POSITION TITLE: Administrative Assistant

PROGRAM: Fossil Economy

SUPERVISOR: Program Director (located in Germany)

LOCATION: Remote with the ability to work in CET time zone (some countries/jurisdictions excluded) or in our Geneva, Switzerland office

DURATION:
2-year contract (continuation based on available funding)

SALARY:
$61,000 - $76,000/yr depending on qualifications (12.5% locality pay increase applicable to Switzerland)

DEADLINE:
The application due date is March 30, 2026



SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

Since 1989, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has used the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society. CIEL seeks a world where the law reflects the interconnection between humans and the environment, respects the limits of the planet, protects the dignity and equality of each person, and encourages all of earth’s inhabitants to live in balance with each other.



The Administrative Assistant plays a vital role supporting the day-to-day function of the Program Director as they lead their team and provide leadership to CIEL. This position is key to making the Program Director, their work, and and thereby their program more effective, more efficient, and more agile in its efforts to confront the critical human rights and environmental challenges of our time. The role will have full access to the Program Director’s communications, is a highly trusted team member with access to confidential information across all types of work in the organization.



This position is part of CIEL’s Fossil Economy Program. To perform this role, the ideal candidate will have three (3) or more years in an administrative setting, supporting a leader by managing complex calendars, prioritizing competing priorities, scheduling meetings and travel, coordinating preparatory materials and logistical support for the activities of managers, and handling confidential information with utmost care. 



RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assistance to the Program Director:

  • Actively manage and prioritize Program Director’s email, Slack, Asana, and other communication information channels, and access/navigate confidential information to support other functions across all types of work in the organization. 
  • Exercise judgment in managing and prioritizing the Program Director's task list and tracking deadlines.
  • Track expense receipts, and maintain monthly timesheets of the Program Director.
  • Conduct background research and provide relevant information to assist in the Program Director’s meeting preparation, decision-making, and other responsibilities.
  • Anticipate logistical issues and problem-solve on behalf of the Program Director.


Scheduling and Event Management:

  • Manage complex schedules to coordinate meetings on behalf of the Program Director and team and ensure the Program Director’s calendar is handled in an efficient and discrete manner.
  • Coordinate travel arrangements for the Program Director including: obtaining visas, scheduling flights and transfers, preparing travel documents.
  • Coordinate and schedule meetings or events with staff, funders, partners and coalitions, journalists, and other stakeholders, including sending calendar invitations, reserving meeting spaces/ordering catering, setting up conference and or video calls, providing preparatory materials in advance to fully prepare the participants, and other logistics, as needed.


Team Support and Project Management:

  • Support in the onboarding process of new program members.
  • Assist in the coordination of work and annual planning, working with program members and other departments as necessary.
  • Support the Program Director in maintaining and monitoring program budgets and tracking grant deliverables across program workstreams
  • Support project management tracking and monitoring, including deploying and maintaining software solutions. 
  • Support the logistics of virtual and in-person team retreats, meetings, and conferences, including coordinating delegation membership, managing travel, lodging, and expenses, and serving as the central point of contact for delegation coordination.
  • Coordinate with other Director’s Assistants and administrative staff to support cross-team collaboration, streamline and unify processes, and ensure the flow of relevant information.


Administrative Functions:

  • Perform administrative functions, including but not limited to creating and updating filing systems, scanning, copying, making and screening calls, and taking notes during meetings.
  • Assist with the preparation of various communications such as memoranda and paperwork, including light editing and formatting.
  • Maintain and preserve confidentiality.
  • Perform general administrative and other duties as assigned.


QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Minimum of 3 years of administrative experience supporting director-level work.
  • Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities, exercise judgment, and be flexible in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment.
  • Superior professional communication skills, including courteous oral and written communication with both internal and external audiences.
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality related to documents, correspondence, and discussions.
  • Experience learning and thriving in new digital systems and maintaining calendars across an array of platforms and technologies.
  • Ability to take rapid notes/minutes in real-time (minimum of 80 wpm).
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite (Docs, Calendars, Sheets, etc).
  • Ability to work collaboratively with a broad range of colleagues and personalities.
  • Anticipatory and self-directed.
  • Comfortable, accurate, and efficient working at a fast pace, in a proactive manner.


