The European Health Forum Gastein is recruiting a

Secretary General / Manager

You want to step up? We offer a challenging opportunity as Secretary General in our small & innovative team working towards creating a better future for health in Europe. We contribute to this aim by providing a prime network for key stakeholders in the health sector – through the EHFG conference, the Young Gastein Initiative, the European Health Award, and our collaboration with South East European countries as well as Russia. We’re looking for a dynamic hands-on personality with a good grasp of European public health policy issues, knowledge of and a network in the EU environment - plus the management experience needed to expand our success even further.

Introducing ourselves:
The European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) is a leading European health policy platform offering opportunities to exchange ideas and to network with relevant institutions and stakeholders. The Forum’s main objective is to facilitate the establishment of a framework for advising and developing European health policy.In addition to the annual conference with approx. 600 senior delegates representing government, business and industry, civil society and academia, the Forum also organises the European Health Award, the Young Gastein initiative, regional projects, and informal ministerial and expert meetings. The EHFG is organised by the International Forum Gastein (IFG), an association registered under Austrian law. The secretariat consists of a core team of four staff, intern(s) and part-time post-graduate students as auxiliary support staff. For further information please visit:  www.ehfg.org

Post and duties: 
The Secretary General is responsible for the overall management of the IFG and the EHFG, including conference content, organisation and financial management, reporting to the executive board. The post holder will spearhead thematic planning and programme development of initiatives and events, including the main EHFG conference, the European Health Award and the Young Gastein initiative, as well as new projects which may be developed. He / she will lead activities regarding commercial sponsoring and public funds / subsidy acquisition and management, including related thematic issues and product development. Responsibilities further include public relations, marketing activities and publications. See below for further details.The incumbent will be supported by a deputy manager responsible for organisational and financial issues, and a small technical team.The ideal candidate will hold an advanced university degree; have a professional or academic background in health and/or EU affairs and at least five years of work experience, including management functions. Excellent command of English and good command of German or willingness to learn are essential. The position is based in Salzburg (Austria) or Brussels (Belgium) and involves some European travel.

Particular responsibilities:

Type of activityDescription of ta
General Management
  • General planning, organisation, monitoring tasks regarding the organisation and event management
  • Elaboration of project plans: scheduling, process planning, monthly planning, product planning
Strategic Management
  • Ongoing analysis of the external political and business environment
  • Strategy planning and development 
  • Operational strategy implementation 
  • Project and product development
Staff Management
  • Definition of tasks and responsibilities, supervision 
  • Training of and support to new staff
Policy / Programme planning 
  • Overall steering of the programme planning process
  • Orientation of programme planning according to marketing aspects
  • Chairing meetings of the technical Advisory Committee  on behalf of the President of the Association
  • Liaison with and coordination of main partners, e.g. the European Commission, WHO, universities, main sponsors.
Commercial sponsoring and public funds / subsidy management
  • Development and maintenance of contacts with sponsors, negotiation, drafting of sponsorship agreements, management of sponsor relations
  • Elaborating individual offers for sponsors
  • Development of products and services offered to sponsors
  • Researching sources of (public) financing / subsidy 
  • Elaboration of applications / requests for public funding
  • Negotiating contracts with public sponsors
Marketing and Publications
  • Planning and development of marketing strategies and products
  • Production of publications
  • Scheduling, coordination and follow-up / monitoring of time lines
  • Proofreading and approval of texts
  • Participation in the development of new formats for publications
Public relations / Liaison with stakeholders
  • Development and maintenance of contacts with 
    • Interest groups and stakeholders of the EHFG, e.g. scientific and public institutions, non-profit organisations, business associations, companies, networks etc.
    • (Potential) suppliers and business partners
  • Participation in external events
  • VIP service linked to the congress and other events
Management of tasks of the Association
  • Preparation and organisation of board meetings, reporting, preparation of documents, concepts, etc., in coordination with the President of the IFG
  • Ensuring the legal framework of the association is in accordance with activities and other requirements
Other
  • Other tasks as required

Since a process of organisational development is underway, duties and responsibilities may still be subject to limited change.

Qualifications and skills:
Essential:

  • Advanced university degree in public health or a closely related subject, e. g EU public / non-profit sector; public / governmental affairs; social sciences; public health / health care; European studies
  • Minimum professional experience of 5 years in increasingly responsible functions, ideally in public health, European affairs or a related topic
  • Proved technical competence in public health policy
  • Knowledge of European / international institutions
  • Management experience, including staff management and a general sense for business and financial management 
  • Excellent command of written and spoken English and good command of German – or willingness to learn
  • Ability to use electronic office tools (MS Office, Databases, etc.)
  • Flexibility and ability to travel
  • Self-starter with strong organizational and management skills
  • Ability to work in a team and under time pressure
  • EU/EEA Citizenship or valid work permit

Desired:

  • Network in public health (international / European) and European institutions
  • Knowledge of other languages, e.g. South Eastern European language(s) or Russian

Candidates will be evaluated according to the combined relevance of their academic background, work experience and other qualifications and skills. 

Applications should include the following information:

  • Motivation letter indicating for which duty station you would be available, your earliest possible starting date, your current salary and salary expectations 
  • CV, with full contact details including mobile phone number
  • References / referees 

Please send your application by electronic mail no later than Sunday, June 10, 2012 to  elisabeth.leiner(at)ehfg.org. Review of applications will start immediately. For further information, please contact  elisabeth.leiner(at)ehfg.org.
According to national legal requirements we announce a minimum salary of € 60.000 p.a.. Remuneration will be commensurate with expertise and experience of the candidate selected.