Expert on Albanian Onomastics will be hired in Serbia

vacancy

This vacancy is open only for the applicants with the citizenship of or permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia.

In partnership with the Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia and the Albanian National Minority Council (NMC), the OSCE Mission to Serbia has commissioned an assessment of the right to writing personal names and surnames in the official documents in the Albanian language and script for members of the Albanian national minority.

In 2017, the Protector of Citizens drafted a special report with recommendations on the implementation of the right to the use of the Albanian language and script. One recommendation relates to the creation of a catalogue of the most frequent Albanian names and surnames. As previously confirmed by staff working in the administration in southern Serbia municipalities and towns, as well as by Albanian NMC representatives, such a catalogue would be a valuable tool for administrative staff working in hospitals, maternity wards and birth registries, which are in direct contact with the native speakers of Albanian, to accurately write their personal names, both in Albanian and Cyrillic script.

In order to develop a catalogue of Albanian names and surnames for administrative use, the Mission will partner with the Republic of Serbia’s Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, the Co-ordination Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, the Protector of Citizens and the Albanian NMC. The developed catalogue would be available online and would be open for the addition of new names and surnames.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Therefore, the Mission requires the services of three consultants to develop a catalogue of the most frequent Albanian names and surnames by collecting and recording data written in the birth registries in six local self-government units (Nis, Leskovac, Vranje, Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja) from 1950s onward. Each consultant will cover two local self-government units. Under the supervision of the OSCE National Programme Officer on National Minorities, each consultant will be responsible for:

1. Attending meetings with the representatives of relevant municipalities and staff working on birth registries;
2. Collecting and recording data about Albanian names and surnames inscribed in the birth registries in the two local self-government units assigned to him/her, from the 1950s onward;
3. Harmonizing the entries with those recorded by the two other consultants in the four municipalities assigned to them;
4. Producing the catalogue containing the most frequent Albanian names and surnames separated and sorted in alphabetical order;
5. Performing any other tasks necessary for the development of catalogue.

Necessary Qualifications

• Citizenship of or permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia;
• University degree in Albanian language or linguistics; or a university degree in another relevant field in humanities or social studies with professional experience in Albanian language;
• Professional fluency in Albanian and Serbian languages, both oral and written;
• Very good command of English language;
• Proven knowledge of administration, administrative procedures and records management;
• Computer literate with practical experience in Microsoft packages;
• Ability and willingness to work with people of different cultural, national and religious background;
• Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, as well as the ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.

Candidates are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the OSCE Competency Model available at: https://jobs.osce.org/osce-competency-model.

Required competencies

Core values

• Commitment: Actively contributes to achieving organizational goals
• Diversity: Respects others and values their diverse perspectives and contributions
• Integrity: Acts in a manner consistent with the Organization’s core values and organizational principles
• Accountability: Takes responsibility for own action and delegated work

Core competencies

• Communication: Actively works to achieve clear and transparent communication with colleagues and with stakeholders of the Organization
• Collaboration: Works effectively with others on common goals and fosters a positive, trust-based working environment
• Planning: Works towards the achievement of goals in a structured and measured manner
• Analysis and decision-making: Analyses available information, draws well-founded conclusions and takes appropriate decisions
• Initiative-taking: Proposes and initiates new ideas, activities and projects
• Flexibility: Responds positively and effectively to changing circumstances

Managerial competencies (for positions with managerial responsibilities)

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, builds trust and creates an enabling environment
• Strategic thinking: Identifies goals that advance the organizational agenda and develops plans for achieving them
• Managing performance: Helps to maximize team performance by providing active feedback and skill development opportunities

Remuneration Package

Each expert will be employed on a Special Service Agreement covering a total period of 3 working months, starting approx. from 10 April 2019, and will be paid a total amount not exceeding 750 EUR, commensurate to individual qualifications and experience.

In addition, travel and accommodation expenses related to this consultancy will be reimbursed by the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

How To Apply

Please apply online through the OSCE website (https://jobs.osce.org) no later than 19 March 2019. Only applications received through the OSCE website will be considered; applications received by email, post etc. will not be accepted.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Candidates who have not been contacted by 1 April 2019 should consider there will be no follow up to their application.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise the vacancy, cancel the recruitment, or offer a consultancy at a different level or with modified terms of reference or for a different duration.