ISEAL Alliance

The Forest Stewardship Council is looking for an Administrative Assistant to provide effective and efficient administrative support to the Policy and Standards unit and to working groups and committees managed by it.

Deadline for Applications: 31 Aug 2010

Location: Bonn, Germany

Full Vacancy Announcement

FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. It provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry. Products carrying the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers that they come from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

The Policy and Standards Unit (PSU) is the largest operational unit within the FSC International Center and responsible for developing and maintain the rules and regulations of the international FSC certification system.

Position Description

The Administrative Assistant is responsible for providing effective and efficient administrative support to PSU staff and to working groups and committees managed by PSU.

Reporting to the Director of the Unit, the Administrative Assistant is responsible for the efficient and smooth day-to-day running of the unit’s administration in Bonn. The job responsibilities of the Administrative Assistant are mainly administrative and include, but are not limited to:

• Administrative support and central point of contact for the Policy and Standards Committee (PSC);
• Central point of contact for external correspondence by mail, phone or e-mail;
• Maintaining the office filing system in cooperation with the Quality Manager (incl. server and website);
• Supporting meetings and phone conferences for unit staff and working groups / committees, such as:
  • Preparing documentation;
  • Organizing logistics before, during and after the meeting;
  • Taking minutes.
• Making travel arrangements for unit staff and working group / committee members and preparing the related paperwork (approval forms, expense claims);
• Support in final layout and design of documentation;
• Coordinate with building maintenance officer and office administrator regarding needs of unit for infrastructure and office supplies;
• Any other tasks related to the job as directed by the supervisor.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate is able to demonstrate the following key competencies:

• Professional Experience - 2 years minimum administrative experience. 
• Education and Training - Professional Background in administration
• Communication skills - Excellent communication skills and have an ability to maintain a good working relationship with others
• Languages - Excellent verbal communication skills. The primary working language is English. Excellent command of the English and German language is required. Fluency in Spanish and/or French is desirable.
• Computer skills - Excellent computer skills, including the use of standard software packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). Experience with web content management systems, such as Typo3, is also desirable.
• Time Management Skills - The successful candidate possesses strong organizational and time management discipline and multi-task oriented. This requires the ability to, at times, work independently and recognize opportunity to advance the collective team efforts.
• Team Membership Skills - The successful candidate works well as a member of a multi-cultural, inter-disciplinary, multi-lingual, global team while providing integration in critical areas of development.
• Cultural awareness - Demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of values, views and approaches to issues relevant to the FSC program by stakeholders around the world.
• Exceptional Interpersonal Skills - The successful candidate communicates well and convincingly in teams and with a diverse range of actors, while possessing active-listening skills, being able to facilitate interactive discussion and maintaining positive interpersonal relations and confidence.
• Ability to relate to the FSC’s Values and Approach - The successful candidate identifies with the values and mission of the FSC, relates to the principle mechanisms of the organization and is at a general level familiar with the scope of FSC’s programs of standard setting, accreditation, trademark management, political dialogue and networking.
• Personal Conduct - The successful candidate through his/her work represents the FSC as a whole, the FSC Policy and Standards Unit and the FSC Managing Director with exemplary person-al and professional authority and conduct. The successful candidate conducts his/her work with uncompromised integrity, honesty and loyalty appropriate to the position.

Terms and Conditions

The position is based in Bonn, Germany

• Two year contract;
• Forty working hours per week;
• 30 days holiday per year, plus official holidays;
• Sporadic travel might be required (e.g. to join meetings or conferences);
• FSC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate nationality, ethnicity or religion.

How to apply

• Please consult www.fsc.org for further information on FSC.
• Please apply by email only, in English, with Curriculum Vitae and motivation letter sent to Mrs. Guille Garza via email recruitment [at] fsc [dot] org; citing Administrative Assistant in the subject line.
• Deadline for application is 31 August 2010.
• Please note that FSC is strict on compliance with the required qualification and experience criteria mentioned above, and that only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
• First interviews are planned for week of 6^th September 2010.