About ECMWF

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is a world leader in Numerical Weather Predictions providing high-quality data for weather forecasts and environmental monitoring. As an intergovernmental organisation we collaborate internationally to serve our members and the wider community with global weather predictions, data and training activities that are critical to contribute to safe and thriving societies.

The success of our activities depends on the funding and partnerships of our 35 Member and Co-operating States who provide the support and direction of our work. Our talented staff together with the international scientific community, and our powerful supercomputing capabilities, are the core of a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions. We also hold one of the largest meteorological data archives in the world.

Our mission: Deliver global numerical weather predictions focusing on the medium-range and monitoring of the Earth system to and with our Member States

Our vision: World-leading monitoring and predictions of the Earth System enabled by cutting-edge physical, computational and data science, resulting from a close collaboration between ECMWF and the members of the European Meteorological Infrastructure, will contribute to a safe and thriving society.

In addition, ECMWF has established a strong partnership with the European Union and has been entrusted with the implementation and operation of the Destination Earth initiative and the Climate Change and Atmosphere Monitoring Services of the Copernicus Programme, as well as being a contributor to the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Other areas of work include High Performance Computing and the development of digital tools that enable ECMWF to extend provision of data and products covering weather, climate, air quality, fire and flood prediction and monitoring.

ECMWF is a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters in Reading, UK, a data centre in Bologna, Italy, and a large presence in Bonn, Germany as a central location for our EU-related activities. ECMWF is internationally recognised as the voice of expertise in numerical weather predictions for forecasts and climate science.

About ECMWF
About Copernicus
About Destination Earth

Summary of the role:

ECMWF has an exciting opening for a Senior Executive Assistant to the Director-General.

The Senior Executive Assistant supports the Director-General with the implementation of annual work plans and activities to ensure the Centre meets its objectives and commitments. You will provide day-to-day executive support to the Director-General, act as the focal point in the DG’s Office and work closely with the Head of Cabinet.

Building trust and strong relationships is important in this role, internally within the department and across the Senior Management Team and the wider organisation; also externally, liaising with high-profile representatives from the National Meteorological Services in Europe and worldwide, other International Organisations, Ministries, and Embassies according to diplomatic protocol.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide high-level support to the Director-General with extensive calendar and diary management, organisation of meetings and events, handling and drafting of correspondence, document and presentation preparation, and complex travel arrangements.
• Collaborate with the Head of Cabinet to coordinate bilateral meetings and high-level visits.
• Be heavily involved in the organisation of ECMWF’s governing body meetings, namely the Council and its advisory committees. Responsible for coordinating the logistics of these meetings, preparation of documentation and timely publication on the Centre’s website, preparation of extensive minutes and follow-up actions.
• Support the department’s information management activities, including intranet content management, web-publishing and document management.
• Monitor the department’s budgets, process invoices, raise purchase orders and co-ordinate mission travel for department staff.
• Collaborate with a team of Senior Executive Coordinators/Assistants to ensure effective working across all departments.
• Contribute to the review and implementation of policies and procedures and identify best practices and improvements.
• Carry out other duties as required.

What we are looking for:

Skills

• Highly organised individual with keen attention to detail.
• The ideal candidate will excel under pressure, meeting tight deadlines while managing competing priorities and a variety of tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and active listening skills, with the ability to handle challenging and sensitive situations with diplomacy and discretion, while maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Ability to work collaboratively and to interact effectively at all levels.
• Manage own work independently and proactively, with limited supervision.

Experience

• Successful track record as an executive assistant of a senior executive in a multilingual, international environment.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), including proficiency in SharePoint, Teams and Outlook.
• Strong written communication skills with excellent English and the ability to produce correspondence and documentation of a high standard.
• Ability to take accurate minutes, interpret and summarise complex discussions concisely.
• Exceptional time management, planning and organizing skills.
• A good knowledge of one of the Centre’s other working languages (French or German) would be highly advantageous.

Qualifications

• Candidates should have a higher standard of education (ideally EQF Level 6).

Applicants must be a national of a Member State or Co-operating State (Member States: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom; Co-operating States: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia)

English is the working language of ECMWF, and candidates must be fluent. A working knowledge of at least one of the other working languages of the Centre (French or German) would be an advantage.

Other information:

Grade remuneration: The post is graded B6, with a basic salary of GBP69,975 (net of income tax & based on the 2025 salary scales for the UK) and a remuneration package that includes provisions for pension and health insurance coverage.

Start date: as soon as possible.

Length of contract: Four years with the possibility of a further contract.

Location: The position will be based at ECMWF’s headquarters in Reading, UK.

The successful applicant and members of their family forming part of their household will be exempt from immigration restrictions.

How to apply:

Please click the “Apply” button.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.