Personal Assistant vacatures

Do you want to be a part of a dynamic and ambitious intergovernmental organisation working for the promotion of free trade and economic integration across Europe and globally?

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organisation working for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four Member States Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

The EFTA Secretariat provides services to the EFTA States and has offices in Geneva, Brussels, and Luxemburg. The Headquarters in Geneva services the EFTA Council and supplies services for policy development, negotiations and implementation of free trade and cooperation agreements with countries outside the European Union. The Brussels office supports the management of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) and assists the Member States in the elaboration of input to EU decision making. EFTA’s Luxemburg office contributes to the operation and development of the European Statistical system.

This position is based at the EFTA Secretariat in Brussels and is open to nationals of all EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) and EU Member States.

Division: Secretary-General

Location: Brussels

Type/Duration of Appointment: Fixed term 3 years. If considered desirable and in the organisation’s interest, an additional three-year contract may be offered.

Start Dates: February 2027, or earlier

Job Reference: VA 17/2026

Scope

The role provides executive support to senior management and coordinates office activities, alongside administrative support across the Administration Division. The person needs to be comfortable with a wide and varied set of responsibilities.

The tasks of the Executive Assistant and Office Coordinator include:

• Providing general assistance to senior management, including calendar management, travel coordination, preparation of meetings, correspondence, and day-to-day practical support.
• Assisting in the organisation of high-level external and internal events, including planning, logistics and coordination of service provision.
• Acting as a point of contact for internal communications, helping ensure information flows effectively across divisions and duty stations.
• Taking the lead and providing administrative support where needed across the organisation, e.g. internal events.
• Applying strong problem-solving skills and service-mindedness in their work.
• Coordination of Protocol activities.

The successful applicant should expect a varied and evolving set of responsibilities and be comfortable moving between different kinds of tasks at short notice. This is a role for someone who takes initiative across a broad scope.

Essential Skills

• Minimum 5 years' relevant experience, preferably in an international environment.

• University degree or commercial diploma, or alternatively high-school graduation or equivalent with 2 additional years of work experience.

• Strong organisational skills with a meticulous eye for detail.

• Project and/or event management experience.

• Experience providing administrative support across multiple teams or functions, with the flexibility to reprioritise as needs change.

• Ability to communicate with representatives of governments and state agencies with tact and courtesy.

• Pro-active approach, taking the initiative to improve office routines and services.

• Adaptable to new tools, systems, and ways of working as the organisation evolves.

• Exceptional time management and multitasking abilities, including scheduling, calendar management, and travel coordination.

• Strong interpersonal skills; comfortable working independently as well as within a small team.

• Cultural awareness and the ability to navigate cross-cultural interactions.

• Desirable to have a good understanding of diplomatic protocols and etiquette, or be motivated to learn about it.

• Excellent command of written and spoken English and French.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft 365 Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Employment Terms

EFTA has a dynamic and diverse work environment with the opportunity to work in a team of highly qualified people. Here you will be part of an organisation based on professionalism, cooperation, trust, responsibility and respect.

EFTA also offers:

• International career and learning opportunities.

• An inclusive environment with high regard for cultural differences.

• Competitive benefit package.

Grade: B5

Annual salary: EUR 65,398.80
Appointments are normally made at the first step of the grade. The Secretary-General reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level different from that advertised. Through its recruitment policy, the EFTA Secretariat wants to ensure diversity in terms of gender, age and culture.

EFTA is an international organisation, and the salaries and related payments are normally exempt from income taxation by the EFTA Member States and in the host states of the EFTA duty stations. Depending on the candidate’s family status, benefits and allowances may apply.

This position is only open to nationals of all the EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and EU Member States. Applicants must apply via the EFTA e-recruitment tool. Please note that only applications received via our web tool will be considered.

For further information on this post, please contact HR Support, HR.support@efta.int

Deadline for applications: October 18th 2026