Head of Administration at the Arctic Council Secretariat

at  Arctic Council Secretariat

The Arctic Council Secretariat is currently seeking a new Head of administration. The Head of administration is responsible for all matters relating to finances, human resources, and contracting, relations with Norwegian ministries and institutions, as well as for general administrative operations and routines at the Secretariat. The Head of administration is part of the ACS management team and reports directly to the ACS director.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• University degree in a field relevant to the position (E.g. Administration, Business administration, Finance, Human Resource management)
• Significant senior-level experience in financial management, including budgeting, accounting and contracting
• Significant experience with all aspects of Human Resource Management including recruitment and HSE
• Experience in providing strategic advice and recommendations to senior management on complex financial, HR and other issues
• Knowledge of the legal and operating environment of the ACS (e.g. Norwegian Labour Legislation, Norwegian Social Security Scheme, etc.)
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent oral and written English skills
• Strong cultural competence and ability to interact effectively with people from different cultures
• Given the requirement for this position to frequently interact with Norwegian government authorities and institutions on complex matters, preference may be given to candidates that are proficient in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language

REQUIREMENTS

In accordance with the ACS staff rules, article 5.2, an applicant for this position must be a citizen of one of the eight Arctic States (Canada, Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, United States, Sweden, Russian Federation and Norway).

More specifically, the Head of administration is responsible for the following functions of the Secretariat:

• Management of all financial, accounting and contracting operations including preparation and monitoring of budgets, budgetary management and communication and follow up with auditor, accountant, bank and contributing Arctic States
• Human Resource Management including recruitment, on-/off boarding processes, development of staff and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) processes
• Exercising financial stewardship over ACS funding and resources through the development and monitoring of proper financial and administrative procedures and systems, the negotiation and review of agreements and contracts with service providers, and the implementation of a solid management control framework.
• Communication and follow up with Norwegian authorities on issues such as taxation, social security, pension schemes, diplomatic status and privileges, and medical services for ACS staff
• Monitoring the implementation and leading the development of any required amendments to the ACS’ key administrative governing documents (Host Country Agreement with the Kingdom of Norway, ACS Terms of Reference, ACS Financial Rules and the ACS Staff Rules)
• Supervising the work of staff, and assisting the director with other administrative tasks and issues as appropriate