FIELD CONSULTANT

DUTY STATION:                Sarajevo

CONTRACT TYPE:            Short-term consultancy (National), 16 positions

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF POSITION:

The resolution of State Property issues is an important component in the international community’s efforts to strengthen state institutions and to underpin prospects for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s functional sustainability as a state. In this context, the Peace Implementation Council established the “Acceptable and Sustainable Resolution of the Issue of Apportionment of Property between State and other Levels of Government” as the first of five objectives for the transition of the Office of the High Representative (OHR) into the Office of the European Union Special Representative (EUSR). 

Implementation of the State Property Objective requires, as a first step, an inventory of all State Property subject to apportionment as defined by the BiH Council of Ministers’ Decision Establishing the Commission for State Property, for the Identification and Distribution of the State Property, and the Specification of Rights and obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Entities, and the Brcko District of BiH, (“Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina” 65/05).

State Property subject to apportionment broadly encompasses (1) property belonging to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in its international personality, in accordance with the Agreement on Succession Issues of the Former Yugoslavia and (2) property over which the institutions of the former Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina held rights of management and disposal as of 31 December 1991.

The State Property Inventory Project, which is being implemented with the donor assistance of the international community and under the auspices of the Office of the High Representative, provides personnel and resources to compile an accurate, timely and comprehensive inventory of immovable State Property.  The aim is to complete the inventory within 30-45 working days, audit the results as needed, and to generally facilitate a speedier resolution of the State Property transition benchmark. 

The initiative will be implemented through Field Consultants that will be responsible for reviewing property records in Land Registry Offices throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in cadastre offices, as necessary. They will conduct the review of property records and compile the relevant data and documentation in accordance with defined guidelines and within set timelines.

The Field Consultant will work as part of a two-person project teams and will directly report to the Project Coordinator, under the overall direction of the Project Manager and of the Head of the Commercial and Fiscal Law Unit. However, he/she will be expected to carry out his/her tasks independently within the established guidelines.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Travel to various Land Registry Offices, and cadastre offices, as necessary, throughout BiH, to review property records and compile the relevant data and documentation. 
• Ensure the review of property records and compilation of relevant data in accordance with the defined guidelines, in a complete, accurate and timely manner. 
•   Process the compiled data and documentation in accordance within the defined guidelines and forward the established data bases (for each of the land registry locations) to the respective Project Coordinator. 
• Provide full report on the conducted fieldwork to the Project Coordinator and Project Manager, including the established deficiencies in the reviewed property records and Land Registry Offices, experienced obstacles, as well as other relevant information.
• Coordinate the workload and cooperate closely with the other Field Consultant within the field team in order to ensure maximum efficiency.
•   Other tasks as required by the Project Coordinator, Project Manager, or the Head of the Commercial and Fiscal Law Unit.

        PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:

·                    Law Degree or extensive experience working with Land registries and cadastres;

·                    Have at least three years of relevant professional experience;

·                    Experience with and/or knowledge of laws regulating in rem rights, property relations and land books is a strong advantage;

·                    Ability to travel throughout the country and work in the field, also long hours;

·                    Ability to work with minimal supervision and to operate as a part of a team;

·                    Mature judgment and flexibility;

·                    Good knowledge of English language is an advantage;

·                    Fluency in the languages of Bosnia-Herzegovina;

·                    Full computer literacy;

·                    Proven ability to work under stress and considerable pressure;

·                    Clean and valid driving license is obligatory;

·                    Possession of a private vehicle is an advantage.

Any person with the above qualifications should provide (in English) a CV with a one-page cover letter and references to the following:

No telephone inquiries please