Bosnian Civil Service Agency - Meeting Global Standards

Since its inauguration as a government-wide human capital management agency by High Representative lord Paddy Ashdown, in June 2002, the Civil Service Agency (CSA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina has scored a number of remarkable accomplishments in the field of civil service Human Capital Management. With enthusiasm and passion for the government's reform process, the CSA has successfully implemented several key initiatives within the Bosnian government. Becoming operational on February 03, 2003, Civil Service Agency (CSA) has been managing the essential part of government reform initiatives. In addition to the original mission of maintaining transparency and equality in the civil service practices, the Agency has been designing and implementing a variety of reformative measures to lead the necessary changes in the government. Direct reporting relationship with the Council of Ministries and support from the Office of High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina has enabled the Agency to be independent from the influence and pressures of the government ministries or the special interest groups. From the outset the CSA has had three main mandates: 1) reviewing the appointments of current civil servants to determine if they are properly appointed, 2) developing a recruitment and selection process to staff up the state ministries and other common institutions and 3) training of civil servants. Hopefully, this homepage will provide readers with useful information about the CSA in terms of its structure, functions, and government personnel-related policies. Here you are recommended to ask any questions, request further information, or freely express your opinions. Thank you. Jakob Finci Head of the Agency jakob.finci@ads.gov.ba

Organizational Structure

The Office of the Head of the Agency is responsible for:

1. supporting the Head of the Civil Service Agency through the performance of professional and technical tasks such as managing his or her schedule; coordinating the preparation of materials for discussions with the representatives of the client institutions, as well as for addresses at conferences and seminars; providing the typing, proof-reading and copying of materials; organizing and keeping minutes of meetings; organizing official visits within the country and abroad, and the reception of domestic and foreign visitors;

2. ensuring communications throughout the Agency by filtering telephone calls; receiving, delivering and dispatching mail; record-keeping of in-coming and outgoing correspondence; and maintaining the filing system for all documentation produced and received by the Agency;

3. ensuring the efficient use of the Agency's human, financial and material resources by carrying out administrative tasks related to the hiring and management of civil servants and other employees of the Agency, and the exercise of their rights and duties; issuing service contracts; planning and executing the Agency’s budget; keeping financial records; performing cashier’s functions; maintain the inventory, as well as ensuring the procurement, distribution and maintenance of the Agency's equipment; and providing administrative support to the Civil Service Board, as requested;

4. coordinating the work of the Expert Collegium, including in the provision of assistance to the institutions in realization of their human resources policy and organizational development.

   1. Mr.Jakob Finci - Head of the Agency - jakob.finci@ads.gov.ba

   2. Mrs.Jadranka Mandaric - Personal Assistant to the Head of the Agency - jadranka.mandaric@ads.gov.ba

   3. Mrs.Mirjana Maric - Senior Specialist in the Office - mirjana.maric@ads.gov.ba

The IT Unit is responsible for:

1. researching trends, needs, and attitudes within the civil service through the analysis of data and other information, for the purpose of verifying the effects of existent policies and devising new ones, as needed;

2. gathering data and other information on trends, needs and attitudes within the civil service by carrying out statistical surveys within the clients institutions, as authorized by the Council of Ministers;

3. maintaining the Central Registry of Personnel; ensuring the standardization of the relevant data, the accuracy of their entry and their confidentiality according to the laws in force;

4. providing access by the concerned civil servants and the public to data and other information held by the Agency pursuant the Law on Freedom of Access to Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina n. 28/00); and the publishing of non-confidential information and findings through conventional and electronic means.

   1. Mr.Kemal Bajramovic - acting Head of IT Unit - kemal.bajramovic@ads.gov.ba

   2. Mrs.Aldijana Grcic - Assistant - aldijana.grcic@ads.gov.ba 

The Appointment Unit is responsible for:

1. advising the client institutions on job classification and job description methodology, as well as on the development and implementation of their staffing plans; preparing declarations of redundancy of civil servants upon proposal of the relevant institution; preparing opinions on the awarding of additional compensation to civil servants temporarily called to perform additional tasks assigned to a different position;

