OSCE contracts and grades: contracted, seconded and local posts explained

OSCE vacancies use two systems at once: a post can be contracted or seconded, and it can also belong to a professional, national professional or general service category. Those labels answer different questions. The first tells you who employs or nominates you. The second describes the level and recruitment market of the post.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe calls itself a non-career organization. Its officials are appointed or assigned for limited periods, and some grades have maximum service limits.

Contracted and seconded appointments

International contracted staff sign directly with the OSCE. Contracted posts exist in the Secretariat, institutions and field operations. A fixed-term post lasts six months or more; a short-term post lasts less than six months.

Seconded officials are nominated by an OSCE participating State. The national authority screens and forwards the candidacy, and employment conditions depend on the duty station. For a field assignment, the OSCE pays a board and lodging allowance. For secondment to the Secretariat or an institution, the nominating authority bears the costs. A seconded vacancy is therefore not an ordinary direct-hire job, even though the application begins on the OSCE portal.

The OSCE also hires consultants for expertise that is not needed on a continuing basis. Internships, the two-year Junior Professional Officer Programme and temporary assistance have separate terms. Placement on an OSCE roster lasts up to three years but does not guarantee an appointment.

P, D, NP, GS and S labels

The employment modalities page identifies Professional and Director posts as P and D, National Professional posts as NP, and General Service posts as GS. Seconded positions use S levels. A vacancy supplies the exact level.

P and D staff are internationally recruited. NP staff are professionals recruited for a field operation from the country where that operation is located. GS staff provide administrative, technical and operational support and are normally recruited locally.

The OSCE says its P and GS grading is similar to the UN common system, but its benefits and service rules differ. “Similar” does not mean that an OSCE P3 contract is interchangeable with a UN Secretariat P3 appointment. Seconded S grades have no direct UN equivalent.

Appointments to professional and general service posts normally begin at step 1 of the OSCE salary scale. Exceptionally, appointment can be approved up to step 3 when documented additional experience or prior remuneration justifies it. The salary appears in the vacancy; entitlements depend on category, status and location.

Nationality, location and fields of work

Contracted and seconded vacancies are generally open only to nationals of the 57 participating States. Partners for Co-operation may nominate candidates for S1 and S2 secondments. Consultancy eligibility is broader.

For a P or D position in a field operation, the applicant must not be a national of the host country. An NP candidate must be a national of that country. Local GS eligibility is tied to the duty station and the vacancy. These rules are easy to reverse, so check the recruitment category before applying.

The Secretariat is in Vienna. Institutions are based in Warsaw, The Hague and Vienna, while field operations work in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Job fields include political affairs, elections, human rights, democratization, rule of law, civilian policing, border management, military security, economic and environmental affairs, media freedom, anti-trafficking, project management, finance, HR and technology.

Application and selection

Applications go through the official OSCE TALEO system. For a secondment, the form is routed to the participating State’s nominating authority, or the applicant follows that authority’s offline procedure. Direct applications cannot bypass national nomination.

The published selection process includes HR long-listing, hiring-manager short-listing, possible written or recorded assessments, a live panel interview, reference checks and a decision by the appointing authority. Medical clearance follows selection.

When comparing offers, keep salary, board and lodging allowance, relocation and social security separate. The general conditions page is the official starting point, but the vacancy and offer determine the actual package.