Applications are invited for the post of Professional Secretary at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Secretariat to coordinate the work related to three subsidiary bodies of HELCOM: HELCOM Working Group on the Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (WG GEAR), HELCOM Working Group on Biodiversity, Protection and Restoration (WG BioDiv) and HELCOM Working Group on Ecosystem-based Sustainable Fisheries (WG Fish). The post, which is based in Helsinki, Finland, will be vacant on 1 July 2024.
HELCOM is an intergovernmental organization (Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden) with its headquarters (Secretariat) in Helsinki, Finland, working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. At present there are around 40 staff members at the HELCOM Secretariat, and the working language is English. For more information about HELCOM, please visit our home page.
Responsibilities
The Professional Secretary is responsible for:
- the management and facilitation of the work of the HELCOM Working Groups on Biodiversity, Protection and Restoration (WG BioDiv), Ecosystem-based sustainable fisheries (WG Fish), and the Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (WG GEAR) as well as projects related to these;
- the compilation, analysis, assessment and presentation of information related to biodiversity, marine protection, monitoring, environmental indicators and assessment, fisheries management, and drawing of appropriate conclusions;
- relating horizontal topics such as monitoring, assessment and climate change to the overall priorities and other areas in HELCOM’s work;
- linking the implementation of HELCOM’s activities related to the above-mentioned fields to other international frameworks and marine environment protection policies to address these;
- the coordination of the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) actions directly related to the scope of the position, as well as the overall horizontal coordination of the BSAP implementation;
- other tasks entrusted to him/her by the Executive Secretary.
The common requirements and duties for the Professional Secretaries as well as the post description of the vacancy are attached.
Qualifications and experience
The person to be appointed shall have:
- university degree in relevant field (e.g., ecology, marine biology, conservation, environmental science) or corresponding education;
- minimum of five years of relevant professional experience on national or international level, including in the fields of monitoring, assessment and nature conservation;
- knowledge from the work carried out in HELCOM and sound understanding of the role of HELCOM and its Secretariat;
- excellent social and process management skills;
- flexibility and ability to step in and help colleagues;
- excellent organizational and administrative skills and proven ability to deliver to tight timelines.
A thorough knowledge of the English language and the ability to draft quickly and concisely are essential. Professional experience from international policymaking is an asset.
Terms of appointment
The salary, which is non-incremental, is 5.800 EUR per month. The salaries paid by the Commission are exempt from Finnish income tax. In addition, certain allowances may be payable, depending on personal circumstances. See Staff Regulations for Professional Staff for more information.
The initial appointment is for three years, the first six months of which shall be a probationary period, with the possibility of a prolongation for another period not exceeding three years (3+3 years, maximum 6 consecutive years altogether).
The successful candidate is expected to take up the post on 1 July 2024.
Applications
Candidates with the required expertise and qualifications are invited to submit their application (consisting of a CV and a motivation letter as one file) via e-mail to recruitment@helcom.fi no later than 4 December 2023. Applications received after that will not be taken into consideration. Please write “Professional Secretary” in the subject field of the message.
The interviews will take place in week commencing 5 February 2024.
