Associate Communications Officer

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

The Office of the Secretary General (OSG) plays a key role in supporting the Secretary General in the effective implementation of his/her mandate and specific tasks given to him/her by the OSCE participating States. This includes primarily assisting the Secretary General in his/her activities, serving as a focal point for liaison and support to the Chairperson-in-Office, and co-ordinating tasks across the Secretariat. It groups horizontal services such as Executive Management, Communication and Media Relations, Legal Services, External Co-operation, Security Management, Gender Issues, Conference and Language Services, Central Records Management, and oversees the OSCE Documentation Centre in Prague (DCiP). The OSG ensures effective co-ordination of policy advice provided to the Secretary General and the Chairpersonship, and management decisions taken by the Secretary General.

The Communication and Media Relations Section (COMMS) supports and advises the Secretary General and the OSCE Chair on media and public relations activities, and informs external audiences about the work of the OSCE. COMMS also serves as the focal point for public statements and other communication material from OSCE Institutions and field operations. COMMS produces and disseminates press releases, information materials and regular publications, maintains the public website, the Organization’s social media presence and promotes the OSCE’s values, principles and work.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

The Associate Communications Officer works as part of a team to provide the full range of communication support, advice and products (digital, traditional and social media) to key stakeholders throughout the organization. The primary emphasis of the work will be digital communications. Additionally, the incumbent is responsible for supporting the OSCE public website. The incumbent will work in close cooperation and coordination with another Communications Officer to deliver on the full spectrum of communications objectives for improved OSCE visibility and recognition, as well as with the Web Developer to manage the OSCE public website.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief, Digital Strategy and Communications, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

Maintaining content and structure of the OSCE public website on a day-to-day basis using the website’s content management system and liaising closely with the Web Developer to ensure the website is up-to-date and meets the needs of the organization and its multiple audience groups;

Guiding the work of the network of internal website contributors including troubleshooting, training, and coaching where necessary, and ensuring content guidelines and policies are respected;

Working closely with OSCE Secretariat programmes and departments to create and deliver communication products according to priorities, and ensuring communications support for events and conferences;

Working closely with OSCE Institutions and Field Operations communications teams to ensure co-ordinated, streamlined and professional communication throughout the Organization;

Developing texts, visuals and stories and distributing them across a broad range of communication channels;

Performing other duties as required, including participating in a duty roster.

A second-level university degree in journalism, communications, multimedia, political science, international affairs, or another related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of the second-level university d