Netherlands: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL DIRECTOR (100%)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent, medical, emergency relief organization that provides assistance to people worldwide, regardless of their background, religion or political convictions. Above all, we aim to save lives and to offer medical care to victims of disasters, wars and epidemics. Working together with local staff, we give direct support to the population. MSF also appeals to those in power, including governments and international organizations, and speaks out about the abuses we encounter in the course of our work. The Dutch organisation ‘Artsen zonder Grenzen’ (MSF-Holland) is a member of the international organisation ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’.

MSF Operational Centre Amsterdam (OCA) currently operates medical humanitarian interventions in 25 countries. On a yearly basis OCA deploys approximately 900 international staff and employs 7000 national staff. At headquarters in Amsterdam, around 220 employees offer their support to the projects.

We are urgently looking for a new Executive Assistant to the General Director. In this role you will be reporting to the General Director of OCA.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL DIRECTOR (100%)

The Executive Assistant (EA) plays a pivotal role in supporting the General Director (GD) with the overall coordination of OCA, in particular through managing OCA’s strategic planning, control cycle, and Management Team (MT) agenda. This will involve working in close cooperation with the Assistants to the OCA-General Directors and the International Office. The EA will provide administrative support to the GD to enable them to function as smoothly as possible and oversee the annual reporting process, known as the Control Cycle.

The EA will also have responsibility for the development of an internal communication framework across OCA. There needs to be a greater focus on information sharing and dialogue with staff to ensure input, ownership and a common understanding across the entire organisation of strategic priorities and challenges. Internal communications is a new role for OCA; therefore the post holder will need to be flexible in this area of responsibility as the role evolves, whether it is in a coordination or supportive capacity.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:**

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

· Manage a busy diary: scheduling meetings, book travel, arrange visas, process business expenses

· Manage email inbox: filtering emails, highlighting urgent correspondence, organising reading materials, etc.

· Coordinate and prepare meetings and larger events as required, including agenda, reading materials and minutes

· Follow up outstanding issues which emerge from the GD’s work, priorities and meetings to ensure that deadlines are met

· Upload relevant documents to the online portal so that is available to employees. Knowledge of SharePoint is an asset.

· Replaces the Assistants of the Director PRO/Delegate Director and Medical Director in their absence

PLANNING AND CO-ORDINATION SUPPORT

· Manage the MT meetings, including scheduling, agenda preparation ensuring input from team members, minuting, documenting decisions, and following up action points to ensure timely delivery

· Coordinate the Control Cycle process including communication of instructions, setting deadlines, sharing documentation and scheduling strategic meetings

· Prepare the GD’s budgets, Annual Plan, Council Reports as part of the Control Cycle

· Liaise with Board and Council Secretary to ensure relevant linkages between MT and Board/Council meetings

· Develop, plan, and communicate an annual calendar

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

· Develop a framework for internal communication strategy, including assessing gaps, recommending relevant solutions, designing and implementing new tools and methods

· Coordinate internal communication flow across relevant internal stakeholders, ensuring timely internal information provision

· Organise debates and presentations at the office with participation across OCA via videoconferencing

· Partner with the internal communications function in the UK to improve internal communication across OCA, and the wider MSF Movement

PROFILE

· Higher education level and/or previous experience working in a similar post

· Excellent organisational skills, flexibility and strong interpersonal skills

· Stress resilient and ability to multi-task in a demanding environment

· Fluency in English. Knowledge of Dutch and French is an asset

· Excellent communication skills in English, both oral and written

· Ability to deal with information of a confidential nature

· A strong understanding of MSF or the humanitarian sector

WE ARE OFFERING

· A full time appointment (based on a 40-hour work week) for a period of one year, with the option for renewal

· A gross salary in grade 5 with a minimum of € 2,290 and € 3,271 per month, depending on relevant work experience and based on a 40-hour working week

· A premium free pension

· A challenging position that offers insight into the executive functioning of MSF

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this position, please contact Romy Rehfeld on + 31 20 520 8080

If you recognize yourself in the profile, please click here to apply directly via our website.