Consular Officer (49/19 CPT)

Main purpose of job:

To provide a high quality and efficient consular service to British nationals in South Africa in line with the standards set out in our publication “Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide” and Consular Strategy.

Roles and responsibilities

As Consular Assistant you will be responsible for providing consular assistance in South Africa

This may include: visiting people who have been arrested, are in prison or hospitalised; visiting mortuaries; supporting bereaved families and victims of crime, victims of sexual assault and dealing with cases involving child abduction

The successful candidate will also work closely with colleagues across the Sub-Saharan Africa network and in the UK in order to ensure excellent delivery and consistency of services. The candidate must be able and willing to engage on these challenging issues:

• Managing information, completing returns and other administrative tasks
• Checking and processing applications for Emergency Travel Documents
• Liaising with partners including local authorities, British companies, the tourism industry, airlines, wardens, consular correspondents, NGOs, other diplomatic missions etc.
• Delivering outreach and prevention activities which support our Consular Strategy objectives
• Contributing to crisis planning and response in DRC
• Managing information, completing returns and other administrative tasks
• The successful candidate must be prepared to work out of hours if required (see below on time of in lieu/overtime)

For many British nationals, the only contact they will ever have with a British mission will be through our consular services, often in times of great personal distress. As a customer-facing member of staff, the jobholder will need to have excellent communication skills and be able to deal with distressing situations in a sensitive manner and with empathy

The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate the following key skills and attributes:

• Ability to research and follow guidelines, and to plan and prioritise effectively
• Excellent all-round communication skills to manage customer expectations and deliver difficult messages
• Excellent customer service skills; ability to respond to a range of customer needs and cultivate strong relationships with customers and stakeholders
• Calmness under pressure
• Ability to research and follow guidelines, and to plan and prioritise effectively
• Ability to work well with others – to build and maintain relationships with customers and stakeholders
• Strong problem solving skills using own judgement
• Ability to respond quickly to changing priorities, sometimes in pressurised environments
• S/he should be prepared to react positively to change and ready to try new ways of working
• Excellent IT and numeracy skills (a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook is essential

• Experience working in a British or international environment

The successful candidate will be required to complete an introductory consular training course in the UK during the first six months of the job

There are also opportunities to job shadow consular teams at other British missions in the region

All applicants must be legally able to work in South Africa with the correct visa/status or work permit. Because of the high cost of investing in consular staff, we are requesting applications from only individuals with at least two years left on their work permit

The jobholder will occasionally have to manage challenging but rewarding consular cases. They will help customers through some of the most difficult experiences of their lives.

Staff members recruited locally by the British High Commission in Pretoria are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local South African employment law.

Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted.

The British Embassy is an equal opportunities employers and do not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

• Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
• Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
• The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
• 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 fees for the permit
• Make arrangements to relocate
• Meet the costs to relocation

• The British High Commission do not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
• Employees who are not eligible to pay local income tax: e.g. certain third-country nationals and spouses/partners of UK diplomats will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.
• Information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Competency Framework can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework Please note: AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
• Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of your application.
• We do encourage you to apply for your police clearance certificate at the time of your application