Head of Rule of Law (S3)

General Minimum Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working with the OSCE are:

• Excellent physical condition
• Possession of a valid automobile driving license and ability to drive using manual transmission
• Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours and in an environment with limited infrastructure

Field of Expertise Requirements

The general minimum requirements for working in this field of expertise are:

• Experience in the practice of law, e.g. judges, prosecutors, lawyers, etc.
• Knowledge of courtroom proceedings and criminal law and procedure
• Knowledge of international legal procedure standards and instruments
• Demonstrable organizational, analytical, communication and interpersonal skills

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

Second-level university degree in law or international human rights; a first-level university degree in combination with two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the second-level university degree

Experience:

Minimum 6 years (8 years with a relevant first-level university degree) of relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 3 years at the management level relevant to the actual position

Mission Specific Requirements

Additionally, this particular post has specific requirements:

Mandatory:

• International mission members in the OSCE are internationally recruited. For the purposes of OSCE Missions (Field Operations) this means that they are hired to work in a duty station outside of their home country or country of permanent residence. As a result, nationals and permanent residents of the duty station are not eligible for international mission member positions. In the case of individuals with multiple nationalities, candidates are still ineligible for consideration even if using another citizenship for application while simultaneously maintaining the citizenship or permanent residence status of the country where the duty station is located;
• Experience managing or implementing criminal justice, human rights or justice-based programmes in post-conflict, transitional, or developing countries;
• Experience in justice sector programme development and political analysis, including the production of reports, verbal and written briefings;
• Understanding of the work of the Mission in the field of rule of law and human dimension;
• Leadership qualities including ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Experience of working in a programmatic/strategic planning role using a results-based management approach;
• Experience in programme and project management, including in planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting;
• Excellent organizational skills, with ability to work under pressure, manage multiple tasks and process large amounts of information;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills; working knowledge of at least one other language from the OSCE region is 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;
• Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with the justice sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including its institutions and bodies at all levels of government, key legislation, and the overall political situation;
• Working knowledge of the BiH official languages would be an asset.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall authority of the Head of Human Dimension Department (HDD) and direct supervision of the Deputy Head of Human Dimension Department (hereinafter HDD Management), the incumbent will serve as the principal staff member responsible for the day-to-day management of the Human Dimension Department’s Rule of Law Section. They are also responsible for providing support and advice to the HDD Management on matters related to programme design, implementation, planning and evaluation to ensure that strategies for pursuing targeted and meaningful reform, align with the standards of the justice sector independence, impartiality and accountability are identified and acted upon in a timely manner.
The incumbent will supervise personnel within the Rule of Law Section to ensure cohesion between activities and projects and the HDD field-based trial monitoring programme. These efforts should inform the Mission’s monitoring of and provision of support to the justice sector, particularly in the management of criminal justice institutions, trial proceedings, and the protection of the rights of vulnerable persons. The incumbent will interact closely with the other thematic chiefs of sections, departments and units to ensure that cross-cutting issues are jointly identified and supported through the activities and analysis of the Rule of Law Section.

Should you be selected for this role you will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Managing the Rule of Law Section dedicated to ensuring that relevant governmental institutions and legislation promote reform goals aimed at ensuring access to fair trial rights, promotion of judicial outreach, the processing of serious crimes including war crimes, hate crimes, trafficking in human beings, corruption, organized crime, terrorism, domestic violence and other major crimes, the support of victims and witnesses, and the transparent and efficient administration of the justice system overall;
2. Overseeing ongoing legislative review and revisions, as well as monitoring and reporting on effective implementation of the country’s human dimension commitments in the field of fair trial rights and the rule of law;
3. Ensuring close contacts with relevant criminal justice institutions, international organizations active in justice sector reform, and civil society groups engaged in the involved thematic areas;
4. Overseeing and coordinating the implementation of capacity building activities and technical assistance provided to assist the courts, prosecutors’ offices, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH, law enforcement, criminal legislative review experts, and service providers for vulnerable individuals, and civil society groups promoting transitional justice, outreach and victim and witness support;
5. Leading the development and implementation of the Rule of Law project’s annual activity plan and budget;
6. Providing support to the HDD Management in human resources planning;
7. Together with the other Chiefs of Sections, assisting the HDD Management with programme development and strategy formulation through identification of lessons learnt, current trends, achievements, problems and future plans;
8. Co-ordinating with international and domestic organizations active in the field of justice sector reform at the working level in order to prevent duplication and to ensure that the programme achieves maximum benefit from related initiatives;
9. Integrating project evaluation and long-term impact assessment practices into all policy and project work;
10. Working with the HDD Management, as well as other chiefs of sections, departments and units across the Mission to identify cross-cutting synergies among the respective areas of Mission engagement;
11. Directly supervising a team of senior professionals and, through them, indirectly supervising National Legal Officers, Rule of Law Monitoring Assistants, and support staff;
12. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, please see: OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages the nomination of qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious, ethnic and social backgrounds. Please note that nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are not eligible to apply.

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.

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

Candidates should, prior to applying, verify with their respective nominating authority to which extent financial remuneration and/or benefit packages will be offered.

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.

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.

Additional Information

• Issued by: OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Requisition ID: BAH000236
• Contract Type: International Secondment
• Grade: S3
• Job Level: Middle Management
• Job Type: Seconded
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: BAH - OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo
• Issue Date: Jul 15, 2026
• Closing Date: Aug 12, 2026
• Employee Status: Fixed Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Education Level: Master's Degree (Second-level university degree or equivalent)
• Job Field: Rule of Law
• Target Start Date: In Nov 2026