OUR ORGANIZATION

The Austrian Service Abroad is a non-governmental non-profit organization accredited and sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health Care and Consumer Protection. It provides Austrians of all genders the opportunity to do a volunteering service abroad. Under certain conditions such volunteering services may be acknowledged as an alternative to Austria’s mandatory military or national service for male Austrians. The organization was founded in 1998 by Andreas Maislinger, Michael Prochazka and Andreas Hörtnagl.

The organization prepares candidates for their service abroad, sends them to their placement and supports them during their stay abroad. The preparation period consists of conferences (online & physical), seminars (online & physical), voluntary-based contributions to the workflow of the Austrian Service Abroad organization, literature clubs, study trips, workshops and educational visits. During their service, Austrian Servants Abroad maintain contact with their sending organization.

The Austrian Service Abroad consists of its internal structure according to the organization’s organigramm in addition to organizational projects.

The Austrian Service Abroad provides the opportunity to do a Gedenkdienst, Austrian Social Service and Austrian Peace Service and has partner institutions around the world organized in 9 geographical areas.

Working with  young adults brings with it major challenges. Their protection is the club’s top priority and requires ongoing, critical reflection
and acting responsibly so that they can feel safe and comfortable in the association. To this end, measures are taken through the Violence Prevention and Integrity Plan (GPIP – Safeguarding Policy). These measures  aim to provide a safe and responsible environment for the volunteers, to ensure the protection of individual interests and the to ensure the quality of the association’s work at a high level.

The Board is the governing body according to the organization’s statutes. Its central task is to advise and support the members. Florian Kössler represents the Board in the leadership team, the body responsible for day-to-day business. The board consists of:

  • Florian Kössler, executive Chairman
  • Tobias Aigner
  • Christoph Shawa
  • Regina Rauch-Krainer
  • Tatjana Lang
  • Peter Bachlechner
  • Teresa Dujmovits

The leadership team is the management of the organization responsible for strategic planning and implementation. The team consists of the five division heads, who are both strategically and operationally active. Together with the two cohort spokespersons, the treasurer, the chairperson of the association and the CEO, they form the decision-making body in the organization. Here strategic decisions regarding, for example, the sending abroad of Austrian Service Abroad volunteers, choices about new partnerships as well as financial issues are being made.

  • Jean Lou Cloos, Managing Director
  • Maximilian Gottmann, Cohort Spokesman 2024
  • Linus Bienert, Cohort Spokesman 2025
  • Moritz Gemel, Head of Consultancy
  • Lucas Tusch, Head of Education
  • Daniel Hutterer, Head of International Affairs
  • Ruben Zukic, Head of Marketing
  • Florian Wittmann, Head of Administration

The five divisions of the organization combine all units and teams of similar subject areas and are led by a department head who, through his or her participation in the leadership team, also acts as a liaison between the department and the management. He / she can, thus, bring forth and discuss issues on behalf of his / her division and make suggestions from the teams of his / her division to the leadership team. There are a total of five divisions, including the preparation, guardianship, marketing, international affairs, and the administration division.

Jean-Lou studied political science, communication science and business administration. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in media, communications, life sciences, research funding, the private sector and NGOs he brings a broad range of management expertise. He has extensive experience in strategic communications, change management, and international stakeholder engagement. In senior leadership roles, he has guided transformation processes, realigned organizations, and built sustainable partnerships. This background enables him to continue the successful work of the Austrian Service Abroad and to advance its further development together with the team and its partners.

Jean-Lou Cloos, Managing Director

Christoph is a master’s graduate in executive management and a successful founder. After initial experience as a controller, he built his own startup and led a growing team. Today he is responsible for the club’s finances and plays a key role in shaping its future.

Christoph Kern, Head of Finances

Jens studied social sciences and history in Bonn and Prague, specialising in Eastern European history and the history of the Romani people. After completing his studies, he gained experience in administration and management in politics and educational institutions. He has been head of administration and consultancy since 2024.

Jens Kaldenbach, Head of Administration and Consultancy

Aleksandar Novakovic is the head of education and a student of Sinology at the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Vienna. He is writing his master’s thesis on transitional justice and memory politics in Taiwan and is interested in questions of peaceful conflict resolution in international relations. During his studies, he spent one year at Nanjing University and one year at National Taiwan University. In 2021, he completed his Gedenkdienst at the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Center. The final project of his memorial service was titled “(Im)Possibilities of a Comparative Approach to Transitional Justice.”

Aleksandar Novakovic, Head of Education