2. ensuring the internal advertising of vacant positions in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the relevant client institution; advising client institutions on the opportunity of compulsory internal transfers and carrying out the selection among candidates in case of voluntary transfers; operating the system of external transfers of redundant civil servants, and carrying out the selection among candidates;

3. ensuring the external advertising of vacant positions in the official gazettes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Entities and the Brcko District, in the diplomatic and consular posts and in daily newspapers; receiving candidates' applications and verifying their compliance with the general and specific requirements; maintaining a list of lay experts for inclusion in the selection process; preparing proposals for the appointment of impartial Selection Committees and assisting them in the administration of public open competitions; publishing competitions’ results and notifying them to the candidates; preparing acts of appointment for the successful candidates to non-managerial positions, and opinions on the appointment in case of managerial ones;

4. making proposals for the determination by the Agency of the nature and content of the examinations in internal and public open competitions, including both general and specialized parts; assisting Selection Committees in the preparation of questions and practical tests, as needed; providing guidelines for interviewing candidates.

   1. Mr.Neven Aksamija - Head of Appointment Unit - neven.aksamija@ads.gov.ba

   2. Mrs.Enisa Zec - Senior Advisor - enisa.zec@ads.gov.ba  

   3. Mrs.Stanislavka Ilic - Senior Specialist - stanislavka.ilic@ads.gov.ba

   4. Mr.Bojan Golic - Senior Assistant - bojan.golic@ads.gov.ba

   5. Mr.Namik Alic - Assistant - namik.alic@ads.gov.ba 

The Training Unit is responsible for:

1. assessing knowledge gaps within and across the client institutions, and producing training needs assessments; preparing and periodically reviewing a human resources development strategy covering all client institutions; coordinating with and advising individual client institutions on the preparation and implementation of their own specific human resources development strategies; researching, attracting and administering assistance made available by international and domestic programmes for the training and development of civil servants;

2. ensuring the training and development of civil servants by managing resources allocated to training central programmes; designing the respective curricula, developing the relevant materials and delivering, directly or through other public or private institutions or organizations, professional training, educational activities and seminars in areas of horizontal relevance to the client institutions; carrying out evaluations of activities aiming at the constant improvement of centralized programmes;
   ensuring the training and development of civil servants by managing resources allocated to decentralized training programmes; ensuring a balanced allocation of such resources across the client institutions by coordinating them in the choice of the relevant activities, and supporting them throughout implementation; carrying out evaluations of activities aiming at the constant improvement of decentralized programmes;

3. ensuring the training and development of civil servants by supporting individual initiatives for further training and professional development; managing compensations for education expenses (training and education allowances), and other resources available for supporting individual initiatives; ensuring access by civil servants to available literature and educational materials.

   1. Mr.Hazim Kazic - Head of Training Unit - hazim.kazic@ads.gov.ba

   2. Mrs.Dzenana Zivalj - Senior Advisor - dzenana.zivalj@ads.gov.ba

The Legal Unit is responsible for:

1. upholding the enjoyment of civil servants’ rights by assisting them in submitting to the Civil Service Appeal Board their challenges against undertakings and non-undertakings of the institutions; submitting such applications directly when they are by their matter in the interest of the administration; pleading directly submitted cases in front of the Civil Service Board; representing the Agency in all cases in which its undertakings and non-undertakings are challenged in front of the Civil Service Appeal Board;

2. ensuring the fulfillment of civil servants’ duties by instructing investigations and proceedings in the disciplinary matters referred to the Agency or submitted to its original competence; establishing impartial Disciplinary Commissions for the decision of disciplinary cases, with special reference to those for which the sanction can amount to demotion, suspension or dismissal; preparing decisions for the issuing of disciplinary sanctions by the Agency.

3. providing assistance to client institutions in the setting up of alternative, non-contentious conflict resolutions mechanisms; supporting the activities of elected ombudspersons in client institutions; providing mediation in collective bargaining issues in which client institutions might be involved.

   1. Mr.Zlatko Aksamija - Head of Legal Unit - zlatko.aksamija@ads.gov.ba

   2. Mrs.Emina Jahic - Senior Specialist - emina.jahic@ads.gov.ba

Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Trg Bosne i Hercegovine 1, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
tel. ++ 387 33 233 498, fax ++ 387 33 268 312, e-mail: kontakt@ads.gov.ba