COR/TA/AST3/6/25

Assistant in the Cabinet of the Secretary General

Temporary staff member

Deadline
  • Directorate: ​​Cabinet of the Secretary General
  • Type of position: Temporary staff AST3
  • Location: Brussels
  • Deadline: 11 May 2025 at noon (Brussels time)
  • Period: 2 years, starting from 01/07/2025
  • Application: Online application form

 

Your job and responsibilities

Interested in in contributing the European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) administrative priorities in a dynamic and fast-paced environment? Like to help your colleagues with administrative processes and modernising procedures?

As a team assistant in in the Cabinet of the Secretary-General (SGcab), you are responsible for administratively supporting the Secretary-General, Head of Cabinet and members of cabinet to further transform the administration into a modern, digital and agile organisation. You will assist the team in the planning and the coordination of the administration's activities, enhancing digitalisation efforts and fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the institution.

You organise the management meetings and the meetings of the Secretary General with the President's cabinet and political groups, coordinate request for input from the President's Cabinet in the form of "fiches" (FCAB), manage the functional mailbox and workflows for files where SGcab is involved and coordinate and prepare the communications for the Secretary General.

You are also responsible for establishing and updating service instructions and templates and actively contribute to the exchange of best practices via the senior management assistants' network and the CoR's network of assistants (ASTnet) with the aim of modernising the administration.

You are part of the dynamic team of the Cabinet of the Secretary General, which consists of 6-7 committed professionals.

Who are we? What are the challenges for us ahead?

The Cabinet of the Secretary-General (SGCab) is responsible for directly assisting the Secretary-General in the execution of their duties, in the interest of the CoR and of its members, in cooperation with the Cabinet of the President, political groups' secretariats and the directors, and in respect of the applicable rules. 

SGCab assists the Secretary-General in a wide range of horizontal and coordination tasks:

  • support to strategic planning and agenda setting for the CoR, including the internal planning and reporting cycle (annual operational plan, draft budget including prioritisation, risk management, follow-up exception reports, follow-up of audit reports, annual impact report, Annual Activity Report, discharge before the budget authority);
  • support to developing, steering and monitoring cross-service projects to modernise the administration, including developing a culture of innovation and modernisation;
  • preparation/validation of Secretary-General's proceedings for statutory meetings (Conference of Presidents, Bureau, Plenary, Commission for Financial and Administrative Affairs, Audit Committee and Political Monitoring Group);
  • coordination and preparation of the administration's input for the meetings between the Cabinet of the President, political groups and the Secretary-General, preparation of the management meetings of senior management chaired by the Secretary-General, preparation of the bilateral meetings between the Secretary-General and directors;
  • coordination and preparation of inter-institutional and external meetings of the Secretary-General, including direct support to the Secretary-General in the administrative cooperation with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the preparation and follow-up for the meetings of the Political Monitoring Group; 
  • advising the Secretary-General in political, legal, administrative, HR and budgetary matters, notably on sensitive files and where arbitration is needed; 
  • final check of files submitted to the Secretary-General for approval or signature;
  • fostering agenda planning for the Secretary-General, and planning permanence where needed, to ensure business continuity.

Within the context of overall coordination and supervision of the Secretariat’s activities by the Secretary-General, SGCab focuses on the following objectives: 

  • ensuring smooth coordination and information-flow between the Cabinet of the President, the political group’s secretariats and the administration;
  • implementation of working methods and inter-service cooperation focusing on the modernisation of the administration; 
  • improved inter-institutional cooperation including enhancing the impact of CoR opinions and the CoR budget; 
  • support the development of a dedicated outreach strategy of the CoR boosting decentralised communication and local dialogues;
  • coordination of the services in the implementation of the CoR-EESC administrative cooperation agreement 2021-2026;
  • internal communication, including a constructive dialogue with the staff committee, social partners and staff;
  • implementation of the Secretary-General’s administrative working plan, with a focus on strategic resource allocation and the administrative modernisation process.

Are you the talent we are looking for?

General abilities and capacities required

  • Think with a critical spirit, analyse and solve problems pragmatically.
  • Assess critically credibility and reliability of sources, data and information and use relevant digital tools to carry out the duties.
  • Organise own work, demonstrate responsibility, identify priorities, take appropriate decisions and deliver results. 
  • Adapt to an evolving working environment, demonstrate commitment and adopt constructive attitude at all times. Remain effective and flexible even during period of heavy activity.
  • Take initiative to achieve individual and shared objectives, demonstrate ownership and work autonomously.
  • Learn and professionally develop to continuously enhance job performance and knowledge of the organisation and working environment.
  • Work together with others in a constructive way by contributing to diverse and inclusive working environment. Demonstrate respect and courtesy at all times.
  • Convey information and relevant opinions clearly and concisely both orally and in writing, facilitate interaction and engage effectively with others. Treat confidential or sensitive information accordingly.

Job-specific requirements

  • You have sound experience in administrative coordination, involving multiple stakeholders
  • You have strong diplomatic skills and can adapt your message to various publics.
  • You enjoy working autonomously but have also a strong team spirit and collegial approach.
  • You have a thorough knowledge of one of the official languages of the European Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another of the EU official languages. For functional reasons, a high level of English is required and a good level of French is desirable.
  • You have a good command of IT applications and tools, such as Outlook, Excel, Word and Sharepoint, including AI tools in a secure environment.
  • You are keen on learning and providing proactively support to colleagues.
  • You have experience with M365 applications.

Please note that candidates must meet the eligibility criteria specified in art. 12(2) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.

What we offer

  • A European institution on a human scale at the heart of the European quarter and easily accessible.
  • Flexible working hours and teleworking opportunities subject to the needs of the service.
  • An active talent management policy focusing on continuous development and training and a policy to encourage internal mobility.
  • A friendly and dynamic working environment in which self-motivation, initiative and team spirit are valued.
  • An institution that promotes equal opportunities, diversity and non-discrimination to help nurture a respectful and inclusive working environment and that is actively engaged in the consultation process prior to the adoption of EU legislation. Our dedication to inclusivity is also reflected in our efforts to enhance the accessibility of our vacancy notices, including the layout of the current vacancy and its annex (left alignment, increased spacing and font size etc.). By improving their readability, we strive to make these documents accessible to all, including individuals with disabilities.
  • An EMAS-certified institution that is continuously looking to improve its environmental performance.

Are you interested in this challenge?

If you have the skills we are looking for and think you fit the profile above, please apply using the online application form before 11 May 2025 at noon.

Please note that only candidates selected for an interview by the selection panel will be contacted. If you have not been contacted within six weeks following the application deadline of the vacancy notice, please consider your application unsuccessful.

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly which allows the views of regional and local authorities to be heard when European Union policies are being devised and legislation drafted. It is an advisory body which was created in 1994. Its consultative role allows its 329 members, and through them the regional and local authorities they represent, to take part in the EU decision-making process.