Associate Project Co-ordination Officer

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.

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 Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC) supports and co-ordinates the OSCE’s activities in the field, providing analysis and policy advice to the Secretary General (SG) and the Chairpersonship, leading work on all aspects of the conflict cycle, and supporting the various formats dealing with protracted conflicts. The CPC also serves as the focal point in the Secretariat for co-ordinating and developing the OSCE’s role in the politico-military dimension.

The Programming and Evaluation Support Unit (PESU) assists the Secretary General and the Chairpersonship in the implementation of the Organization’s Project Management framework and standards, in line with the Common Regulatory Management System (CRMS) and with the recognized international standards. It is the primary point of contact for the Chairpersonship and participating States’ delegations on programmatic and project management matters in relation to the Unified Budget (UB) process, as well as the Extra-budgetary contributions. PESU advises senior management and field operations on implementation of programme and project management as well as Performance-Based Programme Budgeting (PBPB) and co-ordinates all related training and coaching activities (i.e. strategic planning, programme management, project management) undertaken by the Unit across the Organization.

Tasks and Responsibilities:
Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Programming and Evaluation Support Unit, the Associate Project Co-ordination Officer will support the CPC in exercising its programme and project co-ordination and oversight role on behalf of the Secretary General. The incumbent will provide support to project and programme managers in their efforts to implement the OSCE project and programme management methodology, with specific emphasis on the aspects related to the Unified Budget process. To this end, the Associate Project Co-ordination Officer will work in close co-ordination with the Office of Secretary General, the Department of Management and Finance, and the Department of Human Resources, towards the elaboration of OSCE-specific tools and guidelines aimed to provide methodological support on all aspects related to programme management, from planning to evaluation.

More specifically, the Associate Project Co-ordination Officer will perform the following duties:

- Supporting the development, maintenance and dissemination of OSCE-specific tools and guidance on project and programme management, in line with the OSCE regulatory framework and methodology, with particular emphasis on the Unified Budget process;
- Providing technical support to Executive Structures during the preparation, review and implementation of programme budget documents (e.g. Programme Outline, Unified Budget Proposal, and Programme Budget Performance Report);
- Contributing to the review and assessment of project proposals submitted to PESU, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and standards;
- Drafting analytical and policy-related documents, including reports, background papers and meeting summaries; contributing to policy development on programme relevance, effectiveness and efficiency;
- Identifying and promoting lessons learned and good practices across the Organization; supporting self-evaluation processes and the continuous improvement of programme management practices;
- Maintaining working-level contact with international organizations, bilateral donors to support co-ordination and remain abreast of developments in project and programme management;
- Performing other related duties as assigned.

Necessary Qualifications:

- Second-level university degree in political science, international relations, conflict prevention, law, management, economics, research methodology or other related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant experience will be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree;
- A minimum of two years (four years with a r