Basic Details

Job Title	Assistant to the DEFAT
Mission	Tokyo
Job level	7
Number of hours	37,5

Specific information

You report directly to the Defence Attaché (DA), support him in the mission of ensuring that Dutch military interests in Japan are safeguarded and you are a respected part of the small team. Excelling at this job will require a variety of skills. As a small team, commitment, teamwork and accuracy are vital in ensuring that services are of     the highest standards. Naturally, the international working environment and the sensitive subjects will require that you are politically and culturally sensitive and that you know how to interact within a diplomatic environment. This also requires that you are proficient, both orally and in writing, in Dutch, English and Japanese.

Main tasks

As an assistant, you are expected to:

1. Provide policy support by:
   1. gathering defence and national security related information about developments in Japan and the Indo-Pacific region;
   2. monitoring developments in the areas of interest specified by the Defence Attaché;
   3. providing timely and accurate reports regarding regional developments relevant to the Defence Attaché and stakeholders in the Netherlands (where relevant in cooperation with the political section);
   4. contribute to reports and advice about Defence developments and related policy, based on the study of relevant sources;
   5. taking care of correspondence in Japanese with the Ministry of Defence, operational staff, individual units, universities and think tanks;
   6. keeping minutes of meetings as requested.

1. Provide support to the DA by:
   1. organizing meetings/visits in support of delegations from the Netherlands;
   2. Preparing speeches and presentations for the DA;
   3. developing and maintaining a relevant network together with the DA;
   4. conducting administrative and secretarial tasks (for instance, keeping the schedule up to date, filing of documents, making preparations for business trips, etc.);
   5. drafting concept programs for visits and ceremonial events;
   6. processing the requests for harbor visits, exercises or the overflight of military airplanes in accordance with the procedures of the countries involved;
   7. answering incoming queries concerning events;
   8. acting as coordinator between the requesting Netherlands Defence organization and the local military or civil authorities;
   9. provide financial support by requesting yearly budget, monitoring the budget’s depletion, and  thorough financial administration.

1. Provide interpretation services by:
   1. translating Japanese documents about defence or national security related topics;
   2. acting as interpreter during visits to the Ministry of Defence or Japanese Self-Defence Force units;
   3. translating incoming Japanese correspondence;
   4. translating Dutch or English outgoing correspondence into Japanese, when required;
   5. translating speeches and presentations of the Defence Attaché into Japanese for multi-language meetings ( such as ceremonies).

The ideal candidate is flexible, communicates well, likes working in a team, is committed, and has a good sense of confidentiality, responsibility and accuracy. Having a thorough awareness of the demands of working in a Japanese environment is a must. The candidate should also be able to function well in the Dutch working environment of the embassy, where personal initiative and independent judgement are greatly appreciated. The assistant has the capability to combine the more analytical tasks with a supporting role, which requires accuracy and an eye for detail. You are willing to take on a wide variety of tasks and can work independently. You are aware of your role as representative of the Dutch government and Dutch Defence in particular, and know how to act accordingly.

About the Defence Department

You will be working in the Defence Affairs department of the Embassy in Tokyo, reporting directly to the Defence Attaché (DA). The DA is subordinate to the Director of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defence in the Netherlands and accountable to him/her for performing the specified tasks. The Defence Attaché acts as advisor to the ambassador on defence/ security matters and works closely with other departments within the embassy. He actively supports the interests of the Dutch defence industry. Besides Japan, the Defence Attaché is also accredited to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of the Philippines and he visits these countries regularly.

The Defence Affairs department aims to collect and report data, which are of interest to the political and military leadership of the Ministry of Defence from a political, military, economic, strategic, tactical, technical or historical point of view. To this end, the assistant will liaise with the military and civil authorities of the countries of accreditation, (assistant) Attachés from other countries and individuals who are of interest for the department.

The Defence Affairs department consists of the DA, the assistant and a temporary government trainee from time to time.