Secretary – The European Union Delegation to Sri Lanka

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political partnership between 27 European countries. It plays an important role in international affairs through diplomacy, trade, development aid, and working with global organizations. Abroad, the EU is represented through more than 140 diplomatic representations, known also as EU Delegations, which have a similar function to those of an embassy.

The EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, in Colombo, works in close coordination with the Embassies and Consulates of the 27 EU Member States. We are a fully-fledged diplomatic mission and represent the European Union in dealings with the Sri Lankan and Maldivian governments in areas that are part of the EU’s remit.

We offer

The post of Secretary (Local Agent Group 3) in the Delegation’s Cooperation Section. The team consists of 10 people and there are occasional atypical working hours.
Under this post, the recruited person will be attributed functions depending on the needs of the Delegation, and on the changes of these needs. The successful candidate will serve under the supervision and responsibility of the Head of the Cooperation Section, providing support, expertise, and assistance in administrative support.

The following main tasks and duties are currently required:

• To support the Head of the Cooperation Section as regards agenda, correspondence, telephone communication for the Section, and handling general secretarial and administrative requests.
• Helping organize logistics for missions in the section.
• Organize incoming and outgoing mail, including electronic registration in ARES and filing in relevant systems.
• To work on another internal IT system as requested
• To take and transcribe notes, letters, and minutes
• To maintain and organize the filing system for the Section, assuring easy retrieval of pertinent documents & registration of documents.
• Maintain, together with the Finance, Contracts, and Audit section the archive system combining both the FCA and the Cooperation Sections.
• To ensure management and monitoring of contact lists, agendas, and deadlines for the Section
• To assist with the administration of the Section’s leave and work plan, other absences, and missions related to personnel management
• To ensure efficient organization of meetings and taking minutes when requested.
• Cover in the absence of other Secretaries as and when required under the supervision of the Head of Delegation’s Secretary
• To undertake any other assignments that may be required, in view of the efficient functioning of the Delegation.

The base salary will depend on relevant and verified employment experience, typically starting from EUR 486.  There is a competitive benefits package, subject to certain conditions, including personal leave days and public holidays, health insurance, and a retirement savings plan.

The expected start date will be 15/02/2024.

Minimum requirements/eligibility criteria (necessary for the application to be considered)

• Minimum of GCE A-level or equivalent;
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in secretarial/administrative support;
• Working knowledge  (B2) of  English[1]
• Enjoys civil rights and permits for employment under local law in Sri Lanka
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications

Assets/selection criteria (basis for awarding points to select the best applicant)

• Bachelor degree
• Communication experience;
• Project cycle management experience;
• archiving experience or training;
• knowledge of Sinhala and/or Tamil;
• Previous work experience in a diplomatic mission or international organization.

How to apply

Please submit your application, consisting of a cover letter, Europass format CV[2], and a declaration of honor regarding medical fitness via the delegation-sri-lanka-recruitments@eeas.europa.eu (Reference: COOP LA 3 SEC) no later than 23:59 15/12/2023. Only complete applications received on time via delegation-sri-lanka-recruitments@eeas.europa.eu will be considered.

The successful candidate will be subject to a medical check and background check.

The process

After the deadline for applications, the eligible applications will be admitted to the Selection by the Committee set up for this purpose.

Depending on the number of applications received, successive phases of Selection may include shortlisting of candidates based on assessment of the information provided in the cover letter, practical testing, and interviews. The 3  best candidates will be invited to the final interview.

Only candidates admitted to each successive selection phase will be contacted individually. The Delegation will use the same means of publication as for this job advertisement to inform the remaining candidates once the recruitment procedure has been completed and that a candidate has (or has not) been recruited.

The deadline for submitting applications is: 15 December 2023