about Roma rights to be included and not to be discriminated against, and; (5) to enhance possibilities for Roma participation in Government-led national and regional co-ordination and other compatible cross-border initiatives in and outside of the Western Balkans. The project will target primarily governments at national and local levels and mainstream and Roma public servants, and its secondary target groups include mainstream and Roma municipal employees and civil society groups.

Tasks and Responsibilities: The incumbent will be based at the OSCE Mission to Serbia and will work under the overall guidance and the direct supervision of the Project Manager located in Warsaw, Poland, and in close co-operation with the project contact points at the five OSCE field operations in the project area. The incumbent will consult with the afore-mentioned field operations through the field operations’ project contact points on all matters which affect the field operations’ mandates and activities. In particular, the incumbent will be tasked with the following duties: Ensuring regional coherence in the planning, content and execution of project activities; Preventing any duplication/overlap across the region; Supervising and supporting the work of all National Project Officers according to need; s/he will be advising National Project Officers on policy matters; Alerting National Project Officers to specific practices, documents, events in another part of the region so that synergies are maximised; Supporting National Project Officers at heavy periods during the project by adding his/her operational capacity to theirs as needed; Liaising and engaging with Roma representatives, organizations and community leaders at national and local levels and across the region, both as stakeholders and beneficiaries; Engaging with specific national, municipal or community-based stakeholders across the region to bolster their continued political engagement; Liaising with the regional offices of other international organizations in the field, so that opportunities for combining resources are taken; Taking on the role of the National Project Officer in the host country; when dealing with matters related to the host country, the incumbent will be working in close co-operation and co-ordination with the Head of the Democratization Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia; Performing other related duties as requested.

Necessary Qualifications: University degree, including international human rights subjects; At least six years of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience in the field of human rights and Roma issues including experience at the international level; Experience of designing, budgeting, implementing, monitoring and evaluating all aspects of Roma and/or human rights projects; ability to draft accurate and concise narrative reports, and to extract, interpret and present financial data efficiently; Excellent knowledge of Roma rights and integration reform processes, capacity-building and institution-building strategies; and issues related to national and international Roma situation and issues; Experience in co-operation with international and national organizations at the field and/or headquarters level; Experience of working as part of a team on a multi-year, multi-million euro project for development assistance, with a clear understanding of the risks, compromises and adjustment strategies necessary for successful conclusion; Understanding of the political sensitivities in dealing with human rights and specifically Roma human rights issues with national and regional counterparts; Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with Roma representatives, organizations and communities is required; Ability to work with minimal supervision and under pressure within a multicultural environment; Professional experience of working in a field operation would be desirable; Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and in the local language/s where the incumbent will be located; Knowledge of Romani language and/or other languages spoken in the project area would be an asset; Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.

Remuneration Package: Monthly remuneration, subject to social security deductions and exchange rate, is approximately EUR 3,500 to which Board and Lodging Allowance of currently 122 Euro per day is added.

Social security will include participation in the Vanbreda International medical insurance scheme and OSCE Provident Fund. The Organisation contributes an amount equivalent to 15% of the employee's salary to this Fund and the employee contributes 7.5%. Other allowances and benefits are similar to those offered under the United Nations Common System.

How to apply:

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under http://www.osce.org/employment

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment at a lower grade or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please see http://www.osce.org/who/83

The OSCE is committed to achieving a better balance of women and men within the Organization. Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

No application fees or information with respect to bank account details are required by OSCE for our recruitment process.