View Vacancy - Consular and Community Liaison Officer A2 (04/19 LUA)

Main purpose of job:

The British Consulate provides consular advice and services to British citizens visiting Angola and São Tomé e Principe. The consular team is part of the wider Sub-Saharan Africa consular region. Our customers rightly expect high levels of service and we aim to deliver.  Consular work is very rewarding – you have the chance to make a direct difference to someone’s life, often in very challenging situations.  The successful candidate will be working often under pressure and sometimes dealing with extremely sensitive cases.

The main purpose of this role is to actively support the other members of consular team i.e. Vice Consul and Consul to provide modern and efficient consular assistance and fee-bearing services to British Nationals in Angola and San Tome e Principe.  Predominantly customer-facing, this role may include dealing with people in hospital, victims of crime, distressed British nationals, and general administrative duties when required. Data collection and analysis as part of Prevention campaigns, social media communications, communicating with British and Angolan & San Tome e Principe authorities. Use of computer applications to produce Emergency Travel Documents, accuracy and compliance with guidance needed.

You will also work closely with Post Management in Luanda for the well-being of all staff at Post, with the primary function as advocate for and provision of support to UK-based and expatriate staff and families (of Government Departments) on family and community issues, principally in the areas of information gathering, welfare and communication

Roles and responsibilities:

1.       Consular (50%)

Consular Assistance and Prevention

• Handling correspondence, telephone enquiries, and counter enquiries and services
• Accepting Emergency Travel Document (ETD) applications and producing the ETD
• Maintaining information packs e.g. Prisoner pack, Bereavement information
• Performing other administrative duties as required (e.g. processing lost/stolen/recovered passports and coroner’s requests)
• Collecting and analysing data for use in Prevention campaigns
• Creating and publishing messages on social media (for example in relation with prevention campaigns)

Administrative Support

• Opening, sifting and logging all incoming correspondence daily, and answering general enquiries by phone
• Updating/ maintaining lists of local providers such as lawyers, translators, hospitals, funeral directors and notary publics
• Performing other administrative duties as required (e.g. processing lost/stolen/recovered passports and UK driving licences; dealing with lost property; preparing Prisoner Packs; front desk documents and templates, filing and weeding- Consular archive)
• Back up for producing local management information through the collection of statistical data to strict deadlines
• Managing online appointments booking system
• Working as Counter Cashier, accepting fees initiating various types of Consular services.  

Notarial work

• Notarising documents for UK nationals
• Taking fees for services and recording daily fee takings   

Crisis management

• Taking part in Post crisis preparedness activity
• Assisting in Post preparation and response to large-scale events
• Responding to mass casualty incidents or crises if deployed
• Participate in local and regional crisis training and events, keeping awareness on crises up to date 
• Regional Resilience Support in crisis (voluntarily)

2.       Community Liaison (50%)

Networking and sharing information

• Proactively and reactively gather information for UK-based and expatriate officers and families on
•  Spouse/partner employment in Angola, including at friendly diplomatic missions
• Children’s education and childcare
• Medical, dental, vet facilities
• Recreational and social matters
• Shops and restaurants;Sports and leisure
• Cars and taxis
• Banking and money changing
• Co-ordinate with other CLOs at other embassies in Luanda, and with community groups such as the Commonwealth Club (formerly Luanda British Women), particularly on joint events
• Chief link between Embassy and Diplomatic Services Families Association in London

Supporting UK staff and families

• Welcome new UK staff and families, before during and after arrival.  Ensure as smooth an integration as possible into the life of the diplomatic community: following up to check the settling in process is working; being a source of referral and support where questions, problems and difficulties arise throughout the posting.  Conduct orientation.  Shopping trips
• Involve new families and residents in embassy crisis and resilience procedures
• Administer orders of diplomatic supplies from South Africa, alongside residence supplies
• Manage domestic equipment float(welcome kit)
• Prompt completion of periodic reports:

           o   Annual DSFA (Diplomatic Service Families Association) Spouse and Partner Employment Report;

           o   6-monthly cost of living survey;

           o   Annual updates to Post Report and Fact Sheet;

           o   Annual to Post Induction Pack (owned by HR manager).

• Member of the Angola Board, and Post Housing Committee to represent UK staff and families
• Ensure fair and equitable use of embassy facilities: pool, gym, duty driver.  Resolve amicably any disagreements between family members
• The jobholder will be required to attend Consular and Community Liaison training in London once they have passed probation

• Fluent English and Portuguese
• Excellent interpersonal skills