Officer on the Human Rights of Children (S)

Background:

This position is open for secondment only and participating States are kindly reminded that all costs in relation to assignment at OSCE/ODIHR 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 Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the principal institution of the OSCE responsible for the human dimension. ODIHR is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, and the rule of law. ODIHR's assistance projects and other activities are implemented in participating States in accordance with ODIHR's mandate.

ODIHR's Human Rights Department (HRD), one of the Office's five Departments, has a large portfolio of human rights projects, in areas including anti-trafficking in human beings, human rights capacity-building, torture prevention, freedom of religion or belief, freedom of peaceful assembly, human rights, gender and security, human rights and new technologies, NHRIs, human rights and anti-terrorism, and human rights defenders. The purpose of the department is to advance ODIHR's human rights mandate, that is to assist participating States in the implementation of their Human Dimension Commitments and to empower civil society actors. This post is situated within the Children's Rights portfolio.

Tasks and responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Head, Human Rights Department, the Officer on the Human Rights of Children monitors, analyses, and reports on developments related to the human rights of children across the OSCE region, assisting participating States in meeting their Human Dimension commitments. They advise ODIHR management on trends, priority areas, and programmatic responses regarding children’s rights, and provide guidance to participating States on policies and practices that protect and promote these rights.

In particular, the incumbent performs the following duties:

1. Monitoring and analysing developments related to the human rights of children across the OSCE region and advising management on priority areas, programmatic responses, and follow-up actions;
2. Planning and co-ordinating needs assessments on children's rights in OSCE participating States;
3. Advising, developing, and implementing programmatic activities in the area of children's rights in co-operation with OSCE structures, participating State counterparts, NHRIs, and civil society actors;
4. Designing, implementing, and evaluating capacity-building initiatives, training programmes, and field activities, such as workshops, seminars, and dialogues for governmental actors, civil society organizations, and education specialists;
5. Developing publications, including handbooks, guidance notes, and policy papers on the rights of children;
6. Preparing project proposals, budgets, and donor reports, and maintaining accurate records in information management systems;
7. Establishing and maintaining co-operation with government authorities, international organizations, and NGOs, and supervising experts and contractors engaged in programme delivery;
8. Contributing to department-wide initiatives by providing expertise, feedback, and support on cross-cutting activities, draft materials, and inter-departmental projects, and engaging in other tasks in line with ODIHR's mandate.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, please see: http://www.osce.org/odihr

Education and Experience:

• First-level university degree in social sciences, law, international relations, or human rights, with a specialization in children’s rights preferred;

• A minimum of seven years (five years with a second-level university degree) of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience in the field of human rights, including experience at the international level in an advisory function;

• Knowledge of UN, Council of Europe, and OSCE human rights standards, including as pertaining to the rights of the child, as well as human rights monitoring and reporting methodology and practice;

• Experience designing, implementing, and evaluating projects;

• Knowledge of child protection mechanisms, juvenile justice, education, social services and/or other areas affecting the rights of the child;

• Experience working with stakeholders relevant for the protection of children's rights, including from the security sector are preferred;

• Experience with human rights research and report drafting;

• Ability to examine children's rights issues through an intersectional lens;

• Computer literate with practical experience in Microsoft applications.
  

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

Candidates interviewed and found suitable in the recruitment process for this vacancy notice will be placed on a roster of suitable candidates (valid for three years) for fixed-term posts open for secondment, should a suitable opportunity arise. The placement on a roster does not guarantee a future appointment or assignment.

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.

The OSCE is a non-career organization committed to the principle of staff rotation; therefore, the maximum period of service in this post is 10 years.

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 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.