Table 1Transition record

secretary generaltopublic administration manager

A secretary general already meets 40% of what the public administration manager role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From secretary general

40%

Overlap1

To public administration manager

12 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

59.7 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 59.7

This move: 59.7 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the public administration manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the secretary general profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A public administration manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a secretary general background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

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 8 the public administration manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 management skills 4 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held manage teamwork required
required, not held develop strategy to solve problems required
required, not held plan medium to long term objectives required
required, not held supervise staff required

optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
optional, not held coordinate events optional
optional, not held fix meetings optional
optional, not held manage accounts optional
optional, not held recruit employees optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held create solutions to problems required
required, not held ensure cross-department cooperation required
required, not held liaise with politicians required

optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held develop professional network optional
optional, not held write meeting reports optional
optional, not held write situation reports optional

03 information skills 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held estimate duration of work required

optional, not held ensure information transparency optional
optional, not held keep task records optional
optional, not held perform resource planning optional

04 social sciences, journalism and information 1 required

required, not held public administration required

05 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held public law optional

06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held offer assistance to national citizens optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a public administration manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held budgetary principles knowledge
already held government policy implementation knowledge
already held legislation procedure knowledge
already held liaise with local authorities skill
already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
already held manage budgets skill
already held manage government policy implementation skill
already held manage staff skill
already held good governance knowledge
already held perform project management skill
already held project management principles knowledge
already held public finance knowledge

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held offer assistance to national citizens optional
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held coordinate events optional
optional, not held develop professional network optional
optional, not held ensure information transparency optional
optional, not held fix meetings optional
optional, not held keep task records optional
optional, not held manage accounts optional
optional, not held perform resource planning optional
optional, not held public law optional
optional, not held recruit employees optional
optional, not held write meeting reports optional
optional, not held write situation reports optional

16 held skills the public administration manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on legislative acts skill
not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
not needed by the target role apply diplomatic principles skill
not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role bookkeeping regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role build community relations skill
not needed by the target role build international relations skill
not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
not needed by the target role coordinate government activities in foreign institutions skill
not needed by the target role develop international cooperation strategies skill
not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
not needed by the target role manage administrative systems skill
not needed by the target role prepare presentation material skill
not needed by the target role represent national interests skill
not needed by the target role represent the organisation skill

3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held public administration required
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held public law optional

Index

Other moves recorded from secretary general

Full index of moves from secretary general

Note

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.