Public administration manager to secretary general
A public administration manager already meets 44% of what the secretary general role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.7/ 100
1 How much of what a secretary general is expected to do is already part of a public administration manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the secretary general role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A secretary general role treats 6 of its required skills as things a public administration manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- budgetary principles
- good governance
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- manage staff
- perform project management
- project management principles
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A secretary general role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a public administration manager background worth leading with.
- already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
- already held good governance social sciences, journalism and information
- already held public finance business, administration and law
- already held project management principles business, administration and law
- already held manage government policy implementation management skills
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies communication, collaboration and creativity
All 12 carried skills, including the 6 the secretary general role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn coordinate government activities in foreign institutions required
- still to learn represent national interests required
- still to learn apply conflict management required
- still to learn represent the organisation required
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic management optional
- optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
- still to learn audit techniques required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
- still to learn conduct financial audits required
- optional, not held develop international cooperation strategies optional
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a secretary general role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 coordinate government activities in foreign institutions practise this
- 02 represent national interests practise this
- 03 apply conflict management practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held good governance knowledge
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held project management principles knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held legislation procedure knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held public finance knowledge
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop international cooperation strategies optional
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held advise on legislative acts optional
- optional, not held apply diplomatic principles optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic management optional
- optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
24 held skills the secretary general role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategy to solve problems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with politicians skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage teamwork skill
- not needed by the target role offer assistance to national citizens skill
- not needed by the target role perform resource planning skill
- not needed by the target role plan medium to long term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role public administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role public law knowledge
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role write meeting reports skill
- not needed by the target role write situation reports skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn audit techniques required
- still to learn bookkeeping regulations required
Other moves recorded from public administration manager
Common questions about this move
Can a public administration manager become a secretary general?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A public administration manager already covers 44% of what a secretary general is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 6 of which the secretary general role treats as required.
What skills does a public administration manager need to become a secretary general?
7 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is coordinate government activities in foreign institutions.
How hard is the move from public administration manager to secretary general?
Its learning distance is 52.7 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.