As part of its growth, the non-profit organisation Objectif Sciences International (OSI) is recruiting an Assistant to the General Manager.

OSI is a scientific research and science education association working for sustainable development. It organises scientific missions in various countries around the world (www.voyages-scientifiques.com), welcoming volunteers in the form of Participatory Research and Participatory Science Operations, which take a variety of forms, from scientific holidays to high-level training courses, school trips and citizen science clubs.

At the level of each Local Group (managed by a national association), the Local Group Operations Department coordinates the development of activities in the country, supports the team leaders, service providers and partners, and works closely with the Head Office of the head office NGO and its Resource Centre.

The role of the Head Office General Management is to :

• Make it possible for the various players in the NGO to work together internationally, whatever their language, culture or professional background
• Finalise the decisions resulting from the collaborative and participative management of the NGO and the Local Groups,
• Translating these decisions, as well as those of the NGO’s Management Committee and Executive Committee, into functional or operational instructions,
• To coordinate the Resource Centre Advisers at head office.
• coordinating and supporting the Operations Departments in their missions
  Co-ordinate and support the Operations Departments in their missions, -* Co-ordinate the Operations Team Leaders, whether alongside the Operations Department for their local operations, or at international level for their general involvement in the NGO.

Assistant to the General Management: 4 days a week position (80%) on fixed-term contract for one year, then permanent contract.

Your responsibilities:

• Keeping in touch by video and telephone with the NGO’s staff around the world, centralising information and drawing on models that transcend cultural differences
• Participate in General Management meetings and receive operational instructions from General Management,
• Clearly communicate and explain General Management decisions, strategies and priorities to team leaders. To ensure that each team leader understands the expectations and objectives of the organisation,
• Coordinating the activities of team leaders to ensure that projects and assignments progress according to schedule and established standards. Monitor the progress of projects, identify potential obstacles and propose solutions to overcome them,
• Ensuring that team leaders comply with the organisation’s processes and procedures. Implement controls to verify compliance and efficiency of operations,
• Resolve conflicts between teams or team leaders, taking care to maintain a positive and productive working climate, in accordance with the guidelines laid down on a case-by-case basis by General Management,
• Gathering reports, balance sheets, monitoring funds and budget envelopes and other monitoring tools to provide Executive Management with the dashboards it needs to make decisions.
• Reporting to General Management.

These tasks ensure effective coordination between General Management and team leaders, ensuring that strategic decisions are properly implemented and that the organisation’s objectives are achieved.

In particular, General Management is able to:

• Update its decisions and strategies by taking account of feedback from the field all over the world (vertical management),
• Involve the Management Committee, the Executive Committee or the Local Group Management Boards, depending on the type of issue and case, so that they can adapt and continually improve these processes on the basis of feedback and the results obtained (horizontal management at every level of the organisation),
• Ensuring the efficient allocation of resources (human, financial, material) for the various projects and assignments in consultation with the Resource Centre Advisors for institutional projects or in consultation with the Operations Departments for operational projects,
• Organising training and professional development sessions for team leaders to strengthen their skills in leadership, project management and other essential skills. Encourage an environment of continuous learning and self-improvement.

Your profile:

There are a number of vocational or university qualifications suitable for a position as assistant to General Management and coordinating team leaders. Here are a few relevant examples:

• You are perfectly fluent in spoken and written English
• You are at ease in a highly international and multicultural environment, thanks to experience of studying or working in several countries over several months or years
• You have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Management, Business Administration (MBA), Human Resources Management, Project Management, Economics, International Relations, Organisational Communication, Performance Engineering, and you have good experience in project management or coordination.
• Or you have a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PHD degree in another field related to the NGO’s activities (science, environment, culture, development, fundraising, etc.) and you must have at least 3 years’ full-time experience in project management and the management of a company or association, including direct staff management.
• Or you are self-taught with no formal education and must have at least 5 years’ full-time experience in project management and management of a company or association, including direct management of staff.
• You must have experience as a subordinate and be able to give references in contact with others in the field of project management, in a non-profit or not-for-profit organisation.
• You are familiar with the Office suite and the IT environment
• You have knowledge of shared governance, non-violent communication, conflict management and crisis management.
• You are proactive and work autonomously in your position
• You are capable of deploying this autonomy strictly within the established framework
• You are able to help the framework to evolve through your proposals, in other respects and in good time, regarding the deadlines for updating procedures.
• You are interested in becoming involved in the development of an associative network in charge of Sustainable Development, Scientific Research and Education.
• You are French-speaking or have an excellent knowledge of French culture and French
• You enjoy organising, managing, writing and working in a highly organised, entrepreneurial type of organisation.
• You can handle pressure well and know how to manage complex situations.
• You are capable of demonstrating the business loyalty expected of such a position, in relation to the association and its development and quality objectives.
• You are punctual and meet deadlines.

You must:

• Adhere fully to the values of the NGO Objectif Sciences International (see page https://www.osi-ngo.org/qui-nous-sommes/article/valeurs-vision-mission-strategie-de-l-ong.html)
• Be available in Geneva or Paris to meet your employer, receive details of the contract and training in the internal organisation of the establishment.
• Be available on certain weekends for meetings or training courses
• Be able to travel on business trips (training, meetings, field visits) in Switzerland, France, etc. for periods of 3 to 10 days.
• Have understood what the NGO OSI does by consulting its various websites and documents.

You will have access to:

• An initial training course and a continuing training course in Science Education, and in National and International Participatory Science Project Management.
• As many networks of contacts in the world as you will have colleagues within the NGO’s network.
• A family atmosphere
• Fairly flexible working hours (hours a week spread over the year) depending on the cycle of tasks throughout the year.
• A network of around a hundred people active in every country in the world, in every field, and a thousand people in the international pool of contributors.

Starting salary

Start position:

• Paris
• Autumn 2024

Application and key stages of recruitment
Apply by filling in the form on this link, always as soon as possible: https://www.osi-ngo.org/Jobs/article/proposez-votre-profil-a-l-ong