View Vacancy - Personal Assistant to Her Majesty’s Ambassador A2 (24/20 ADD) - Maternity Cover
Main purpose of job:
Working for Her Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA) to Ethiopia as her Personal Assistant is an interesting and varied role, with the opportunity to gain valuable experience of UK policy and also gain insight into the work of the British Government in Ethiopia and across Africa.
Supporting the Ambassador will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your excellent organisational and interpersonal skills. The working environment is face paced; flexibility and an ability to juggle competing priorities is key. The successful candidate will have excellent ICT skills, fluent English (both oral and written), and be able to work unsupervised; a proactive approach to work is essential.
The British Embassy employs around 280 Locally Engaged and UK Based officers. The jobholder will be expected to work closely with all members of the Mission, including colleagues from the different departments and the British Council, as well as external agencies. Teamwork is essential and you may be called upon to cover for other staff or help where required.
The successful candidate must be willing to undergo security clearance.
Roles and responsibilities:
Diary Management for Her Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA)
Organising meetings in accordance with HMA objectives and priorities
Maintaining an effective bring-forward system for diary papers
Organising visitor entry to the Embassy Compound
Liaison with HMA’s driver/ Protocol Officer/ Residence Manager
Contacts Management
Liaison with senior Ethiopian Government, AU and other officials to arrange meetings for HMA
Maintaining relationships with counterparts at other Embassies, Ethiopian Government and other relevant organisations to ensure HMA and the Embassy has relevant up to date contacts in those organisations
Maintaining and updating the Chancery contacts list, particularly for HMA contacts
Organising briefing for internal and external meetings and events; ensuring that HMA is well prepared
Active pursuit of briefing papers from Embassy colleagues
Collating briefing from different departments within the Embassy in an easy readable format.
Preparing documents
Managing correspondence on behalf of HMA
Handling internal and external telephone calls to HMA
Handling incoming and outgoing mail for HMA
Formatting and amending correspondence from other sections on behalf of HMA
Drafting Note Verbales and letters on behalf of HMA
Travel arrangements
Booking flights and accommodation on behalf of HMA
Arranging visit programmes for HMA’s trips within Ethiopia and overseas
Ensuring that HMA has valid visas, advances, and documentation for overseas visits
Liaising with Protocol Officer, Security Manager and relevant Embassy departments and to ensure procedures are followed
Ensuring that the Ambassador’s driver is well briefed for internal trips
General Admin
Typing, scanning, photocopying documents
Arranging video and telephone conferences
Taking minutes at Embassy meetings
Maintaining effective electronic and paper filing systems
Registering of documents on behalf of HMA
Cascading information on behalf of HMA to internal and external colleagues
Budget monitoring and forecasting
Management of HMA’s travel budget
Forecasting future expenditure on HMA’s yearly travel budget
Management of HMA’s Expenses
Miscellaneous
Working closely with Private Secretary to HMA and PA to Deputy Head of Mission to jointly provide Private Office cover
Acting as the key liaison point between the Ambassador’s Private Office and Residence; working with the Residence Manager and his team to ensure smooth running of meetings/events at the Ambassador’s Residence
Maintaining good relationships with contacts including Ethiopian Government officials, other Embassies, Partners Across Government etc
Involvement in organisation of high profile visits by VIPs/ Delegations
Involvement in organisation of key Embassy events including the Queen’s Birthday Party
Updating gifts register for any HMA gifts
Ordering stationery on behalf of HMA’s Private Office
Ad hoc requests from HMA and Private Secretary
Resources managed:
HMA’s travel budget and a Government Procurement Card
- PA Experience
Advanced ICT Skills, including PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Access and Outlook
Fluent English - oral and written
Fluent Amharic
Communication and organisational skills
Team player
Self motivated
Customer Focus
Language: English and Amharic
Working patterns:
Normal working hours are 08:00 - 16:45 Monday to Thursday and 8:00 – 13:00 on Fridays
The successful applicant will occasionally have to work extended hours to support the needs of the Ambassador.
Locally engaged staff of all grades will be entitled to paid annual leave as follows:
Up to 2 years 22 days
After 2 years services 25 days
After 5 years services 30 days
In addition to annual leave, the British Embassy observes up to a maximum number of 14 Ethiopian, British and Religious public holidays each year. A list of such Embassy holidays will be published each year. Office Staff required to work on these holidays will be granted time off in lieu or overtime where circumstances permit.
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 Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Ethiopia.
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 the fees for the permit
Make arrangements to relocate
Meet the costs to relocation
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
All applicants must be legally able to work in Ethiopia with the correct visa/status or work permit.
The British Embassy in Addis Ababa is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.
This opportunity is closed to applications.