Who we are

With 57 participating States in North America, Europe and Asia, the OSCE – the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – is the world’s largest regional security organization. The OSCE works for stability, peace and democracy for more than a billion people, through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work that aims to make a lasting difference.

The OSCE is a forum for political dialogue on a wide range of security issues and a platform for joint action to improve the lives of individuals and communities. The organization uses a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses the politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions. Through this approach, and with its inclusive membership, the OSCE helps bridge differences and build trust between states by co-operating on conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.

With its Institutions, expert units and a network of field operations, the OSCE address issues that have an impact on our common security, including arms control, terrorism, good governance, energy security, human trafficking, democratization, media freedom and national minorities.

Why work for the OSCE

Be a positive force for change

There are many reasons to come and work for us, but the most important is because what we do matters. Nothing beats the individual sense of accomplishment in knowing you are making a difference to the world. And it is not just colleagues on the front line– our Organization is filled with “behind the scenes” people, whose administrative and managerial work is essential to making sure we deliver the OSCE’s mission.

A wide range of opportunities

Our work covers many spheres, from political and military, economic and environmental to human rights; offering both work for specialists in those areas and the very important tasks of administrative, finance, human resources and information technology that allows us to work efficiently and effectively day by day.

What we offer

We are a non-career organization and offer limited periods of service, but with the possibility to move within the organization. We recruit fixed-term professional and general service staff, seconded professionals from participating states, and temporary staff. We also hire consultants where specialized programmatic and administrative expertise is needed.

Types of employment

Fields of expertise

Positions are available in the following areas of work:

Administration and support (including finance, transportation, supply and logistics, IT, human resources, audit, security, conference and language services)
Civilian police
Democratization
Economic and environmental affairs
Education
Elections
General staff/monitoring functions
Human rights (including combating trafficking in human beings & gender issues)
Media affairs
Military affairs (including anti-terrorism, arms control & border management)
Political affairs
Rule of law

Seconded Positions

The majority of all international positions in OSCE field operations are filled by secondment (S): individuals are nominated by their respective OSCE participating State. Secondments are generally for an initial period of twelve months, with a possibility of extension. The OSCE pays a board and lodging allowance to cover living expenses for positions located in a field duty station. A number of positions at the Secretariat and Institutions are also filled by secondment. For these posts, all costs (both salary and living expenses) must be borne by the seconding authority. Vacancy notices for seconded positions are published on the OSCE website.

Contracted Positions

Applicants for positions at the Professional (P) category are required to have a university degree and several years of experience at national and/or international level in a relevant field of expertise. In addition, post-graduate specialization and management experience is necessary for a number of senior P and Director (D) positions. Applicants for positions in the National Professional (NP) category in the field operations are required to have a university degree and the relevant number of years of working experience. Applicants for positions in the General Service (GS) category are required to have completed secondary education, supplementary courses related to the functions of the position and the relevant number of years of working experience.

Levels of professional competency

Heads and Deputy Heads of Mission
Senior Management (e.g. Heads of Departments)
Middle Management (e.g. Section Chiefs, Team Leaders)
Senior professional
Professional

Consultants

The OSCE recruits consultants to provide advisory services and expert assistance on a short-term and ad-hoc basis to complement the work of regular staff members or for specific projects. Interested individuals with at least six years of specialized expertise are encouraged to browse the OSCE website for opportunities.

Should you be interested in our employment opportunities, check out our website and follow us on LinkedIn

Recruitment and Selection Process

The OSCE hires individuals from across participating States for many types of positions. Two of the most common contract types advertised are the International Seconded and the International Contracted positions.

Check the graphs below to learn more about the Recruitment Process at the OSCE in 10 Steps. Each graph will break down the roles of the Applicant, Recruiter, Hiring Manager, Interview Board Members, Seconding Authority (in the case of Seconded positions) and Appointing Authority.

To support our candidates at the recruitment process, we run our monthly webinars and publish our monthly talent acquisition newsletter. Click on the buttons below to watch our webinars or subscribe to our newsletter.

Employee Spotlight

More information on Ms. Bogombaeva’s career journey is available here

More information on Ms. Twardowska’s career journey is available here

More information on Ms. Vanaga’s career journey is available here

Women, peace, and security

The OSCE recognizes that equal rights and opportunities for women and men are fundamental to achieving comprehensive security, and has committed to ensuring that a gender perspective is integrated into all its activities. To do this effectively, the Secretariat’s Gender Section gives support to all OSCE structures, field operations and participating States.

The OSCE’s work is guided by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 governing the women, peace, and security agenda. The Resolution recognizes the pivotal role women play in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction. The Organization focuses on issues with a specific security-related context, such as early warning mechanisms, conflict management and mediation, and women’s equal participation in reconstruction efforts. It provides technical briefings to governments to help them implement the Resolution, publishes material to promote increased women’s participation throughout the cycle of conflicts, and ensures that women’s grassroots groups are included in conflict resolution and reconciliation processes.

Women’s economic empowerment

Economic empowerment of women is one of the most important contributing factors to gender equality and addressing poverty reduction and improving access to services such as health and education. Through its field operations, the OSCE supports women entrepreneurs to access resources and build networks; provides training and legal advice on how to open and run a business, and supports the development of gender-sensitive national migration policies to ensure equal opportunities and protection for both male and female labour migrants.