SECRETARY in the POLITICAL, PRESS & INFORMATION SECTION.

We are

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 Paraguay 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 Paraguayan government in areas that are part of the EU’s remit.

We offer

The post of a Secretary (Local Agent Group 3) in the Delegation’s Political, Press and Information Section. The team consists of three 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 Political, Press and Information Section, providing support, expertise and assistance in the relevant field.

Following main tasks and duties are currently required: 

• Overall organizational and administrative assistance in the section;
• Drafting of correspondence and meeting minutes;
• Formatting, editing, synthesizing, and transmitting of reports and documents;
• Maintenance of section files; classification, filing, and registering of correspondence and documents
• Logistical support to the organization of meetings/events/missions, including the organization/support of incoming visits from European institutions (including programme, protocol and logistics);
• Relations with external stakeholders regarding events and public affairs;
• Organization/support to EU events in Paraguay (including EU film festival etc.);
• Facilitate contacts with Paraguayan ministries, international organizations, EU Member States embassies and other diplomatic missions and maintain contacts database;
• Back-up of the EU ambassador’s personal assistant;
• Any other task relating to the activities of the Section and the Delegation.

The base salary will depend on relevant and verified employment experience, typically starting from PYG 10.000.000. There is a competitive benefits package, subject to certain conditions, including personal leave days and public holidays, health insurances and a retirement savings plan.

The expected start date will be May or June 2024. 

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

• Higher education degree (minimum high-school degree);
• Minimum of 2 years of experience (as Secretary, Administrative Support or similar);
• Working knowledge of English (B2) and Spanish (C1) – based on “CEFR” – for details, please consult: https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages
• Right to residence and work in Paraguay;
• Medical fitness to carry out the tasks assigned (checked only for the selected candidate).

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

• University diploma;
• Experience in working in an international environment or organization
• Excellent level of skills of time management and interpersonal skills; capacity of organizing and coordinating meetings and agendas;
• Work history (or network of connections or similar) in the area of  relations with external stakeholders,  events and public relations;
• Very good level of computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Zoom, Skype etc.);
• Social media skills;
• Very good level of language skills (written, oral) in required languages;
• Team work fluency, high flexibility, and capacity to work under pressure;
• Knowledge/experience of EU policies, of international relations, of inner workings of Paraguayan country politics/media/economy;

How to apply

Please submit your application, consisting of a cover letter and Europass format CV (https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv) via e–mail to eeasjobs-027@eeas.europa.eu  with reference PPI Secretary no later than 24:00 on 05/03/2024. Only complete applications received on time via e-mail will be considered.

The successful candidate will be subject to a medical 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 assessment of the information provided in the cover letter and CV, practical testing and interviews. The five 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 Delegation will not supply additional information or discuss the selection procedure. During the selection process, please do not contact the members of the Selection Committee, but address your questions and comments to the Delegation’s Administration.