View Vacancy - Personal Assistant to Her Majesty’s Ambassador (British Embassy Caracas)

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 (Policy & Political roles)
Economic and Prosperity

Main purpose of job:

This position will have a 6 month trial period and then another 12 month trial period. After the 12 months the offer can be renewed to a permanent role.

The Personal Assistant to Her Majesty’s Ambassador (PA/HMA) runs the Private Office of HMA/Chargé Caracas, through strategic oversight of HMA’s priorities, speechwriting for HMA/Chargé, communications with HMA, error-free diary management for HMA/Chargé, daily logistics, travel & entertainment budget and chairs the Queen’s Birthday Party committee. The PA/HMA is to go beyond passive diary keeping and proactively manage HMA’s time, anticipating needs and assuring quality-control of briefings and papers.


Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

• Strategic oversight of HMA/Chargé’s priorities. PA/HMA is a Private Secretary role for HMA as is typical for senior officials in the UK Government System (similar to an aide). The role of Private Office is keeping track of medium and long-term priorities (external and internal). This means that HMA will rely on PA/HMA to monitor the overall balance of priorities relative to the use of her time and engagement with senior stakeholders. HMA will also delegate communications and follow-up actions to PA/HMA.  

• PA/HMA shall maintain an overview of different team priorities within the Embassy.  PA/HMA will often accompany HMA to external events and join meetings. This means that HMA will rely on PA/HMA to monitor the overall balance of priorities relative to the use of PA/HMA time and engagement with senior stakeholders. HMA will also delegate communications and follow-up actions to PA/HMA.  

• HMA/Chargé's agenda managed timely, flexibly and in a fit-for-purpose manner, ensuring clear communications with HMA/Chargé, clients, and event’s organizers. Securing 100% accuracy in diary and strategic oversight of priorities, including weekly, monthly and quarterly forward looks. Proactive monitoring on events, involving and consulting HMA from early planning stages.

• HMA's budgetary processes accurately: following up actions; having a monthly update to adjustments and budget estimates. Assigning budget fund and monitoring expenditures made by Political Section and coordinating with the Residence Manager on amounts and date the invoices are processed. 

• Effective delivery of Spanish Language training and exams to UK-based staff.

• Chairing the Queen’s Birthday Party committee and other Residence events.

• Management of the Post Gifts, Advantages and Hospitality Register

Essential on arrival: 

- Excellent English and Spanish writing and speaking, solid communication skills and ability to work in a team.

- Proactive and ability to learn quickly from feedback and handover documents.

- Attention to details and capacity to deliver under pressure.

- Good knowledge of MS Office software. 

- Capacity to manage competing priorities from multiple stakeholders. 


Desirable: 

- Previous experience working for senior officials (private or public sector). 

- Understanding of political and diplomatic issues in Venezuela.


15 June 2021
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
35.25
Latin America and Spanish speaking Caribbean
Venezuela
Caracas
British Embassy
1
23 August 2021
The successful candidate must be eligible to work and live in Venezuela. Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, eg some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.
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.