Rocketship Pacific Ltd (‘Rocketship’) is an Australian-based non-profit health and development organisation with a vision of healthy Pacific communities supported by strong and sustainable primary healthcare systems. Rocketship stands for Remote Opportunities for Clinical Knowledge, Education and Training and Support for Health in the Pacific and was born out of the realisation that the health needs of Pacific island people were not being adequately met.

Rocketship is seeking to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced Executive Assistant (Maternity Leave Cover). This is 0.2 FTE role with contract period for February – July 2021.

The Executive Assistant (EA) will be responsible for supporting the leadership and management of Rocketship and its operations, staff and programmes, principally through assisting the Chair of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in their respective duties.

As outlined in the Rocketship Strategic Plan (2020-25), the vision of the organisation is “Healthy communities across the Pacific”. The corresponding mission of Rocketship is to share skills and work in partnership to achieve strong, sustainable primary healthcare systems in Pacific island countries. Thus, the EA works to achieve these goals through efficient and effective support of the organisation’s leadership.

Reporting to the Chair and CEO, the key responsibilities of the EA include:

• Providing general administrative support to the Chair and CEO
• Assisting with managing incoming and outgoing correspondence
• Arranging meetings, preparing briefings and drafting minutes
• Contributing to strategic planning processes
• Compiling reports
• Coordinating logistics
• Managing finances
• Supporting the Board of Directors, other volunteers and staff, as may be required

In addition, the EA may occasionally be required to represent Rocketship at meetings or other events, at the discretion of the Chair and CEO.

The current commitment requirements for the role would equate to approximately a day a week with being able to attend a monthly board meeting. There is a lot of flexibility within the role and it can be completed purely online.

As one of the integral members and most visible representatives of the organisation, the EA must conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism, have strong communication skills and be intimately familiar with Rocketship’s mission and operations. Given the nature of the organisation’s work in health systems and developing countries, the EA should be well-versed in the technical aspects of health and development.

Selection Criteria

The following attributes are considered essential for the EA:

• Excellent command of written and spoken English, with demonstrated high level of proficiency in preparing and presenting oral and written reports
• Practical experience and qualifications in health and/or development-related field(s)
• High level of competence with online communications (email and web conferencing), as well as standard word-processing, presentation and spreadsheet software (e.g. M.S. Office – Word, Powerpoint, Excel)
• Ability to communicate and function comfortably, competently, effectively and efficiently in multidisciplinary and cross-cultural settings

The following are considered desirable criteria:

• Experience living and working in developing communities
• Prior engagement with international health agencies or non-profit organisations
• Research, management and/or field experience in relevant areas such as clinical care, public health and community development

A position description is attached.