Head of Justice and Security (S4) - Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (Sarajevo)

About this position

The summary below is published by Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Head the Justice and Security Department, developing strategies and annual work plans in consultation with the Head of Mission
• Provide overall supervision of three programmatic sections (Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law, and Security Co-operation)
• Visit the Mission's field offices and establish effective coordinating mechanisms within the Department and with other Mission programmes
• Carry out responsibilities of Programme Manager for budgetary oversight of the Department's activities and staff
• Oversee programme resource utilization and monitor implementation against approved plans
• Maintain regular contacts with international and domestic authorities to ensure effective programmatic coordination
• Represent the Mission and the Department at technical meetings and publicly on matters pertaining to the Department's activities and policies

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Education: Second-level university degree in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields. Second-level degree in a management discipline is an asset. 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 (12 years with a relevant first-level university degree) of relevant, diversified and progressively responsible professional experience including at least 5 years at the management level relevant to the actual position. Extensive experience in international relations and multidisciplinary issues related to security policy and reform, anti-corruption and/or rule of law, preferably…
• Languages: English (profess…), BiH official languages (working…)
• Key skills: Excellent communication and drafting skills, Diplomatic and negotiating skills, Cultural sensitivity and sound judgment, Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations, Ability to work as a member of a team with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, Professional fluency in English with excellent communication skills, Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications, Excellent physical condition, Ability to cope with physical hardship and willingness to work extra hours, Possession of a valid automobile driving license and ability to drive using manual transmission
• Eligibility: Nationals and permanent residents of the duty station (Bosnia and Herzegovina) are not eligible for international mission member positions. In the case of individuals with multiple nationalities, candidates are ineligible for consideration even if using another citizenship while maintaining citizenship or permanent residence status of the country where the duty station is located. Subject to medi…

Selection process

The notice describes the following selection steps:

• Application submission
• Nomination by participating State
• Interview
• Medical clearance

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: Fixed-term assignment subject to approval of the post as part of the 2027 Unified Budget. Maximum period of service in this post or in the same Mission is seven years..

Hiring unit: OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Justice and Security Department.

Position details

Reference

5146

Last Verified

11 November 2026

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Head of Justice and Security (S4) at OSCE based in Sarajevo. The vacancy reference is 5146.

Please note that this is a new post proposed for establishment in the context of the 2027 Unified Budget (UB). Consequently, the issuance of a fixed-term assignment is subject to approval of the post as part of the UB. However, the successful candidate may be issued a short-term assignment that may be converted to a fixed-term assignment following approval of the UB by OSCE participating States.

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 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 - Knowledge of the OSCE principles and commitments

Level of Professional Competence Requirements

Furthermore, this level of responsibility requires the following:

Education:

Second-level university degree in international studies, public policy, political science or law or related fields. Second-level degree in a management discipline is an asset. 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 (12 years with a relevant first-level university degree) 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;

- Extensive experience in international relations as well as in multidisciplinary issues related to security policy and reform, anti-corruption and/or rule of law, preferably in international organizations and/or a multinational setting, in a post-conflict, transitional or developing countries;

- Experience in managing teams and programmes and coordinating programme implementation;

- Experience conducting negotiations, advocacy and/or liaison with governmental authorities;

- Cultural sensitivity and sound judgment, with the highest professional and ethical standards;

- Good interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations both internally and externally;

- Demonstrated ability and willingness to work as a member of a team, with people of different cultural and religious backgrounds, gender and diverse political views, while maintaining impartiality and objectivity;

- Solid experience and established understanding of programme/project management;

- Professional fluency in English with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills;

- Demonstrated understanding of the complex political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and of the role of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina;

- Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.

Desirable:

- Working knowledge of the BiH official languages;

- Working experience in Bosnia and Herzegovina or in the region.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Mission (HoM), the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:

1. Heading the Justice and Security Department, developing strategies and annual work plans in consultation with the HOM, ensuring consistency with, and relevance to, the Mission’s mandate, and direction provided by participating states and the conditions prevailing in BiH;

2. Providing overall supervision of three programmatic sections (Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law, and Security Co-operation) to ensure that specialist expertise informs programme planning and implementation, that all programme elements are coherent and aligned with clearly defined and achievable concrete objectives, and that effective coordination is maintained between the Mission’s Field Offices and Head Office in achieving the agreed objectives;

3. Visiting the Mission’s field offices and establishing effective coordinating mechanisms within the Department and with other Mission programmes;

4. Carrying out the responsibilities of Programme Manager for budgetary oversight of the Department’s activities and staff. Monitoring programme implementation and contributing to budget planning and resource utilization within assigned projects, including coordination of all proposals for extrabudgetary funding with relevant Mission’s programmes and sections;

5. Overseeing programme resource utilization and monitoring implementation against approved plans to assess progress, identify gaps, and support timely corrective action to maximize programme results and impact;

6. Maintaining regular contacts with international and domestic authorities in order to ensure effective programmatic coordination, a clear understanding of the Mission’s Justice and Security Programme and, where necessary, maintaining working relationships with counterparts to facilitate programme implementation and information;

7. Representing the Mission and the Department at technical meetings and publicly on matters pertaining to the Department's activities and policies.

For more detailed information on the structure and work of the the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, please see: https://www.osce.org/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 seehttps://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 underhttps://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 athttps://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/offline-application-formto the respective OSCE delegation whose address can be found athttps://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.

- Issued by: OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina - Requisition ID: BAH000245 - Contract Type: International Secondment - Grade: S4 - Job Level: Senior Management - Job Type: Seconded - Number of posts: 1 - Location: BAH - OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo - Issue Date: Nov 4, 2026 - Closing Date: Dec 2, 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

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 11 November 2026, today.

No closing date is published in the source feed for this position. EU vacancies typically remain open for four to eight weeks; check the official vacancy notice for the cut-off date and time.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 11 November 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at OSCE see the OSCE institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Sarajevo see our Sarajevo location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.