Assistant Administrator
Brussels, Belgium
JOB DETAIL
For this position, you are requested to provide a motivation letter stating why you would like to apply for this post with no longer than 2 pages.
1. SUMMARY
The mission of the Operations Division of the International Staff is to prepare NATO for the defence of Alliance territory, to respond to crises at home and abroad, and to strengthen the capabilities of partners. The Operations Division advances the core tasks of the Alliance (Collective Defence, Crisis Management, and Cooperative Security) by providing policy recommendations, situational awareness, advance planning, well-exercised and executed crisis response, and outcome-oriented defence and related security cooperation programmes.
This position (s) is located within the Operations Division, and the candidate(s) could be assigned to the Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate (DSCD) or the Operations Directorate at NATO HQ, Brussels.
Within DSCD, the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre serves as a focal point for the co-ordination of disaster response efforts and humanitarian assistance requested by Allied and partner countries in response to a natural or man-made disaster and/or crisis.
Within Operations Directorate, the Current Operations Section supports the North Atlantic Council (NAC) and the Operations Policy Committee (OPC) in all political-military aspects related to NATO-led operations, missions and activities.
The incumbent will be accountable for efficiently handling a wide range of administrative and organisational duties requiring a great deal of flexibility as priorities may shift due to global events. Given the extremely demanding nature of the Operations Division’s work, adaptability and availability to perform her/his tasks at short notice and under pressure are major components in this particular area of work.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- have a good general education at least to higher secondary level;
- have at least 4 years’ experience of administrative or organisational and programme management work;
- demonstrate knowledge of, and experience in, financial administration and/or screening budgets;
- be proficient in the use of computer software support packages, e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Power Point presentations and collaboration tools;
- demonstrate flexibility and the ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment with shifting priorities;
- strong drive for teamwork and diversity and liaising and coordinating with diverse sets of stakeholders;
- have good professional drafting and editing skills in at least one of the official NATO languages; and
- possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; II (“Elementary”) in the other.
DESIRABLE
The following is considered an advantage:
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a diploma or qualification in a relevant field for the post;
- have experience or knowledge in the field of Crisis Response;
- have experience organizing conferences and events;
- demonstrated interest in current international events;
- have knowledge of financial software programmes and databases (Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or similar);
- experience in a national administration or International Organisation;
3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
Planning and Execution
Assist with the day-to-day administration including arranging meetings and handling related details including drafting and formatting. Schedule and coordinate events; assemble and support official mission files; and ensure all programme spending are properly authorized and documented. Assist in the organization and execution of relevant expert visits, conferences and seminars at NATO HQ and elsewhere. This includes both administrative and arrangements and financial commitments. Be responsible for travel arrangements and mission preparation/execution for the staff in your service. Organise own workload to ensure the accurate and timely execution of duties and to allow for the successful completion of any additional work, such as organising unplanned missions, drafting urgent memos.
Information Management
Answer enquiries and incoming calls. Draft/ edit as well as type and format all kinds of documents for the section, including memoranda and tables of figures requiring careful presentation using the standard software packages used by NATO (word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Power Point presentations and collaboration tools). Compile documents and information packages for the relevant Committees. Support Committee work, including as committee secretary. Take minutes at meetings as necessary. Oversee the paper flow into and out of the office including retrieving and organising correspondence/documents (including classified information), determining the urgency of such documents and distributing as appropriate. Maintain an effective follow-up and/or reminder system for pending actions within the Centre.
Knowledge Management
Document the organisation’s procedures and key points of contact. Collect, categorise, and track relevant information required for various tasks and projects. Maintain and coordinate updates for the section watch list of current projects. Maintain well-structured paper and electronic filing systems, for classified and unclassified documents.
Stakeholder Management
Liaise with various points of contact within the section to ensure efficiency in daily management of workload and processes. Serve as the point of contact for initial requests of various nature and determine the urgency of such requests. Maintain all lists of internal and external contacts and identify points of contact throughout the Organization.
Expertise Development
Proactively develop skills in areas such as planning and organising, new technology, languages and effective communication. Liaise with other Assistants to share and learn best practices. Remain aware of world events and their impact on NATO operations.
Organisational Efficiencies
Provide constructive suggestions to improve office procedures, especially in light crises the Centre often deals with. Find ways to be faster, better and more effective in managing information, using office tools and in providing responses.
Financial Management
Coordinate and screen budget submissions. Ensure that accurate financial procedures are followed for the budget, prepare the necessary financial documents, follow up on activities to ensure that financial files are accurately processed and maintain records of all financial transactions. Submit and process financial requests in a timely and accurate manner.
Perform any other related duty as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Head of Section and will maintain close working relationships with other staff across the Operations Division, as well as throughout the Organization on a variety of issues supporting day-to-day work and the organisation and flow of information for planned and unplanned events according to global situations. The incumbent will also deal with external contacts, sometimes under stressful situations, to share and obtain information as directed.
Direct reports: N/A
Indirect reports: N/A.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
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Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
- Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
- Empathy: Listens actively;
- Flexibility: Acts with flexibility;
- Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
- Organisational Awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure;
- Teamwork: Expresses positive attitudes and expectations of team or team members.
6. CONTRACT
Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years’ duration; possibility of an indefinite duration contract thereafter.
Contract clause applicable:
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract.
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract.
If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years.
Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Régulations.
NOTE: Irrespective of previous qualifications and experience, candidates for twin-graded posts will be appointed at the lower grade. Advancement to the higher grade is not automatic, and will not normally take place during the first three years of service in the post.
Under specific circumstances, serving staff members may be appointed directly to the higher grade, and a period of three years might be reduced by up to twenty four months for external candidates. These circumstances are described in the IS directive on twin-graded posts.
7. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using e-recruitment system, as applicable:
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For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (link);
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For all other applications: www.nato.int/recruitment
Please note that at the time of the interviews, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of their education and professional experience as relevant for this vacancy.
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser.
More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment, can be found at our website (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-hq-e.htm).
8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, and strives to provide equal access to employment, advancement and retention, independent of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, cultural background, sexual orientation, and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations, and strongly encourages women to apply.
Building Integrity is a key element of NATO’s core tasks. As an employer, NATO values commitment to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector. Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity, and to promote good governance through ongoing efforts in their work.
Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.
Applicants who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature, albeit at the same or a lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.
The nature of this position may require the staff member at times to be called upon to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.
The organization offers several work-life policies including Teleworking and Flexible Working arrangements (Flexitime) subject to business requirements.
Please note that the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium is a non-smoking environment.
For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading, Allowances, etc.) please visit our website. Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.
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