View Vacancy - CQ - Consular & UKVI Assistant A1(L) (maternity cover)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Consular Roles)
Consular

This temporary, maternity cover position is 50% Consular and 50% UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) for a period of seven (7) months.

As Consular Assistant, the job holder will play a key role in providing support to Chongqing's small Consular Team, delivering frontline assistance and notarial and documentary services to British Nationals in Chongqing’s consular district.

Assistance cases can include hospitalisations, detentions, crimes, and the deaths of British nationals. The job holder will be expected to support the Pro Consul in managing these cases, which can also include challenging and difficult situations such as speaking to bereaved families, dealing with sick and injured customers, and conducting visits to mortuaries. It also often involves managing the expectations of our customers and engaging with government departments, including the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) to reach solutions. The job holder will manage some routine assistance cases themselves, with oversight from the Pro Consul. As the majority of our customers are British nationals and the successful applicant will need to frequently interact with the Chinese authorities, a high-degree of fluency in English and Chinese, both written and spoken, are essential for this role.

Notarial and documentary work involves processing affirmations and oaths and supporting the organisation of same sex marriage ceremonies and British Citizenship ceremonies.

The successful candidate will also serve as the Consular office manager, with responsibility for team administration and file management.

As UKVI Assistant, the jobholder will be available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning to manage in-house visa process for official applicants and preparation work.  



Roles and responsiblities (and approximate % of time in the job):

Consular support (50%)

— Provide consular assistance to British nationals:

  • Provide clear and accurate advice to British nationals requiring consular assistance in person, on the phone, and by e-mail.
  • Provide support by arranging and accompanying Pro Consul and the wider team on consular visits, including to prisons, detention centres, and hospitals.
  • Communicate with Chinese authorities, including providing translation and interpretation support.
  • Issue Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs).
  • Possible travel to another part of China or to other countries within the Asia Pacific Consular Region to assist in a consular case.

— Provide notarial and documentary services to British nationals: Timely processing and organisation of these services with minimal supervision.

— Office management and administrative support to the Consular Assistance Team:

  • Ensure that paper files and shared area are organised and up-to-date.
  • Maintain and update team calendar, contracts, and key information for customers.
  • Compile accurate management information statistics.

— Crisis preparedness as part of the Consular Crisis Team: 

  • Active involvement in the Consulate’s schedule of crisis training and exercise.
  • Contribute to consular team planning.
  • Provide first class consular assistance to affected British nationals in the event of a crisis.

UKVI support (50%)

— Manage in-house visa process for official applicants:

  • Act as the first point of contact for five (5) Foreign Affairs Offices (FAO) across the region for visa issues to ensure appointments are organised and communicated in good time, and any process changes are clearly communicated.
  • Ensure all official applications are received at the Consulate each day and that biometrics are taken on the next available day.
  • Send submitted applications to the British Embassy in Beijing for assessment and ensuring these are returned back to the Consulate for collection, where appropriate.
  • Liaise with Chengdu, Chongqing, and Kunming Visa Application Centres (VACs), colleagues across the Consulate, and with UKVI at the British Embassy in Beijing on visa related issues that may arise.
  • Personal drive and the ability to be a self-starter and working with minimum supervision, as well as being a team player.
  • Strong organisational, analytical, and time management skills, with very good attention to detail.
  • Excellent administrative skills.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a strong customer focus.
  • Fluent in English and Mandarin, both written and spoken.
  • Strong IT and MS Office skills.
  • Experience working in a customer service role an advantage.
19 March 2017
Administrative Assistant (AA)
Fixed Term, Full-time
35
Asia Pacific
China
Chongqing
British Consulate General
1
CNY
CNY 6,705
2 May 2017

We are an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce, and valuing difference.

We offer a competitive package, which includes basic salary, good leave entitlement, and insurance plan, etc. The gross starting salary (before all deductions) is CNY 6,705/ month for Chinese Nationals and an abated monthly salary of CNY 11,016/ month for British Nationals and spouses/ partners (all nationalities) of diplomats who are ‘W’ (diplomatic) visa holders and meet passport criteria.

We also offer excellent development opportunities and a 22-day annual leave entitlement in pro rata. Conditioned working hours is 35 hours/ week from Monday to Friday and flexible working can be arranged upon personal needs. For more details on our Total Rewards Package, please visit our website http://www.gov.uk/government/world/china.

Staff recruited locally by the British Consulate-General is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Chinese employment law.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted regarding the next phase of the selection process. To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer.

As the role requires English and Chinese language skills, the selection process will include language tests.

The successful candidate is expected to start by 02 May 2017 and must be available to attend a mandatory training course on Consular Services in London from 15-20 May 2017. There will also be some travel within China for consular cases and outreach visits.

A separate induction and training on UK visa processes will also be provided to the successful candidate.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.