Desired Qualifications:

  • Familiarity with project management and financial platforms (e.g., Asana, Intacct).
  • French and/or Spanish proficiency (with German as an additional bonus)
  • Basic familiarity with and an interest in relevant topics for the Fossil Economy program such as climate and energy, biodiversity, toxic pollution, human rights and environmental justice.


A successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies: 

  • Action-Oriented: Makes things happen. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of curiosity, proactivity, and constructiveness.
  • Nimble Learning: Approaches unfamiliar tasks proactively and with an open mind. Can quickly adapt to new situations and to draw on past successes and failures to solve current problems.  
  • Effective Communication: Understands the value of effective communication. Can deliver messages in a clear, compelling, and concise manner. Actively listens, checks for understanding, and adjusts content and style to meet the needs of different stakeholders.  
  • Collaborates: Brings people together to leverage their skills, talents, and knowledge to achieve a common purpose. Creates synergy resulting in a combined effort with greater results than what can be achieved by individuals.  
  • Resourcefulness: Is able to make the best of limited resources and find a way to get things done even when the odds are against them.  Can look beyond the obvious for viable approaches to accomplish the goal. 


Location note: This position may be eligible to work from the following locations:

  • In our Geneva, Switzerland office provided you have the ability to legally work in Switzerland,  (i.e., a citizen of EU/EFTA member states)
  • Remotely from a country outside of Switzerland, depending on the country and provided you can work within African/European time zones AND have obtained your own legal work authorization. Due to restrictions, not all countries will be eligible for remote hiring.


Application instructions: The application due date is March 30, 2026. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and answers to the below questions. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone calls, please. Note that CIEL does not sponsor visas of any kind. You must have prior authorization in order to be considered for this position.



You will be asked to respond to the following application questions when you apply:

  • Please provide details about your proficiency with various productivity tools, such as project management software, collaboration platforms, and office suites. Include any specific tools you are familiar with, your level of expertise, and any notable achievements or projects where you successfully utilized these tools to enhance productivity in a professional setting. (max 250 words)
  • Describe how you've ensured that a busy, hard-to-reach manager stayed on top of their priorities and commitments in a remote setting. Share one concrete example where you succeeded in the past and one where you struggled and why. (max 250 words)
  • Upload: Please upload a file (this could be any file type - screenshot, Excel, video, etc) that demonstrates your project management and/or task tracking skills. You can redact confidential information.



Working Hours: CIEL works with employees and partners across the world; however, our main offices are located in US Eastern Time (Washington DC) and Central European Time (Geneva). Thus, all employees must have some core overlap hours for live meetings, which are generally 3pm - 6pm CET. In terms of working hours, CIEL tries to support staff with life/work balance and working a 40-hour work week. However, there will be occasions when working more is required; in such cases, CIEL may provide compensatory time to use at a later date. 

If you are selected for this position and elect to work remotely, you are expected to provide your own space from which to work. CIEL will contribute a one-time stipend of USD $750 for fully remote workers, with an additional USD $250 per year for the purposes of maintaining your remote work space.


Anonymous Demographic Survey: Please complete this anonymous demographic survey as part of your application to CIEL. The survey will only be used to help us evaluate our efforts to recruit a diverse pool of candidates. Your answers will not in any way be linked to your application, and the answers to the survey will not be handled by anyone on the hiring committee for the role.


About CIEL: For 30 years, CIEL has used the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society. CIEL’s dynamic team of international attorneys and experts work together in a collaborative and supportive work environment to tackle some of the most interesting and challenging issues facing people and the planet. 



We are an equal opportunity employer, actively committed to the principles of multiculturalism and building an organization that is as diverse as the communities we serve around the world. We know that diversity and inclusion make us stronger, and we actively encourage qualified applicants with various backgrounds, identities, perspectives, and (dis)abilities to apply. If you need an accommodation or assistance with this application, please contact Human Resources at jobs[at]ciel.org. 

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.