View Vacancy - Vice-Consul / Consular Manager (DEU22.395)
The British Consulate-General Dusseldorf is part of a worldwide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. We are seeking a dynamic and customer-oriented Consular Manager (Vice Consul) to lead and deliver first class customer service, through the provision of consular assistance and services to resident and visiting British nationals in Germany.
The successful applicant will be working together with the Vice-Consul in Berlin to form a dual-leadership and manage day to day consular operations across Germany, build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders and agencies and deliver a targeted prevention programme to advise and inform on our wider consular priorities. The role will involve interaction with members of the public, local, regional and UK authorities as well as being a fully engaged member of the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) consular sub-region and wider EuroAsia Network, contributing to the delivery of the country/regional business plan, the wider corporate goals of the Germany Network (British Embassy & Consulates-General) and the delivery of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO’s) Consular Strategy. As a Head of Section, the role will also require collaboration across departments, including engagement with senior management on a regular basis. The Vice-Consul will report to, and be managed by, the Consular Regional Operations Manager (CROM) based in Munich.
You will join a supportive, diverse team with a culture of continuous improvement and taking responsibility for personal learning and development. We work as one team across Germany, and value a diverse range of skills and backgrounds. Consular Assistance is a challenging and very rewarding job. Our work is constantly evolving providing us with exciting opportunities. We look forward to working with someone who would like to further shape the future with us.
Roles and responsibilities:
- Management and development of the consular team in Germany, providing effective leadership, support and guidance. Line management responsibility for consular staff in Dusseldorf and Munich (remotely);
- To improve processes to deliver a more efficient service, manage a budget, and provide a range of fee bearing services. Make recommendations to senior management for innovative ways to deliver professional and targeted consular service to residents and visitors in Germany;
- Leading on complex/high profile cases involving vulnerable British Nationals and overseeing and provide guidance to the consular team, including Honorary Consuls, in accordance with our guidance and policies;
- Support British nationals and their families, for example in case of bereavement ; providing assistance to destitute British people; supporting victims of crime and people who have been hospitalised; as well as assisting victims of rape & sexual assault, domestic violence, prisoners and people with mental health needs. Please note this could require visits in challenging environments; and some cases will have media/parliamentary interest;
- Develop and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with all external stakeholders in Germany to support the delivery of day-to-day consular assistance and crisis response; monitor trends in casework to identify outreach priorities and lead on all outreach and prevention initiatives;
- Plan and deliver consular prevention initiatives and communication campaigns, engaging with the Embassy’s communication team and feeding consular messages through Embassy social media channels where appropriate;
- Managing Consular Services such as issuing Emergency Travel Documents to British Nationals and officiating Citizenship Ceremonies for new British Nationals. Provide notarial and documentary services in Germany;
- Lead on Consular aspects of the whole of mission response to a crisis or incident in Germany, such as crisis preparedness activities including liaising with authorities and updating the Crisis Management Plan with the Regional Crisis Advisor and Consular Regional Operations Manager. Work closely with colleagues across our three posts;
- Provide resilience and support with case handling to colleagues in the DACH and EuroAsia Consular region; providing remote cover for other posts on an ad hoc basis, and possibly deploying to provide physical services if agreed with the Consular Regional Operations Manager;
- This position will require travel meeting key stakeholders and consular customers throughout the year;
- Provide out of hours assistance to emergency consular cases as appropriate;
- Any other duties that may reasonably be required in support of the wider work of the Consulate-General, including crisis work.
Resources managed (staff and expenditure):
- Line management of 3 Consular Officers 1 staff member in Dusseldorf, 2 remotely in Munich. Support the management of 7 Honorary Consuls;
- Joint management of local consular budget for travel and prevention activity.
- Proficiency in English and German (both written and spoken, minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework);
- 3+ years of relevant work experience (to include working with the public and staff management skills);
- A strong team player with previous line management experience;
- Excellent communication skills; both written and oral, including the ability to communicate at all levels;
- Proactive, adaptable and the ability to work across small teams;
- Initiative, drive & determination with superior problem solving skills, sound judgement, common sense and the ability to remain calm under pressure. Experience dealing with distressed individuals;
- Proven ability to prioritise, effectively manage and execute multiple tasks;
- Proven ability to demonstrate initiative and self-motivation;
- Proficiency in MS Office 365 Applications.
- Experience managing a remote team;
- A good knowledge of multi-cultural Britain, its language, geography and setup of local authorities.
This is a full-time fixed-term position for a contract period of two years with possibility of renewal. The gross yearly salary is €61,080 gross per annum rising to €68,611 gross per annum after a qualifying period in addition to performance related pay. (Salary is not negotiable)
The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance. The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation in Germany in order to apply.
Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.
Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Germany and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.
Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):
Our Learning & Development environment:
The British Consulate-General and Germany Network has a strong ethos of Learning & Development, including our Learning & Development fortnight. In addition, there will be opportunities to attend mandatory training courses. This is in addition to the induction programme offered to all staff.
The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the British Consulate, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting the British Consulate’s positive working environment.
Mandatory courses:
- Consular Fundamentals in Action (FIA)
- Essential Assistance work (EAW)
- Consular – Developing Consular Experience (DCE)
There will also be an opportunity for job shadowing at another post and participate in a familiarisation visit to London. The role brings the opportunity to acquire knowledge of consular policy and practice.
Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”. We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
Please be advised that the British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.
* Please note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C2 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
