Programme Assistant (G5)

Background:

The work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek (POiB) focuses on a range of security issues, from countering terrorism, border security and transnational threats such as human trafficking, to economic development of the country’s provinces, strengthening efforts to combat corruption on all levels, as well as supporting the reform of the justice sector, implementation of election reform, gender equality and building open and resilient societies.

The incumbent will be positioned within the Socio-Economic unit of the Economic and Environmental Department (EED). The unit implements projects aimed at assisting the Host State in its efforts to further advance economic growth and sustainable development by supporting the development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the provinces by increasing access to business advisory services, strengthening public-private dialogue, and supporting women’s economic empowerment. The incumbent will be responsible for the delivery of programme/project-related tasks related to economic development. 

Main Purpose:

The Programme Assistant provides information regarding proposed and ongoing projects and other programme activities for the planning of the Unified Budget (UB) and is responsible for administrative and technical support within the team as well as recommends process improvement in planning and monitoring, and editing relevant strategy documents.

Working with limited supervision, the Programme Assistant provides administrative support to facilitate the delivery of project and budget proposals and shall be responsible for collaborating with several stakeholders in assisting in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of project activities which, at times, will require persistence and flexibility.

Work Relationships:

The Programme Assistant reports to the National Economic Officer (NEO), while the Regional Development Officer acts as a second level supervisor.

Internal contacts are mainly with other teams within EED, Fund Administration Unit (FAU), Press and Public Information Unit, Office of Head of Mission (OHoM) and other relevant departments to provide advice or guidance related to project administration, including in relation to project documents, correspondence and expenditure, as well as to make administrative arrangements for the implementation of project activities. External contacts are mainly with state partners, such as the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and non-state partners, to clarify and discuss project outputs and to make arrangements for joint implementation of project activities. The incumbent collaborates with the international and national experts contracted by the POiB to achieve the programme and project results.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Under the overall supervision of the National Economic Officer (NEO), the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Provides information regarding proposed and ongoing projects and other programme activities for the planning of the Unified Budget; compiles general background information from available sources; designs and drafts supporting flow charts, schedules, graphs and tables; maintains institutional memories or other documentation systems to record programme and project history and ongoing activities;

2. Assists in the review of project proposals, budgets and reports from implementing partners and assists in preparing project proposals; assembles and edits basic data and verifies documents required for planning and negotiation, as instructed by the supervisor; checks project documents for clarity, consistency and completeness;

3. Participates in project formulation, including the development of plans and project budgets in close cooperation with FAU;

4. Provides functional support to project implementation; follows up and keeps records on project expenditures and overall financial status; prepares Purchase Requests (PR) and Purchase Orders (PO); receives funds from FAU for project activities; in coordination with partners for implementation assesses project implementation and other related issues; assists in follow up on the implementation progress of ongoing projects, investigating designated project activities, discussing findings with the supervisor to identify implications for the work of the POiB as well as rationale and context of project activities, considering problem identification and problem resolution;

5. Assists in collecting, registering, reporting and maintaining information on project activities by monitoring project events, reviewing reports and maintaining liaison with partners for implementation, following up on all aspects of the project; accompanies the supervisor and other EED staff on regular field visits, participates in discussions, and takes follow up action as/when required;

6. Prepares various written outputs, drafts information for background and briefing papers; drafts and submits financial reports for project expenditures for UB projects and for ExB projects if needed; provides inputs for all reporting exercises (regular and ad hoc), drafts notes for the supervisor on specific issues and topics as and when requested; participates in project briefings for visiting delegations; provides accurate translations and interpretation; Performs other related duties on cross-dimensional issues.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, please see: https://www.osce.org/programme-office-in-bishkek.

Necessary Qualifications:

• Completed secondary education, supplemented by formal studies in business administration, economics, management, public policy or related fields;  
• Minimum four years of working experience in economics, business or project management fields;    
• Experience in project planning, implementation and reporting;
• Experience in conducting research and information collection from a variety of sources;
• Digital literacy and proficient use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and the Internet. Experience with ERP software 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;
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English and local languages (Russian/ Kyrgyz).

Remuneration Package:

Monthly remuneration, subject to social security deductions is 899.67 Euro/month. Social benefits will include Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe participation in the Cigna medical insurance scheme and the OSCE Provident Fund.
Appointments are normally made at step 1 of the applicable OSCE salary scale. At the discretion of the appointing authority a higher step may be approved up to a maximum of step 3 subject to specific conditions.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment, to offer an appointment at a lower grade or 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.

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 qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

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 note that for this position the OSCE does not reimburse expenses such as travel in connection with interviews, tests, visas and relocation.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

The mandatory retirement age at the OSCE is 65 years for contracted positions at the general service, professional and director level. The Organization shall apply an age limit of 63 years at the time of appointment as the incumbent selected is normally expected to carry out the contractual obligation of two years.