Head of Administration Services Delivery

ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

Reading, United Kingdom

1. Position information

Vacancy No.: VN15-37
Department: Administration
Grade: A5
Section: n/a
Job Ref. No.: STF-PL/15-37
Reports to: Director of Administration
Publication Date: 3 June 2015
Closing Date: 13 July 2015

2. About ECMWF*

ECMWF is both a research institute and a 24/7 operational service, producing and disseminating numerical weather predictions to its Member States. ECMWF carries out scientific and technical research directed to the improvement of its forecasts, collects and processes large amounts of observations, and manages a long-term archive of meteorological data. Satellite and in situ observations provide the information for up-to-date global analyses and climate reanalyses of the atmosphere, ocean and land surface.

For details, see www.ecmwf.int/.

ECMWF has been entrusted to operate the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on behalf of the European Commission until the end of 2020. Copernicus is the European Union (EU) flagship Earth-observation programme. The programme ensures operational monitoring of the atmosphere, oceans, and continental surfaces, and will provide reliable, validated information services for a range of environmental and security applications.

This new programme calls for a significant expansion of the Administration Department to provide financial, HR, legal, procurement, facilities and communications support to these new services.

3. Summary of the role

The Administration Department is responsible for the provision of support services, including Finance, Human Resources, Property, Legal and Procurement services and Communications, to ECMWF’s staff and stakeholders.

The Head of Administration Services Delivery (HSD) is a new role, and the occupant will work closely with the Director of Administration (DA) to ensure the smooth operation of the Administration Department and the consistent delivery of high-quality, cost-effective services to its users.

Each individual service is managed by a Head of Section, who is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high-quality support services to users and the ongoing development of those services to meet the changing needs of the Centre.

The successful candidate will focus on the co-ordination of the day-to-day operational aspects of these services and provide assurance that they are delivered on time, within budget and in accordance with the Centre’s regulations. The Director of Administration will retain responsibility for a number of high-profile organisational and service development projects, which, once implemented, will need to be integrated into the business-as-usual activities of the department.

The department will therefore operate a matrix-management approach in which the Heads of Section will work with HSD to ensure the ongoing delivery of essential support services, whilst working with DA to develop new services or adapt existing activities to meet new organisational challenges.

The HSD will also have the role of Deputy Director of Administration and in that capacity will be a member of the Senior Management Team at ECMWF as well as deputising for the DA in a number of his or her responsibilities.

He or she will co-ordinate the development of annual work plans, budget requests, and service development proposals across the services and monitor and report on performance achieved. The HSD will also contribute to a number of working groups and project boards in the relevant areas of responsibility.

This position calls for a multi-disciplined professional who can work both operationally and strategically, with the ability to balance the need for a hands-on approach, through effective delegation to well-developed teams.

4. Main duties and key responsibilities

• Co-ordination and integration of activities across the Finance, Human Resources, Property, Legal and Procurement sections, ensuring that the highest standards of services are delivered on time and to budget;
• Ensuring the development and maintenance of integrated systems to support the operations of the services;
• Ensuring that resources needed to deliver the services are identified and delivered on time to enable ECMWF to achieve its mission;
• Providing management support, as part of a matrix management approach, to the five Heads of Section and the ongoing development of their skills and capabilities;
• Providing consolidated decision support and analysis through the production of timely and accurate reporting and forecasting of demand, capacity and performance for Administration Department services;
• Providing assurance that ECMWF meets its obligations under its Convention, regulations, its Council’s decisions and other relevant regulatory frameworks;
• Co-ordination of the relationships with the services’ users to ensure a coherent department-wide approach is maintained;
• Supporting the Director of Administration in his or her contribution to the management of ECMWF.

5. Personal attributes

• Ability to work independently and as part of a senior management team to deliver successful outcomes;
• Excellent relationship management skills, including the ability to gain credibility with key stakeholders across the organisation;
• Ability to communicate complex concepts to non-specialists and to develop a common understanding of issues and potential resolutions;
• Solution-oriented with a strong understanding of how to evaluate the financial, commercial and strategic implications of their decisions.

6. Qualifications and experience required

Education

Candidates should be qualified in one of the disciplines which are included in their area of responsibility (Accounting, Legal, Property, Human Resources or Procurement).

Experience

A minimum of three years’ experience of operating at least two of the included functions at a senior level in an international environment, preferably in an international organisation with Member State representation.

Proven experience of ability to manage complex projects and a range of conflicting and urgent issues to tight deadlines.

Experience of working with stakeholders at all levels and participation in organisation-level management teams.

Demonstrable strong leadership and team management skills with experience of managing and developing teams to meet changing requirements.

Proven ability to work effectively on a strategic level whilst ensuring ongoing delivery of operational activities through effective delegation.

Language

Candidates must be able to work effectively in English and interviews will be conducted in English.

A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) would be an advantage.

7. Other information

Grade remuneration

The successful candidate will be recruited at the A5 grade, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations and the annual basic salary will be £90,942.84 net of tax. This position is assigned to the employment category STF-PL as defined in the Staff Regulations.

Full details of salary scales and allowances are available on the ECMWF website at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the Centre’s Staff Regulations regarding the terms and conditions of employment.

Starting date: As soon as possible.

Length of contract: Four years.

Location: The position will be based in the Reading area, in Berkshire, United Kingdom.

8. How to apply

Please apply by completing the online application form available at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs.

ECMWF has an Equal Opportunities Policy and applications from all suitably qualified candidates are welcome.

Staff are usually recruited from among nationals of the Member States and Co-operating States.

Staff from non-ECMWF States may be considered in exceptional cases where there is a strong need for a particular competency.

* The ECMWF Member States are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The ECMWF Co-operating States are Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, Romania and Slovakia.