View Vacancy - Vice Consul B3 (18/19 NR)
Main purpose of job:
Delivering consular services and assistance to British Nationals in Kenya in line with the standards set out in our publication "Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide”
Roles and responsibilities:
Providing consular assistance to distressed British Nationals (BNs) across Kenya by leading on high profile/complex cases and providing support for team members on all other cases (40%):
- Leading on complex/high profile cases involving vulnerable British Nationals. Assistance work includes issues such as welfare (forced marriage and FGM), mental illness, rape/sexual assault, victims of serious crime (including the families of murder and manslaughter victims; please note this could require visiting mortuaries and other challenging environments); and cases with media/UK parliamentary interest.
- Supporting and advising consular assistants in Kenya and the wider region on complex assistance cases, alongside covering where necessary for the Vice Consul Somalia/South Sudan.
- Meeting consular business targets and ensuring team promptly record casework on our case management system and submit monthly statistical returns;
- Effective management of the consular section in Nairobi, in conjunction with Vice-Consul Somalia/South Sudan;
Supporting Consular Directorate’s Prevention objectives by building strong relationships and liaison with local authorities and organisations (30%):
- Active outreach to British Nationals and partner organisations around Kenya to establish further sources of assistance for British Nationals;
- Organise visits, seminars and events to engage stakeholders on key areas of policy;
- Identify and lobby authorities and the government;
- Creation and delivery of prevention and other communications campaigns;
Staff and resource management (10%):
- Management of Consular Assistant in Mombasa;
- Minimal procurement management;
Support Kenya crisis preparations (10%):
- Lead on (consular) elements of the Kenya crisis plan.
- Participation in the Kenya crisis team; organisation and participation in crisis exercises. Provide crisis training to consular volunteers in the CMP as appropriate;
- Work closely with Regional Crisis Advisor to ensure Kenya consular crisis preparedness is up to date and appropriate.
Regional and Corporate – (10%)
- Contribute to the wider British High Commission Nairobi as well as the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) consular region by supporting cross-mission activity, advising regional consular colleagues, and providing regional resilience in other SSA posts when required.
Resources managed:
1 x A2 Consular Assistant
- Excellent all-round communication skills to manage customer expectations and deliver difficult messages;
- Calmness under pressure;
- Ability to research and follow guidelines, and to plan and prioritise effectively;
- Experience working in a customer facing environment;
- Evidence of supporting and developing staff.
- Must have high levels of personal resilience to succeed.
This is a rewarding and often challenging role. You will be supported by your line manager, wider team, and colleagues in the BHC.
- Experience working in an international environment.
Learning and development opportunities:
Mandatory courses:
- Consular - Essential Assistance Work course (one week, completed in first three months in the job)
- All mandatory consular e-learning modules
- Crisis Training
Other opportunities:
- SAFE (Security Awareness in Fragile Environments) Training
- Attendance at sub-Saharan Africa consular conference (bi-annually)
- Attendance at training events designed for Sub-Saharan Africa consular staff (bi-annually)
- Opportunity to apply to join the Sub-Saharan Africa Rapid Deployment Team (for crisis responses across Africa and potentially more widely) and join the Sub Saharan Africa regional resilience network, which provides resilience to other consular posts across the Sub Saharan Africa Region
- Various subject-specific courses on consular-related issues (e.g., criminal kidnaps, mental health, child safeguarding etc)
- Various management training opportunities (e.g., line management, financial management etc)
Working patterns:
Full-time role: 0730-1530 Monday to Thursday and 0730-1230 Fridays
Leave:
Members of staff are entitled to paid annual leave, which is earned, from the day they commence employment. Entitlements are as follows:
Grades B3(L) 30 days
In addition to annual leave, the BHC normally observes no fewer than 9 and no more than 14 Kenyan and British public and religious holidays in a year. These vary from year to year and are at the discretion of the High Commissioner. A list of holidays is published each year.
Any other information :
The job will involve some travel to Mombasa to visit the Consular Assistant and Honorary Consul covering the coastal region and there are opportunities for regional travel across Africa as part of the Consular Regional Resilience Network.
Because of the unpredictable nature of consular work, additional hours will sometimes need to be worked. Where staff work beyond their conditioned hours, they are entitled to claim time off in Lieu (TOIL) or overtime, depending on the nature of the work and subject to approval.
- 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.
- Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Nairobi are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Kenya.
- It is essential that the applicants already have the right to live and work in Kenya without the need to apply for a work permit
- 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: Job grade AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
- Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
- Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of your application.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
