About this job

Sapienza Consulting, a tpgroup company, is recruiting a Principal Assistant to join NATO – NCIA in Oeiras, Lisbon, Portugal

Responsibilities

Under the direction of the Head of the Office of the Director, but largely at own initiative, the incumbent will provide support to the Director, by performing duties such as the following: Staff Management:

• Manage and coordinate the staffing, workforce and succession planning for the NCI Academy, including personnel-in-confidence and all contractual actions:
• Define, collect and administer skill requirements
• Ensure all Academy locations manning and personnel databases are kept up-to-date
• Collect, analyse and report statistics on the NCI Academy staffing situation
• Advice and assist with staff recruitment: preparation of job descriptions, advertisements circulation of applications and assisting in organization of interviews, in coordination with hiring managers and HR
• Administer and coordinate IWC hiring and manage their contracts, in coordination with the branch heads, HR, Finance and Acquisition; keeping contractor records up-to-date
• Perform administrative and management support duties pertaining to personal-in-confidence work, and in particular assistance to the Director in the preparation and maintenance of personal records. Including: keeping up-to-date personnel records and statistical information and advising on actions necessary to enable the Directorate complement to be maintained; taking timely actions on preparation of contract renewals and proposals, proposals for promotion, letters of appreciation
• Control performance management execution within the Academy
• Prepare, maintain and distribute reports on Performance Management, and prepare statistical data for the Director; Acting as a Training Authority, authorising Training Requirements (TR) and analysing, validating and administering training for Unit’s staff based on the Unit’s business needs and resources available
• Office of the Director: Provide administrative support for the Office of the Director staff, ensuring the efficient daily operation of the office Prepare/compose correspondence, documents, statistical information (related to the Academy’s resources), and presentations, using word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and graphics applications as appropriate
• Coordinate overall scheduling of day-to-day business
• Taking into account Agency meetings and VIP visits, and the timely input to the agendas of such visits
• Perform basic analyses, and compile reports and briefings as directed by management
• Determine, control and maintain the daily information flow, including e-mail, within the Office of the Director. Initiate follow-up actions, as appropriate
• Ensure appropriate organization and coordination of visits hosted by the Academy
• Liaise with administrative staff in other organizational elements to ensure coordination and standardization
• Regularly provides training and lessons on staff managerial processes, special projects on specific topics (matrix, professions, behavioural competences) to an internal or external audience
• Deputize for higher grade staff, if required
• Performs other duties as may be required
• The incumbent is also responsible for maintaining professional relationships with co-workers within the Agency and with staff of other NATO organisations, and may give professional guidance to staff. Travel:
• Business travel to NATO and national (NATO and non-NATO) facilities as well as frequent travel between the NCIA offices
• May be required to undertake duty travel to operational theatres inside and outside NATO boundaries

Profile

• Required Security Clearance: NATO Secret
• Experience and Education:
• Combination of qualifications and experience or vocational training at higher level in a relevant discipline such as Administration (normally 9-12 years of full time education), or equivalent
• or a secondary educational qualification (normally 9-12 years of full time education) with 5 years of post-related experience
• At least 5 years’ of experience in progressively responsible administrative roles, or equivalent combination of qualifications and experience
• Ability to display tact, discretion and diplomacy in dealing with confidential information
• Effective organizational skills and ability to handle a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner
• Demonstrable ability in the use of personal computer office automation packages, particularly Microsoft applications – inclusive of SharePoint and workflows
• Excellent command of spoken and written English, with a proven ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
• Proven ability to take initiative and a flexible approach allowing the incumbent to respond reliably and competently to changing requirements in a demanding environment
• Excellent inter-personal skills and the ability to be responsive and sensitive to both external and internal customers and staff
• Good knowledge of NATO procedures, NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, and other relevant financial and administrative directives
• Practical experience of working for other NATO agencies or organizations
• Prior experience of working in an international environment comprising both military and civilian elements
• Knowledge of NATO responsibilities and organization, including ACO and ACT. Language Proficiency:
• Thorough knowledge of one of the two NATO languages, both written and spoken, is essential and some knowledge of the other is desirable
• NOTE: Most of the work of the NCI Agency is conducted in the English language
• Knowledge on the fluent usage of the Portuguese Language is desirable
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the EU
• For information on how we process the personal data in your application, please see the Sapienza Privacy Statement