Get to know the NVS Department Coordinator

What are your main areas of work?

”I help to manage cases and answer questions that come to the department office through the department's functional mailbox, NVS Prefekt. Many questions are about signing grant applications, contract writing, record-keeping, digital signing, or meeting bookings. Most cases need to be pre-reviewed before the head of the department can sign, and it is my job to ensure that the cases are prepared in such a way that the signing itself can go quickly. I am not an expert in any particular area but know a bit of everything and can hopefully determine which instances in our organization can provide support in various cases – in time. One of my most frequent questions must be: "When is your deadline with this?" As a department coordinator, I sit with the NVS Executive Management Group, the Management Group, the NVS Department Council, and the NVS Department Collaboration Committee, which I convene for meetings on behalf of our head of department. I am often involved in planning and implementing activities that the management wants to organize for the entire department.”

You have very large contact areas. Which people do you work with the most?

”My closest colleague is the head of the NVS department. We have a close collaboration and are in contact daily. The same applies to the assistant/deputy heads of department, although we do not have contact as often. The department administrators and coordinators are important colleagues. In the central management administration, I work with everyone depending on the questions at hand, but perhaps mostly with the communications officer, NVS finance, and the administrative officer for NVS international projects. In the education office, it is the coordinator for doctoral education.”

How did you learn this role, which is quite special?

”It helps to have an academic background, but also to have experience in the service industry and international contexts. Learning by doing, that is the department coordinator training. Personally, I believe it is more about certain personality traits than education that are important for being successful the role. Service-minded and solution-oriented are words that come to mind. You should enjoy having many balls in the air at the same time.”

What is the most fun part of your job?

”I generally like to work with people. It is incredibly rewarding and fascinating to also get to work with so many talented, intelligent people and, of course, I want to believe that with my small contribution, I am helping to contribute to something bigger. I think it's fun when things happen and when things can be solved in time.”