Note: This vacancy has been re-opened to expand the pool of nominations. Candidates who have already been nominated for this position remain under consideration and do not need to be renominated.

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:

• Diplomatic experience or experience working in political affairs with international organizations or governments
• Experience in preparing analytical reports
• Excellent communication and drafting skills
• Knowledge of regional political history and developments
• Diplomatic and negotiating skills
• Some knowledge of the OSCE principles and commitments

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

A second-level university degree in political sciences, public or international law, international relations or another related field; 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 10 years of relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 5 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;
• Strong leadership and management skills, including strategic planning, public communication, people management and proficiency in administrative and financial matters, particularly budgeting;
• Practical experience in the areas covered by the mandate of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in the politico- military, economic and environmental as well as human dimension of security;
• Experience in results-based programme management and project management (including knowledge of budget related issues);
• Ability to establish, maintain and promote effective working relationships with state officials (at the national and local level), diplomatic corps and international organizations, civil society as well as with all departments throughout the Office, whilst maintaining strict impartiality and objectivity;
• Previous international work experience and/or experience in field missions;
• Professional fluency in the English language, both oral and written;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and within limited timeframes as well as the ability to solve problems effectively and efficiently;
• Cultural and social sensitivity and judgment;
• Competence in conflict management and mediation;
• 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;
• Ability to operate Windows applications, including word processing, spreadsheets and e-mail.

Desirable:

Working knowledge of the Russian language and/or the Tajik language is a strong asset.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supports the Head of the Programme Office in Dushanbe in developing and executing programmes and operations in furtherance of the Office’s mandate and regularly engaging with senior officials in the political, economic and social structures of Tajikistan, including civil society and the media. Under the leadership of the Head of the Programme Office in Dushanbe, the Deputy Head assists in the co-ordination and oversight of programmes within the Office, including related general administrative matters; represents the Head of the Programme Office at high-level international gatherings, in co-ordination meetings with other international organizations in Tajikistan, and before OSCE bodies and structures.

Specifically, the Deputy Head of Office has the following duties:

1. Overall monitoring of progress of the Office’s programmes and activities utilizing relevant programme management tools (strategic planning, project management, budgeting);
2. Advising the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on general administrative, management, policy, and programmatic matters;
3. In co-ordination with the Chief of Fund Administration, overseeing the preparation of annual planning and budgeting documents (Programme Outline, Unified Budget, Programme Budget Performance Report) and overseeing the management of human resources issues;
4. Acting as co-ordinator of the Gender Focal Points across the Office;
5. Assisting in the co-ordination of the Office’s activities with the Government, international organizations, OSCE Institutions and civil society;
6. Acting as first level supervisor for the Heads of Programmes, the Senior Executive Officer, the Security Officer, as well as a Senior Secretary and other staff, as required;
7. Having the overview of the organization of high level OSCE events and missions;
8. Assisting in staff mentoring and coaching, including issues related to staff training needs (in close co-ordination with the Human Resources Unit);
9. Supporting the security management of the Office;
10. Supporting fund raising for Extra Budgetary (ExB) projects;
11. Deputizing for the Head of the Programme Office in her/his absence;
12. Performing other duties as assigned.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, please see:https://dushanbe.osce.org/.

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.

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 Programme Office in Dushanbe
• Requisition ID: TAJ000424
• Contract Type: International Secondment
• Grade: DHoM
• Job Level: Senior Management
• Job Type: Seconded
• Number of posts: 1
• Location: TAJ – OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, Dushanbe
• Issue Date: Feb 17, 2026
• Closing Date: Jul 27, 2026
• Employee Status: Fixed Term
• Schedule: Full-time
• Education Level: Master’s Degree (Second-level university degree or equivalent)
• Job Field: Political Affairs
• Target Start Date: As soon as possible