Senior Legal Adviser (S2)

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:

- Experience in election administration, supervision or voter registration
- Good understanding of basic legal documents (constitutions, election laws and regulations)
- Good understanding of various electoral and political systems
- Experience in liaising with government agencies and NGOs
- Experience in management or supervision of subordinate staff
- Ability to work under tight deadlines and in a difficult and politically sensitive environment
- Negotiating and diplomatic skills

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

First-level university degree in a relevant field

Experience:

Minimum 6 years of relevant professional experience

 Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• Excellent knowledge of international law, human rights, other legislation relevant to exercise the right to vote, and international election standards principles, and best practices;
• Previous international work experience in legal analysis and interpretation, drafting and/or reviewing legislation and legal texts related to elections, in particular electoral reform;
• Experience in election administration/supervision, and/or providing advice to electoral management bodies;
• Experience in election complaints and appeals and/or dispute resolution;
• Project management experience;
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills;
• Professional fluency in English, with the ability to review and/or draft legal, policy, and procedural documents;
• Experience with transition and handover of knowledge processes;
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, different gender, and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Cultural sensitivity and judgement;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and with limited time frames;
• Ability to operate windows applications, including word processing and e-mail;

Desirable:

• Experience working in international field mission operations; previous experience working with OSCE as an international expert on election legal issues;
• Knowledge of specific elections, legal and political issues, especially in the Mission area;
• Experience in curriculum and training design and development on election legal issues, including training needs assessment and evaluation of impact;
• Knowledge of the local language or most common lingua franca spoken in the mission area. 

Tasks and Responsibilities

In coordination with the National Elections Adviser and under the direct supervision of the Chief of Governance Section and the overall supervision of the Director of the Democratization Department, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

1. Providing legal advice and analysis on electoral matters to the electoral management bodies, including on complaints and appeals procedures, all aspects of the electoral legal and procedural framework, including legislation on other human rights relevant to exercise the right to vote and the guarantee of political rights, in accordance with international election standards and best practices;
2. Carrying out research and analysis on election legal and reform issues, including legislation on other human rights relevant to exercise the right to vote, and the guarantee of political rights;
3. Formulating options papers on issues pertaining to electoral legal and procedural framework, international elections standards, best practices and the technical implementation of the electoral legal framework;
4. Providing technical legal advice and support to relevant stakeholders in the area of elections for compliance with international standards and international best practice;
5. Providing advice on the implementation of the electoral framework in line with the adopted electoral reform provisions;
6. Contributing to the development of the Section’s programmatic activities within the elections portfolio, including the development and implementation of projects designed to address identified shortcomings and/or needs of the Kosovo electoral system, including supporting electoral reform issues;
7. Providing support to relevant Kosovo institutions aimed at training Central Election Commission members and its Secretariat staff, Election Complaints and Appeal Panel members and its Secretariat Staff, lawyers, prosecutors and judges working on election legal issues, including through training needs assessment, development of training plan and curricula, delivery of identified training packages;
8. Liaising with local and international stakeholders involved in the legal aspects of the electoral reform;
9. Co-operating and co-ordinating projects and activities with local and international partners; assisting the Chief of Section in co-ordinating electoral legal matters with other international organisations, Kosovo institutions, and other bodies or entities;
10. Participating in the Department’s and Section’s policy making process;
11. Representing the Section in meetings, working groups, seminars and/or conferences on electoral legal issues;
12. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, please see:http://www.osce.org/mission-in-kosovo

Short term international contracted mission members temporarily appointed against a seconded post shall only be entitled to equivalent of the board and lodging allowance [BLA] applicable at the duty station concerned (currently 113 EUR per day).

Social Benefits will include possibility of participation in the CIGNA health insurance scheme.

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.

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 seehttps://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please note that vacancies in the OSCE are open for competition only amongst nationals of participating States, please seehttp://www.osce.org/states.Please note that nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are not eligible to apply.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.