European Centre for Development Policy Management

European Centre for Development Policy Management
Position: (Senior) Executive Assistant for
External Action (SEEA) Program m e (1.0 FTE)
the
Strengthening
European
ECDPM is looking for a dynamic, organized and flexible Executive Assistant to support and be
a full member of its Strengthening European External Action Programme. The candidate will
have a very high proficiency in undertaking complex layout using Microsoft Word proven by
training certificates or years of work experience. The candidate will have excellent English
language skills (written and spoken) and ideally a working knowledge of French. 3-5 years
experience is required for the Executive Assistant role, 6-10 to be considered for a Senior
Executive Assistant position. Those with less work experience but with multi-year professional
qualifications in executive assistance tasks can count these towards their experience.
The candidate will have to have some experience of international work and be excited about the
prospect of working in a multicultural environment. The job is fast paced requiring both attention
to detail and the ability to multi-task as well a creative approach to “getting things done” in
support of the programme. Candidates have to be willing and able to manage this challenge on a
daily basis. Typical tasks include organising internal and external meetings, managing
schedules, English minute taking, layout of complex documents, assisting in preparing tenders,
liaising with programme members and with other back office functions (finance, HR, etc.), and
documenting the work of the programme to report to external stakeholders.
The post reports to the Head of Programme and works closely with the Deputy Head of
Programme and supports all junior and senior staff in the programme. The Executive Assistant
joins a group of four other Programme Executive Assistants who also support each other in times
of high demand to ensure that the organization as whole is never without sufficient cover in this
important area.
Conditions
ECDPM offers a lively and attractive working environment, space for autonomy and personal
growth. This post is based in the Maastricht office of ECDPM.
Process of Recruitm ent
Applicants should submit their application form and CV to the email address [email protected], to
the attn. of Mr Guy Janssen, as soon as possible (with the deadline of Sunday April 5, 2015).
They should note: “Application for Executive Assistant SEEA” in the subject line. Late or
incomplete applications (i.e. only CV) will not be taken into consideration.
The candidates invited to take the recruitment one step further are invited to undergo a thorough
test on their proficiency in complex Microsoft Word tasks before progressing to an interview.
Although Microsoft Word layout is not more than 20% of the job, it is an essential aspect that is a
core non-negotiable requirement of the role. An English language test as well as a full reference
check is part of the recruitment procedure.
The tests will take place in week 16. Interviews will be planned as soon as possible after the
outcomes of these tests, but no later than week 17.
Starting date; as soon as possible
More information on ECDPM can be found at: www.ecdpm.org
Job profile Executive Assistant
The Corporate Officer Job Family: service-oriented and all-Centre roles
ECDPM as an institution needs a strong backbone of dedicated, service-minded Corporate
Officers who see it as their main priority to enable their colleagues to work as efficiently and
effectively as possible, by providing information, services, advice and support. They
proactively assume all-Centre responsibility for the smooth day-to-day operation of the
organisation. Reliability, accountability, transparency, sustainability and flexibility are key.
Key commitments of the Executive Assistant
1. Independent and proactive coordination and facilitation of the ECDPM organisation
from the perspective of all-Centre and team support
2. Optimal delivery on the assigned corporate activities, making efficient use of support
systems
3. Providing high-quality secretarial and organisational support to the (Senior) Executive
and team members of the relevant programme or unit
4. Development and implementation of policies and procedures related to the EA’s
areas of responsibility and monitoring of, and reporting on these
5. Maintaining high organisational quality and consistency in compliance with relevant
guidelines and procedures
Positioning and responsibilities of the Executive Assistant
- Reports directly to assigned (Senior) Executive in charge of the programme/unit
- Responsible for proactive secretarial assistance and support to the (Senior)
Executive and programme/unit team members, anticipating their requirements where
possible
- Manages assigned (programme or unit) information, correspondence and reporting
- Manages (team) meetings, planning, reporting and proactive follow-up
- Coordinates travel planning and organises visits and appointments
- Provides support to the organisation of ECDPM events
- Initiates, writes, updates and improves procedures in own area(s) of responsibility
- Ensures that management and/or staff members are provided with up-to-date
information where required
- Updates the relevant databases, intranet pages and websites
- Keeps records accurate, complete, up-to-date and accessible in compliance with
guidelines and legislation
- Ensures effective and high-quality delivery of planned outputs
- Keeps up to date with the professional body of knowledge
- Is member of the Back Office staff and takes on general support tasks where needed
Knowledge, experience, skills and characteristics
- Higher professional education in international management support or equivalent
- 5 years work experience, preferably in an international environment
- Demonstrable workload management experience
- Interested in the current themes and issues in the development sector
- Mature personality with an internal and external client orientation
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment
- Dedicated team worker, accurate, flexible and dependable
- High proficiency in English, proficiency in French an asset
- Advanced computer skills (especially lay-out work with Word) and ability to work with
database systems
- Preferably some experience in working with Google applications (Gmail, Gdocs etc.)