Executive Assistant to the Ambassador and Bilateral Team, New Zealand Embassy Paris

mfat.govt.nz

Position Description

Position Title Executive Assistant to the Ambassador and Bilateral Team

Post New Zealand Embassy Paris

Category Locally Engaged Staff (LES)

Reports to Ambassador

Last Position Description Review  November 2018

About the Post 

The Embassy (referred to as the “Post”) represents the New
Zealand Government to the highest standards of professional
excellence in diplomacy, international development, trade and
economic, and consular services. This is done by building
connections with the host country (France), international
organisations (OECD, UNESCO) and accredited countries (Monaco,
Portugal, Senegal) that enable the New Zealand Government to
achieve more than it could alone.

The Post takes a distinctively New Zealand approach, reflecting
New Zealand’s diversity and heritage. Our values are:

Impact – We achieve for New Zealand, every day, everywhere
Kotahitanga – We draw strength from our diversity
Courage – We do the right thing
Manaakitanga – We honour and respect others

About the Position

 Provide Executive Assistant support to the Ambassador in
her/his bilateral and OECD roles
 Provide Executive Assistant support to the bilateral team
led by the Deputy Head of Mission (DHOM)
 Provide translation services to the Ambassador and bilateral
team
 Act as the post visits coordinator
 Manage protocol aspects of the office of the Ambassador
 Support the Ambassador’s public diplomacy [JB emphasis] engagement

Relationships

The position is required to build and maintain the following
relationships:

Internal (within post)

 Ambassador
 DHOM
 Bilateral team members
 OECD team
 Administration team and official residence staff
 New Zealand Trade & Enterprise

External (outside post)

 French government departments (e.g. Ministry of Europe
and Foreign Affairs, the Elysée, Matignon)
 Key offices in the National Assembly and the Senate
 Executive assistant counterparts in other diplomatic
missions
 Contacts in other organisations of interest (business
organisations, cultural contacts, think tanks etc)
 NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade Wellington divisions
(e.g. Europe)
 Other NZ European posts
 New Zealand Government agencies represented in Europe

Key accountabilities

The position has the following key accountabilities:

HOM EA

 Manage the Ambassador’s work programme through the
provision of executive assistant support and administrative
services. This includes managing the Ambassador’s diary,
appointments, handling of correspondence, preparation of
background material, meeting and greeting of visitors, and
official travel arrangements including drivers’ schedules.
 Manage and support the Ambassador’s representational and
hospitality activities, in coordination with the Embassy’s
event coordinator.
 Manage the protocol aspects of the office of the
Ambassador.
 Support the Ambassador with her/his correspondence and
communications, including social media, drafting letters and
emails and providing French language support/translation
as necessary.
 Ensure expenditure by HOM is managed and processed in a
timely and accurate manner.

Bilateral team support

 Provide administrative support to the bilateral team
including making appointments, preparation of
correspondence, and translations.
 Ensure expenditure by DHOM is managed and processed in
a timely and accurate manner.

Visits and events

 In consultation with the bilateral team, develop official
visitor programmes (NZ Ministerial and senior official
visitors).
 Manage the protocol aspects of visits and government-to government
engagement in liaison with relevant French
and New Zealand contacts
 Manage the logistical aspects of official visits/events
including appointment confirmation, participant and guest
lists, invitations and RSVPs, programmes, briefings, run
sheets and other documentation.

Public diplomacy

 Work with the Senior Public Diplomacy/Media manager in
support of the Ambassador’s media and social media
activity.
 Support the effectiveness and impact of the outward facing,
representational and communications work of the
Ambassador and the bilateral team.

Organisational responsibilities

 Actively promote and integrate the Ministry’s values.
 Adhere to the Code of Conduct and all Post policies and
procedures.
 Be aware of and adhere to Health and Safety policies and
procedures
 Contribute to Post-wide projects
 Contribute to emergency response situations

Knowledge management

 Contribute to the continuous development of the Post’s
knowledge base by using and updating the Post’s systems,
including the contacts database, to support the Ambassador
and bilateral team.

Security

 Be familiar with the Post Security Instructions and adhere
to these at all times.

Other

 Perform other duties as can reasonably be regarded as
incidental to the position description, and within their
capability and experience, as may be required from time to
time.

Qualifications, skills and experience

The job holder should have, as a minimum, the following
qualifications, skills and experience:

 Relevant tertiary qualification and significant previous
experience and knowledge of running the administration of
an executive office
 At least five years of successful experience as an Executive
Assistant to a senior manager and/or team
 Fully bilingual in English and French (oral and written)
 Written translation experience to/from English/French
 Strong people focus and demonstrated ability to build and
maintain effective relationships
 Excellent communication skills and demonstrated ability to
work effectively in a team
 Proven planning and organisational skills, the ability to
prioritise tasks effectively and work well under pressure
 Possess a strong achievement/delivery focus, setting high
standards and displaying accuracy and attention to detail
 Ability to work autonomously and within guidelines,
demonstrating the use of sound judgement
 Ability to anticipate issues and problems and propose
workable solutions
 Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement,
including adaptability and openness to change
 Mastery of Microsoft Office Suite, social media tools and
generalist IT skills
 Personal integrity and an honest and ethical approach.