Principal Assistant

Overview

The Office of the Secretary General (OSG) supports and coordinates the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General's activities, and orchestrates coordination between Divisions, Independent Offices and NATO entities. The incumbent will perform the duties of Principal Assistant, supervising three OSG Assistants and serving as Personal Assistant to the COS and Director of the OSG. The role involves coordinating and distributing work among assistants and ensuring efficient operation of the office. Teleworking is very limited and work outside normal hours, including weekends and national holidays, may be required.

Qualifications and Experience

The incumbent must:

• have a good general education at least to higher secondary level;
• have at least five years of experience in senior administrative support with a focus on organisation, prioritisation and office/cabinet-level administration;
• have extensive experience with NATO best practices and standards in information and data management, and be familiar with document lifecycle management;
• be self-confident with strong ethics, integrity and confidentiality; and
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO official languages (English/French): level V (Advanced) in one language and level III (Intermediate) in the other.

The following would be considered an advantage:

• experience in protocol duties, especially when organizing events with senior stakeholders;
• experience with information and technical systems and tools for document processing, particularly NATO IKM Tools (HYDI, Divisional Team Sites and Committee Portals);
• a level higher than III (Intermediate) in the second official language.

Main Accountabilities

Planning and Execution: Assist with day-to-day administration of the COS's schedule, arrange meetings, handle inquiries and calls, travel arrangements and mission coordination. Organise workload to ensure accurate and timely duties, monitor OSG workflows to meet deadlines for the SG and DSG, supervise other OSG Assistants, and ensure proper financial procedures for budget expenses and the preparation of financial documents.

Information Management: Draft and format documents; screen and distribute incoming mail in coordination with the OSG Support & Knowledge Management Unit; collect, categorize and track information for tasks and projects; maintain well-structured paper and electronic filing systems.

Stakeholder Management: Maintain internal and external contact lists, serve as first point of contact for COS requests, assist visitors at all levels, and exercise discretion as a representative of the office.

Expertise Development: Proactively develop planning, organisation, technology and language skills; liaise with Assistants across IS, IMS and national delegations to stay informed on NATO policy issues and use NATO IS IKM and office tools.

Perform any other related duty as assigned.

Interrelationships

Reporting line: The incumbent reports to the COS, through the Senior Deputy Director.

Interactions: Maintains close working relationships with other OSG assistants and deals with senior members of Allied Delegations, Partner Missions, IS, IMS, Strategic Commands and international organisations.

Direct reports: 3

Indirect reports: N/A

Competencies

• Clarity and Accuracy
• Customer Service Orientation
• Empathy
• Flexibility
• Initiative
• Organisational Awareness
• Teamwork

Contract

Definite duration contract of three years, with possibility of an indefinite duration contract thereafter. For seconded staff, a three-year definite duration contract may be renewed up to six years total, subject to national authority approval. NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations apply.

Important Information

Appointments are contingent on security clearance, medical file approval, verification of study and work experience, and successful completion of accreditation and related processes. The organization supports equal opportunity and diversity, with reasonable accommodation available upon request during the selection process. Details on recruitment and conditions of employment are available on NATO’s recruitment site. Applicants should ensure their Taleo profile and CV are properly uploaded. The position may require travel and/or working outside normal hours. Teleworking and flexible working arrangements are available subject to business requirements. NATO is a non-smoking environment in its International Staff locations.