Police Affairs Officer, Adviser on Community Policing

Background:

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to an assignment at the Secretariat 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.

The OSCE Secretariat in Vienna assists the Chairpersonship in its activities, and provides operational and administrative support to the field operations, and, as appropriate, to other institutions.

OSCE Ministerial Council Decision MC.DEC/9/11 of 7 December 2011 established the Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) as part of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna, Austria. TNTD plays a key role as the focal point of OSCE-wide programmatic activities aiming at countering transnational threats and ensuring the co-ordination and coherence of action across all three OSCE dimensions among all executive structures, while respecting their mandates. TNTD comprises the Co-ordination Cell, the Action against Terrorism Unit, the Border Security and Management Unit and the Strategic Police Matters Unit.

The Transnational Threats Department/Strategic Police Matters Unit (TNTD/SPMU) is the focal point for co-ordinating and facilitating the OSCEs police-related activities. TNTD/SPMU contributes to the implementation of the OSCEs police-related commitments by providing support to the Chairperson-in-Office, the Secretary General, the OSCE field operations and the participating States in two key domains. Firstly, it promotes police development and reform within the principles of democratic policing. Secondly, it provides capacity building support in countering organized crime, terrorism, trafficking in illicit drugs, small arms and light weapons and human beings, and cybercrime, while upholding the rule of law and ensuring respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. TNTD/SPMU works closely with external partners, including UN bodies and regional organizations working on police-related matters.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Police Affairs Officer, Adviser on Community Policing leads TNTD/SPMUs work on community policing as a key component of the OSCEs police development and reform activities. She/He provides guidance and support to participating States and OSCE Executive Structures on implementing the concept of community policing as a tool to enhance police-public partnerships, build confidence between different parts of the community, promote gender-responsive policing and prevent crime, in line with the principles of democratic policing and relevant international human rights standards.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of the Strategic Police Matters Unit, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

• Leading the conceptualization, drafting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of SPMUs programmatic projects and activities related to community policing, ensuring co-operation and coherence with relevant stakeholders including participating States, national authorities, international organizations, OSCE Executive Structures and experts;

• Providing expert analysis and input on community policing in support of projects and initiatives developed and implemented by SPMU, TNTD, other Secretariat departments, OSCE Executive Structures and Field Operations, and maintaining an overview of community policing-related activities implemented across the Organization to promote experience sharing;

• Providing expert support and advice on community policing to the OSCE Chairpersonship-in Office, Secretary General, Co/TNT, OSCE Executive Structures and participating States, including in the preparation and organization of related events, and by providing briefings and input upon request;

• Promoting implementation of the community policing concept, including engagement with civil society, and co-operation between law enforcement authorities in participating States by facilitating exchange of information and good practices, and ensuring co-ordination of relevant activities with other international and regional actors;

• Conducting analysis and draft reports, guidance documents and training materials on community policing, upon request, and monitoring key trends and developments in approaches to and implementation of community policing across the OSCE;

• Participating in meetings, including by providing expert input, organized by the OSCE and/or relevant international, regional and national partners on community policing and police development and reform;

• Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat, please see: https://www.osce.org/secretariat

Necessary Qualifications:

• Second-level university degree from a university, Police Academy or an equivalent specialized higher education establishment in social or political science, law, public administration or a related field; a first-level university degree in combination with at least two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree;
• Additional professional training or certification in project management or a related field will be considered as an asset;
• A minimum of seven years (nine years with a first-level degree) of professional and progressively responsible experience in law enforcement, including at least 5 years of international experience in the fields of police co-operation and/or security sector governance and reform, with a focus on community policing;
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the principles and practice of democratic policing, and of current and emerging issues in police and criminal justice development and reform at the international level;
• Experience of developing training curricula for law enforcement, and of delivering engaging and impactful training on community policing to criminal justice practitioners;
• Demonstrated experience of developing and managing the implementation of capacity building projects at the international level, including sound financial and administrative management;
• Strong analytical and communication skills, including the ability to analyse information and identify needs and appropriate solutions, and to present ideas clearly in both written and verbal form;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) 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 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;
• Digital literacy and proficient use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint), internet.

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.

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

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 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.

• Issued by: OSCE Secretariat
• Requisition ID: SEC000652
• Contract Type: International Secondment
• Grade: S
• Job Type: Seconded
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Vienna
• Issue Date: Jan 29, 2025
• Closing Date: Feb 26, 2025
• Employee Status: Fixed Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Education Level: Masters Degree (Second-level university degree or equivalent)
• Target Start Date: As soon as possible