Liaise, coordinate, and communicate with interested parties (mainly external to the institute itself, e.g. media and public relations); manage agenda, calls, and meeting requests, prioritise appointments and reassign them if necessary; manage;...Personal Assistant to the Director (f/m/d)
The Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens (MPUSP) is looking for a highly motivated and competent executive personal assistant to the director – Prof. Emmanuelle Charpentier – 2020 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry.
MPUSP is an international research institute of the Max Planck Society located in Berlin. The institute (#40 employees) was founded in 2018 with the mission to strengthen basic research on pathogens (bacteria and viruses) causing diseases in humans. At MPUSP, researchers aim to achieve a better understanding of the complexities of pathogens and their interactions with their natural environment by developing innovative approaches. We are particularly interested in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of regulation by RNAs and proteins in bacterial pathogens. As a member of the Max Planck Society, MPUSP offers an interactive and dynamic environment where our team of international and creative scientists receives continuous support to conduct original research projects and has the freedom to work on fundamental biological questions. Our scientists benefit from state-of-the-art infrastructure, integrated and customized research platforms, and a wide range of scientific activities. For more information, please visit https://www.mpusp.mpg.de.
Job Summary
The successful candidate will be expected to provide full executive level support to the director to ensure the smooth running of her day-to-day activities as Scientific and Managing Director of MPUSP and as a laureate of the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry. The position involves dealing with multiple sensitive and complex issues in a professional and objective manner.
Main Responsibilities
- Liaise, coordinate, and communicate with interested parties (mainly external to the institute itself, e.g. media and public relations)
- Manage agenda, calls, and meeting requests, prioritise appointments and reassign them if necessary
- Manage correspondence and communication, screening, tracking, and responding to calls and e-mails, ensuring that incoming mail and e-mails are handled by or on behalf of the director (multiple requests ranging from personal requests to requests from scientists, journalists, academies, foundations, research institutes, educational institutions, political institutions, non-profit organisations, etc.)
- Assist the director in researching and following up actions on issues under her responsibility – seeking answers, initiating follow-up actions
- Manage, plan, and coordinate the scientific, management, communication, and representation activities of the Director
- Produce (writing, editing, formatting, and layout) and manage documents and presentations for the director
- Organise meetings and ensure that the director is well prepared for meetings, preparing agendas, draft minutes, and meeting documents
- Maintain the director's office systems, including office data management, director's contact files, communications and public relations / media, and filing of all documents
- Meet and greet visitors at all levels of seniority
- Manage travel arrangements, purchase requisitions, expenses, and reimbursements with the MPUSP administrative team
- Perform required administrative, managerial, and organisational tasks
Qualifications
- Higher education level or equivalent
- Certified foreign language assistant qualification or equivalent
- Excellent knowledge of English (written and spoken) or native English speaker
- Personal assistant experience at the executive level (secretarial work, public relations and communication, office management, and organisation) is desirable
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and willingness to interact professionally with a wide range of contacts, both internal and external to the unit
- Excellent level of commitment, organisational skills, sense of responsibility, reliability, dedication, and decisiveness
- Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to maintain a high level of accuracy
- A flexible and proactive approach to work, including the ability to set and change priorities
- Service orientation, interest in learning new tasks, ability to manage projects in a multi-tasking manner, handle multiple requests, and meet tight deadlines
- Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality
- Excellent computer skills, including working knowledge of writing, presentation, illustration, and database management software (preferably PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Adobe, database management, SAP) and other communication software
The position is initially for two years, with the possibility of an extension. A part-time employment can be considered. The payment level is based on the German state public service salary scale (TVöD Bund) according to the education, training, qualifications, and professional experience. The benefits correspond to the regulations of the public service. The position is available at the earliest possible date. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. For more information about the position and possible starting date, please send an e-mail to [email protected].
Applications will be accepted exclusively via our online application portal. If you are interested, please follow the link and upload your full application in English by September 15th, 2022.
Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens
Department of Human Resources
Charitéplatz 1
D-10117 Berlin
https://www.mpusp.mpg.de
