General Secretary

The Nordic Union for Employees in Hotel, Restaurant, Catering and Tourism (NU HRCT) is a federation of seven trade unions in Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. NU HRCT coordinates and strengthens cooperation across the Nordic HRCT sector.

NU HRCT represents 100,000 members at Nordic, European and global level. Our work is guided by the interests of employees in the Nordic hotel, restaurant, catering and tourism sectors and by a commitment to safeguarding the cornerstones of the Nordic model: the right to free collective bargaining and constructive cooperation with employers.

NU HRCT is now seeking a General Secretary who, together with the political leadership, will promote the interests of employees across the sector. The secretariat is in Denmark at the headquarters of the 3F union.

You can read more about NU HRCT on our website, including our purpose and responsibilities as set out in the statutes.

Main Responsibilities

The position includes, among other things:

• Proactively developing coordination and cooperation among member unions to make the Nordic HRCT sector a better place to work
• Developing and coordinating cooperation among NU HRCT member unions, together with the Executive Committee, to achieve the union’s objectives
• Preparing and convening Executive Committee meetings
• Ensuring that political decisions are implemented in practice and communicated clearly
• Planning and organizing Nordic conferences as well as meetings of working groups and ad hoc committees
• Representing the Nordic member unions, based on mandates and decisions of the Executive Committee, in European and international boards, committees and working groups within EFFAT, IUF and other relevant organizations
• Coordinating Executive Committee meetings and maintaining cooperation with the European and international trade union secretariats EFFAT and IUF
• Sharing responsibility with the Executive Committee for the union’s finances and accounting
• Coordinating and cooperating with the Nordic Union of Food Workers and the Nordic agriculture sector
• Preparing solidarity statements, newsletters, and press releases
• Maintaining the union’s website.

Required Qualifications and Competencies

Applicants are expected to have:

• Knowledge of the Nordic and European trade union movements
• Knowledge of the structure of NU HRCT and its member unions
• Experience with, and understanding of, the political and organizational structures of the Nordic labour market, including experience from trade union and/or political work
• Knowledge of the HRCT sector at both Nordic and global levels
• Strong cooperation and communication skills
• Experience in management and financial administration
• Knowledge of the European Union and the institutions related to labour market affairs
• Familiarity with the usual IT and AI tools
• The ability to speak and understand Scandinavian language, preferably also Icelandic and Finnish, and to communicate effectively in English.

Terms of Employment

• Employment terms, including salary and general working conditions, will be agreed with the recruitment committee of the Executive Committee
• The position is not subject to fixed working hours, and significant travel activity should be expected
• The secretariat, thus in principle the working place of the General Secretary, is located at Kampmannsgade 4, 1790 Copenhagen, Denmark. However, other working arrangements may be considered.

PAM in Finland currently holds the presidency of NU HRCT. For further information, please contact Annika Rönni-Sällinen by phone at +358 50 378 0270 or General Secretary Jens Petter Hagen by phone at +47 91 11 60 96.

Applicants are also welcome to contact any other member of the Executive Committee:

• Fellesforbundet / Clas Delp, Delp@fellesforbundet.no, +47 9115 8742
• 3F / Lone Soegaard Nielsen, soegaard.nielsen@3f.dk, +45 2230 2931
• HRF / Daniel Jernström, Jernstrom@hrf.net, +46 7016 66002
• SGS / Björg Bjarnadóttir, bjorg@sgs.is, +354 535 5672
• Matvís / Óskar Gunnarsson oskar@matvis.is, +354 580 5207

The position will be advertised through the seven Nordic member unions. Applications, including relevant supporting information, should be sent to jeanne.tingleff@3f.dk. Applications must be received by the secretariat no later than the 25th of October 2026.

Interviews are expected to take place during week 47. The successful candidate should take up the position no later than 1 May 2027. A flexible start date may be agreed if required by the candidate’s current employment circumstances.