Programme Officer (S)

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 duties and requirements of this seconded (S) position correspond to a P3-level role in the UN common system. 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 Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (SR-CTHB) represents the OSCE at the political level on anti-trafficking issues. The Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator (OSR-CTHB) assists OSCE participating States in the implementation of all relevant commitments and full usage of recommendations set forth in the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings and its Addenda. The Office provides a coordinating function among OSCE structures and institutions involved in combating trafficking in human beings (THB) with a focus on the following activities: enhancing the awareness and understanding of all forms of THB across the OSCE region; policy, planning and advocacy especially in the area of emerging trends of THB and effective approaches to combat THB; and direct assistance to participating States in practical and technical areas, at their request.

Under the overall guidance of the SR, and the direct supervision of the Deputy Coordinator, the incumbent will assist in furthering the OSCE THB commitments among participating States; provide assistance in policy and legal analysis; organize the OSR-CTHB meetings and conferences in and outside Vienna, including agenda and background reports; support the development of the research and publications such as background and occasional papers; facilitate co-operation and liaise with partner organizations, other relevant OSCE institutions and Field Operations; support the preparation of the speeches and reports.

The goals and objectives of the post are to assist in the overall anti-trafficking work of the Office, esp. to support the analysis of the political, legal and human dimension situation in the OSCE participating States with regard to THB; to collect and analyse THB-related trends in the region; to develop background studies and occasional papers to improve understanding of issues and inform technical assistance, capacity building and other project needs, including the Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons, its conference and other events. As the head of a specialised portfolio, lead the monitoring, research, advocacy, capacitation and coordination of efforts in his/her domain in close coordination with other members of the team and partners.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Co-ordinator, strategic leadership of the Special Representative and in close coordination with other programme officers in the team, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Supporting the analysis of political, legal and human-dimension developments in participating States related to trafficking in human beings (THB); collecting and analysing regional trends; preparing comparative assessments against international standards; and providing conclusions and recommendations to inform policy development, legal reform and potential OSCE commitments, including Extra Budgetary fundraising opportunities;
2. Developing research concepts and terms of reference for background studies and occasional papers; supervising contracted experts; and conducting regional, country or sectoral analyses to strengthen the evidence base for technical assistance, capacity-building and programme planning;
3. Collecting and analysing information from participating States, international organizations, NGOs and other partners to identifying good practices, supporting strategic planning and ensuring regular updates to the Special Representative on key developments and emerging trends;
4. Drafting, editing and finalizing high-quality written outputs, including briefing and talking points, speeches, research papers, policy papers, meeting minutes and mission reports, for internal use and public dissemination;
5. Maintaining regular working-level contacts with delegations of participating States and Partners for Co-operation, relevant authorities, NGOs, OSCE institutions, field operations and international organizations to ensure effective coordination and the integration of expert input into visits, events, research and projects;
6. Contributing to the assessment of national and regional anti-trafficking programmes; participates in project development and content formulation; may act as project manager; and supports efforts to secure extra-budgetary funding;
7. Organizing meetings, workshops, technical seminars and conferences, including the Alliance Conference; preparing related background materials, agendas and correspondence; and performing additional administrative, logistical and operational tasks as assigned;
8. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Secretariat, please see https://www.osce.org/secretariat.

Necessary Qualifications:

• First-level university degree in international relations, international development, public international law, human rights law, social or political sciences or related subjects;
• A minimum of seven years (five years with a relevant second-level degree) of progressively responsible professional-level experience in anti-trafficking, human rights, rule of law, migration, or related fields within international, governmental, or civil society organizations;
• Demonstrated knowledge of THB and anti-trafficking stakeholders at national and international levels;
• Experience in the implementation of multi-lateral policy and practice activities related to human trafficking, including in areas of prevention, prosecution and/or protection and assistance; experience in the areas of vulnerability analysis and/or emerging issues such as use of technology and financial investigation desirable;
• Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills; working knowledge of at least one other language from the OSCE region, particularly Russian is desirable;
• 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.

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.

Additional Information

• Issued by: OSCE Secretariat
• Requisition ID: SEC001035
• Contract Type: International Secondment
• Grade: S
• Job Type: Seconded
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: SEC - OSCE Secretariat, Vienna
• Issue Date: Jun 19, 2026
• Closing Date: Jul 28, 2026
• Employee Status: Fixed Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Education Level: Bachelor's Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)
• Target Start Date: As soon as possible