Consular Assistant at British Embassy

British Embassy

Position: Consular Assistant

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Permanent

Place of Work: Addis Ababa - Ethiopia

Salary: USD 505.42

Posted date: 7 months ago

Deadline: Submition date is over

Main purpose of Job:

To deliver professional and high-quality consular services and assistance to British nationals in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland. 

You will manage our Emergency Travel Document (ETD) service and lead on notarial services within Ethiopia. You will also support the Vice Consuls for Ethiopia and Somaliland by managing straightforward and occassionally complex consular cases, with appropriate oversight. You will lead on prevention work for Djibouti, including by writing online guides on bereavement, detention and rape and sexual assault, and will support crisis preparedness.  

For more information on the type of assistance we provide, please read our public guide Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide.

Roles and responsibilities:

• 24/7 consular services
• Manage our Emergency Travel Document service by maintaining our appointment booking system, facilitating interviews for the ETD Centre and printing ETDs in line with our Service Level Agreements.
• Ensure that British people can contact us when they need to, and access information as easily as possible including by updating Contact Hub and providing training to the guards.
• Ensure that the consular office is organised operating effectively in line with our consular standards checklist and consular guidance. Maintain an organised filing system in the office and on MS Teams and support other team members with admin tasks when required

Consular assistance

• Support the Vice Consuls to provide empathetic consular assistance to vulnerable British people in difficulty in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland.  
• Lead on straightforward cases and a small number of complex cases, under the supervision of the Vice Consular. Vulnerable and complex cases include but are not limited to victims of forced marriage, “held against will” cases (mostly in Somaliland), arrests/detentions, hospitalisation, victims of serious crime (including rape and sexual assault), deaths (including in suspicious circumstances) and bereavement.
• You will be required to prioritise cases, devise case management strategies, engage directly with the affected person, and promptly update case notes in our case management system. 

Prevention

• Lead on prevention products for Djibouti, researching and collating information, and writing online guides on bereavement, detention and rape and sexual assault.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders, including local authorities, businesses and other diplomatic missions so that we can prevent incidents from happening, or stop them getting worse.
• Maintain up-to-date databases of local service providers, such as lawyers, translators and medical facilities. 

Crisis

• You will be expected to play a role in any crisis response delivered by the British Embassy, for example by training as a Consular Field Team member.  
• You may also be asked to support crisis responses in other countries through our “regional resilience” arrangements.
• Crisis work may involve working outside your contracted hours or travelling at short notice. 
• We are a team of five, spread across three countries, providing consular assistance to British nationals in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Somaliland. You will be expected to work flexibly and collaboratively with other team members, sometimes taking on work that is outside your normal remit, for example when other colleagues are on leave or under particular pressure. 
• You should be aware that consular work involves difficult conversations with distressed individuals and may require visiting challenging environments, such as prisons and hospitals, so emotional intelligence and personal resilience are essential. 
• You can expect to travel within the immediate region and to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and possibly to the UK. 

Resources managed:

You will be expected to lead on a small amount of consular procurement of goods and services.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Excellent communication skills (manage customer expectations, deliver difficult messages and communicate effectively with other colleagues in the British Embassy)
• Ability to remain calm and professional under pressure (including when dealing with potentially emotive subjects and distressed people)
• Ability to prioritize effectively
• Collaborative approach 

Language requirements: 

This is a customer-facing role, with the primary audience being British nationals, so excellent written and spoken English is essential. 

Language: Amharic

Level of language required: Fluent

• Working knowledge of French would be beneficial but not essential.

Desirable qualifications, skills, and experience

• Experience working in a customer-facing role
• Experience working in an international organization 

Required behaviours

Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together

Application deadline: 11 December 2023

Grade: Administrative Officer (AO)

Type of Position: Permanent

Region: Africa

Country/Territory: Ethiopia

Location (City): Addis Ababa

Type of Post: British Embassy

Salary: USD 505.42

Start Date: 2 January 2024

Other benefits and conditions of employment

Learning and development opportunities:

• You’ll be joining a team that takes continuous learning and development seriously. On starting in the role, you’ll be supported to become familiar with consular policies, as well as the structures of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the British Embassy.  

Mandatory Courses:

• In your first year, you will be required to complete an online “Consular Fundamentals Course” and our “Developing Consular Expertise Course”, which is usually delivered in person in the UK.  
• You will also be required to complete several mandatory training modules, including on safeguarding and data protection, on an annual basis. 

Further opportunities: 

• When you are settled in the role, there will be further opportunities to deepen your expertise in consular work and to develop wider skills tailored to your personal interests and development needs. 
• Mentoring and coaching opportunities are available to all staff at the British Embassy.  

Additional information

• Must be able to legally work in Ethiopia
• Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during the screening
• Please check your application carefully before you submit it, as no changes can be made once submitted
• The British Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position
• Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Ethiopia
• All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
• The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
• Obtain the relevant permit
• Pay the fees for the permit
• Make arrangements to relocate
• Meet the costs of relocation
• Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount
• Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
• Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates
• Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a reserve list. If during the reserve period of 6/12 months, the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate