Executive Secretary
- Location Helsinki
Posted 18.12.2025, 11:03 - Closes 22.03.2026, 23:59
Executive Secretary
The Executive Secretary is the chief administrative official of the Commission and their rights and duties are determined in Rule 9 of the HELCOM Rules of Procedure.
The Executive Secretary is responsible for:
-implementation of policies, strategies and programmes approved by the Commission and the Heads of Delegation;
-management of the Secretariat, with around 50 employees, and the servicing and facilitation of the work of the various HELCOM Working Groups, Expert Groups and projects;
-preparation and supervision of the Commissions budget as well as numerous externally financed projects; and
-other tasks entrusted to them by the Commission and its Rules and Regulations and by the Heads of Delegation.
Qualifications and experience
The person to be appointed shall have:
-organizational and administrative skills to lead the work in the Secretariat, involving and motivating colleagues;
-capacity to strategically link the work of HELCOM to other international processes in a forward-looking way;
-ability to cooperate with all Contracting Parties and stakeholders in seeking common solutions and to represent HELCOM;
-knowledge of the work carried out within HELCOM;
-relevant university degree and profound professional experience from work with an international organisation.
As the Commission’s working language is English, a thorough knowledge of the language and the ability to draft quickly and concisely in English as well as computer literacy are essential.
Executive Secretary is required to travel frequently within Europe and to accept irregular working hours.
Terms of appointment
The monthly salary, which is non-incremental, is 9.000 € and the post is equivalent to D-1 in the UN Salary Scales for Professional and Higher Categories. The salaries paid by the Commission are exempt from Finnish income tax. In addition, certain allowances may be payable depending on personal circumstances.
The appointment will be for an initial period of three (3) years with a possibility of a prolongation. The successful candidate will be invited to take up their post on 1 February 2027.
While HELCOM offers options for partial remote work within the country, the successful candidate will be required to relocate to Finland for the duration of the contract.
Shortlisting and call for interviews will take place during April 2026, and the interviews will tentatively take place during 25-27 May in Helsinki.
Application instructions
The application should contain the information requested under the following headings in one file, in the order in which they are given. The full details requested should be given.
A. Motivation letter: Please indicate briefly (on no more than two sheets of A4 paper) your motivation for assuming the role of Executive Secretary of the Helsinki Commission and why you feel you would be a suitable and successful candidate for this function.
B. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
1.Personal details
a.Family name
b.First names
c.Mailing address, email and telephone number
d.Permanent address (if different from the mailing address)
e.Current and previous citizenship(s)
f.Indication whether the post could be taken up on 1 February 2027
2.Key skills and Experience
5-10 short sentences as bullets briefly describing the key skills and experience you bring to this job.
3.Education
a.University and other higher education, starting from the most recent, including:
i.the major subjects studied;
ii.the qualification(s) (degrees) achieved;
b.Postqualification studies undertaken, including any further qualifications achieved.
4.Employment record
Starting with your present position, please list in reverse order relevant employments, listing the name of the employer, the period employed, title of the position and the key responsibilities in short.
5.Language skills
Please state mother tongue(s) and the level of speaking, reading and writing English, and any other languages. Please use the levels fluent – good – fair – poor.
6.Computer skills
Please indicate your level of computer skills, and knowledge of software packages and data handling.
7.References
Please list 2-3 referees from whom we may seek references.
8.Please state briefly any special qualifications not covered elsewhere in this application
9.Declaration
Please include at the end of the application a signed statement: I confirm that the information in this application is true and complete. I understand that willful misstatement renders me liable to dismissal, if employed.
Helsinki Commission
About HELCOM
The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission - Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to protecting the environment of the Baltic Sea. Its Contracting Parties are Denmark, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. The HELCOM Secretariat, which supports this mission, is located in Helsinki, Finland. Our team consists of approximately 50 staff members. We work in an open, friendly, dynamic and fast-paced international environment, where English is the official working language. At HELCOM, we foster a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere, offering all staff members the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to achieving our common goals. For more information about HELCOM, please visit our home page www.helcom.fi.
