Senior Adviser (S)

Background:

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to an assignment at the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media must be borne by their authorities.

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered. Seconded staff members in the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions are not entitled to a Board and Lodging Allowance payable by the Organization.

The OSCE has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects. It therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, combating human trafficking, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities. All 57 participating States enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.  

Free expression and free media are basic human rights. To ensure compliance with media-freedom commitments agreed upon by participating States, the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) was established in December 1997. The function of the Representative is to observe relevant media developments in OSCE participating States with a view to providing early warning on violations of freedom of expression. The Representative concentrates on rapid response to serious non-compliance with OSCE principles and commitments by participating States. In case of serious problems caused, for instance, by obstruction of media activities and unfavourable working conditions for journalists, the Representative seeks direct contacts with the participating State and other parties involved, assesses the facts and contributes to the resolution of the issue. Another task is to assist participating States by advocating and promoting full compliance with OSCE principles and commitments regarding freedom of expression and free media. Assistance is typically provided in the form of legal analyses of legislation, organizing conferences and roundtables during which best practices are shared and promoted, preparing topical publications and guidebooks on media freedom matters and providing training seminars for media and government officials.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the overall leadership of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and the immediate supervision of the Director of Office, as Senior Adviser, you will be tasked with:

1. Initiating and co-ordinating all public relations activities of the office and for the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, including preparing interviews with media, organizing press conferences, contributing to the publications of the office (online and offline), managing the social media presence of the office and speech writing;    
2. Liaising closely with Communication and Media Relations Section (COMMS) department of the OSCE Secretariat, the other Institutions and with the OSCE field presence;
3. Performing as web-editor of the office website (in co-operation with COMMS);
4. Supervising the media monitoring of a geographical set of OSCE countries (depending on experience and language skills of incumbent);
5. Maintaining a network of contacts with media freedom advocacy NGOs;
6. Maintaining contacts with permanent Representations to the OSCE in Vienna;
7. Contributing to the external co-operation activities of the office, including maintaining contacts with other international organizations;
8. Performing other related duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, please see: https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media

Necessary Qualifications:

• Second-level university degree in political science, international relations, law, journalism or another related field; a first-level university degree in combination with two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree;
• Minimum eight years of professional experience with practical experience as journalist, press officer or equivalent;
• Knowledge about the working methods of media professionals and media outlets;
• Good communication skills combined with sound political judgment;
• Experience in handling modern information technologies (Internet, etc.) is essential;
• Experience in human rights work, especially media freedom advocacy;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent drafting and communication skills; knowledge of other OSCE working languages would be an asset;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;
• Ability to operate Windows applications including word processing and email.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.