ISO Council Seeks One Good Secretary-General
In March, after five years' service as Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Alan Bryden informed the ISO Council that he is at the organization's disposal to initiate the process for his succession. As the national member body to ISO, the American National Standards Institute is now publicizing this opportunity and inviting qualified candidates to submit their application materials before June 1, 2008. ISO president Hakan Murby said the council hopes to put a new Secretary-General in place during the first quarter of 2009. Bryden, who has filled the role since March 1, 2003, said he will fully exercise his duties until a successor is in place to ensure a smooth transition.
The Secretary-General is responsible for the effective operation of the ISO System according to its Statutes and Rules of Procedure. The job's responsibilities include not only the monitoring and support of some 3,000 ISO committees and working groups, but also the management of the Geneva-based ISO Central Secretariat. As the chief executive officer of the organization, the Secretary-General is responsible for the preparation and execution of yearly budgets and medium term financial orientations approved by the ISO Council and supporting a long range Strategic Plan.
According to the stated selection criteria, preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate a positive record of top level management in an organization or company and have extensive experience with IT tools, international relations, and standardization and/or conformity assessment. The official call for applications, recruitment procedure, and job specification and selection criteria may be downloaded here.