Secretary/Assistant, Current Operations Section

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, 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.

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 carry out the duties of Assistant to the Current Operations Section. S/he is, together with another Assistant, accountable for efficiently handling a wide range of administrative and organisational duties with a great deal of flexibility as priorities may shift due to global events. Given the extremely demanding nature of responses requested for operations, adaptability and availability to perform her/his tasks at short notice and under pressure are major components in this particular area of work.

2. QUALIFICATIONSANDEXPERIENCE

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 work;
• have experience coordinating and screening budgets;
• have experience or knowledge in the field of Crisis Response;
• be proficient in the use of computer software support packages, e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, databases, PowerPoint presentations and internet/intranet;
• demonstrate flexibility and strong drive for teamwork and diversity;
• have good professional drafting and editing skills in at least one of the official NATO languages
• possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; II (“Elementary”) in the other.

DESIRABLE

The following would be considered an advantage:

• demonstrated interest in current international events;
• a diploma or qualification in a relevant field for the post;
• experience in a national administration or International Organisation;

3.MAINACCOUNTABILITIES

Planning and Execution

Assist with the day-to-day administration including arranging meetings and handling related details. Be responsible for travel arrangements and mission preparation/execution for Current Operations Section staff. 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

Support documentation and information flow for Current Operations Section projects. Administer the Section Head’s schedule and assist the Staff Officers. Answer enquiries and incoming calls. 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, Excel, PowerPoint). Compile documents and information packages for the Operations Policy Committee. 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 Section.

Knowledge Management

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 practice. 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 Section 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 transactio ns.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 the Current Operations 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:

• 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.