View Vacancy - Personal Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director Scotland House, Brussels (BEL21.230)
The British Diplomatic Missions in Brussels are part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. The Scottish Government EU Office (SGEUO) is looking for a Personal Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director, for a maternity cover.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a direct and central role in supporting the work of Scotland House Brussels and the Scottish Government’s EU Directorate. The PA will play a crucial role in providing support to the Director, the Deputy Director and wider Scotland House team in Brussels so that they can respond effectively and efficiently to a fast moving, challenging and high profile workload, and also meet their corporate requirements.
Main duties will include:
Office management and information flow: manage all aspects of the Director and Deputy Director’s workload including: email inbox, diary, travel, finance, information flows, commissioning briefing for meetings, tracking actions, document creation, keeping records of meetings, and monitoring follow-up as necessary.
Prioritisation: maintaining oversight of the Director and Deputy Director’s priorities, arranging meetings on their behalf and providing strategic advice to ensure their time is being used appropriately to tackle issues as effectively and efficiently as possible and meet deadlines.
SMT secretariat: Organising weekly Senior Management Team meetings, arranging the agenda, recording actions and ensuring that these are followed up in the agreed timeframe.
Managing Relations with Edinburgh/Scotland: co-ordinating the regular teleconferences and meetings with Ministers and senior officials in Scotland, including agenda setting, recording outcomes of discussion and assisting with follow up.
Corporate responsibilities: support the Director, Deputy Director and team leaders to ensure timely delivery against corporate requirements including business planning, learning and development, financial reporting, risk registers, HR processes, Certificates of Assurance. Ensure compliance with best practice guidance on office operations e.g. travel, meetings, use of equipment.
Teamwork: Support the wider Scotland House Brussels team where appropriate. Ensure relevant desk officers/colleagues are well informed of the Director and Deputy Director’s priorities and meetings so appropriate briefing/support can be provided in advance.
Events & Visits: Providing support to the Events & Visits manager in coordinating the participation of the Director and Deputy Director in the events and visits programme
- Fluency in English (both oral and written);
- Previous experience as a PA/Executive Assistant/business manager, ideally working to senior management
- Excellent organisational and office management skills;
- Excellent interpersonal skills – including the confidence to be firm with colleagues whilst retaining respect;
- Excellent IT (Microsoft Office and Outlook) skills;
- Ability to juggle competing priorities, and respond quickly in a fast-moving, busy, high profile environment, with a proven ability to deliver results;
- Team working skills and willingness to “muck in”;
- An open and flexible approach (from time to time the position may require working extended hours to deliver on important deadlines, TOIL – time off in lieu – is given).
- Previous experience of successful office management;
- Experience of dealing with senior people;
- Experience of budget management and other areas of corporate support;
- Knowledge and experience of Scottish/UK/EU government structures.
This is a full-time contract for 5 working days (36.25 hours net) per week. This position will be filled on a “replacement contract" to cover a Maternity Leave. It is anticipated that the staff member will return in May 2022. This is only an indication and any possible earlier return or extension to this date would be discussed with the successful candidate. The monthly gross salary for this position is € 3,486.19, A2 level. In addition, we offer an extensive salary package, which includes a 13th month, luncheon vouchers, pension scheme, optional hospitalisation insurance (subject to monthly employee contribution), reimbursement of public transport and a lot more. We offer more days of annual leave than the Belgian requirements.”
Start date is scheduled for 27 September but there may be flexibility.
Please note that Belgian nationals will be paid their salary gross and are expected to comply with their tax obligations through completion of a tax return to the Belgian authorities. Non-Belgian nationals will receive their salary net, minus the deduction of an equivalent level of Belgian tax retained at source. Further information on this will be given to candidates during the recruitment process.
Staff recruited locally by the British Diplomatic Missions in Belgium are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Belgian employment law.
The successful candidates will be subject to professional background checks and security clearance. Please be advised that the British Diplomatic Missions will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.
Passport: officers are expected to be in possession of a passport due to the possibility that they may be asked to undertake business travel.
Visa/work permit requirements: candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Belgium and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.
Please note, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C1 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.
Please be advised that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
Information due to COVID-19:
- You may experience some delay in the progress of this recruitment campaign and we are working hard to minimise any disruption;
- Interviews will be done remotely if the existing situation determines this to be the right course of action;
- Starting date may be delayed depending on circumstances at the time and it will be agreed with the selected candidate.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
