Administrative Assistant

within the Office for Science (OfS) Garching, within the Directorate for Science at its Headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany.

The OfS supports, monitors and evaluates all ESO Garching scientists. The Administrative Assistant will perform administrative tasks required for the support of young scientists (students and fellows), for the organisation of ESO science workshops, the interface to the Human Resource Department, and generally supports the smooth running of the OfS, supporting its head and the deputy and joining efforts with the administrative assistant already working for the OfS.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support incoming and outgoing students, post-doctoral fellows; coordinate their settling in at ESO-Garching (hardware, facilities, information) in cooperation with Human Resources; act as contact point for the fellows;
• Arrange meetings for new starters with the Director for Science and others, as required;
• Support the Head and the Deputy of the Office for Science with their daily business;
• Administrative support for scientific conferences and workshops - selection process; advertisement of successful workshops, supporting the workshop organisers and attendees;
• Provide support to the web pages in the Directorate for Science, making sure that all the relevant information for the ESO scientific staff and for the ESO scientific community is clearly displayed and updated;
• Provide administrative support for the ESO Astronomer Faculty, including its meetings and website;
• Collate information for quarterly reports covering activities in the Office for Science;
• Supervise the database provided by the Library, Documentation, and Information Services Department such that the Office for Science can plan its recruitments and track the success of its Programmes for early-career scientists;
• Provide relevant information and feedback to the other Office Administrative Assistant pertaining to fellows, students and visitors;
• Responsibility for the office and seating plan for the Directorate for Science;
• Administrative responsibility for grants awarded annually as part of the Science Support Discretionary Fund;
• Act as vacation replacement to cover other Administrative Assistants within the Directorate for Science;
• Perform administrative tasks, mainly answering email, associated with events at and visits to the ESO Supernova.

Reports to:

Head of the OfS.

The successful applicant is expected to work in close contacts with

• The Human Resource Department in relation to contract initiation/extension/end of the scientific staff;
• The Chile OfS;
• The Director for Science;
• The Head of the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre.

Key Competences and Experience:

Essential:

• Experience in organising meetings with the ability to balance conflicting demands and prioritise workload;
• Logical thinker with excellent organisational skills;
• Ability to provide clear, concise and timely oral and written communications to colleagues at all levels and external contacts;
• Willingness to acquire new skills, keep up-to-date with the tools used in the daily work;
• Ability to work both on own initiative and within teams in an international and multicultural environment;
• Strong interpersonal skills, discretion and diplomacy.

Desirable:

• Five years of experience in a similar position providing support to many individuals, preferably in an international working environment;
• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.) is essential;
• Adapt to new procedures and proactively identify and implement ways to optimise current processes and workflows;
• The ability to research, analyse, summarise and present information in a clear and logical manner;
• Result-oriented, pro-active, highly motivated and creative - delivering prompt and efficient service on multiple concurrent projects under tight deadlines.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate must have completed secondary school education, and have at least three years of relevant experience.

Language Skills:

The position requires fluency in English and German language, both written and oral. Basic knowledge of Spanish would be an advantage.

Remuneration and Contract:

We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary (tax free), comprehensive pension scheme and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family and the possibility to place your child/children in daycare.

ESO aims to support members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#work-life-balance) between their professional and private life. ESO is also committed to offering family-friendly support (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/intstaff/#family-friendly-support), creating a work environment and policies which allow staff to balance their professional and private responsibilities through flexible working arrangements and financial support for families.

The contract is for a fixed term duration of three years and is subject to successful completion of the probation period. There may be a possibility of extension(s) subject to individual performance and organisational requirements, and as defined in the applicable policies and staff rules and regulations. For any further information, please visit ESO's conditions of employment (https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/). Please note that the contract policy and in particular the regulations concerning fixed-term and indefinite contracts are currently under review which may lead to changes in the contractual conditions applicable to this position.

Duty Station:

Garching near Munich, Germany

Career Path: II

Application:

If you are interested in working in areas of frontline science and technology and in a stimulating international environment, please visit http://www.eso.org for further details.

Applicants are invited to apply online at http://jobs.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English and should include a motivation letter and CV. Within your CV, please provide the names and contact details of three persons familiar with your work and willing to provide a recommendation letter upon request. Referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.

The closing date for applications is 26 March 2022.

Interviews are expected to start soon after this date.

ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse and inclusive workforce.

No nationality is in principle excluded, however, recruitment preference will be given to nationals of Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Chile irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.