View Vacancy - Citizenship Officer (82/19 CPT)

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)
Consular

Main purpose of job:

To support the South Africa consular team with the administration and delivery of citizenship ceremonies to residents of South Africa who apply for British nationality.


Roles and responsibilities:

As Citizenship Officer, you will be responsible for the administration of citizenship ceremonies – where South African residents have made a successful application for UK citizenship, and attend a citizenship ceremony as the final stage of the application. These are joyful occasions where applicants swear their oath to the United Kingdom, and celebrate their connection to the UK.

The UK High Commission (Pretoria) and Consulate General (Cape Town) perform a large amount of ceremonies per year in South Africa. The successful candidate will work closely with the South Africa consular team, Honorary Consuls and other government departments to deliver effective administration of citizenship ceremonies, as well as attending, and occasionally performing, ceremonies with the wider team.

The consular team are a busy, friendly team who provide assistance to UK Nationals in line with our public guide, Support for British Nationals Abroad. The successful jobholder will focus primarily on citizenship ceremonies, but will be expected to be an active part of the consular team, getting involved in wider activities (such as processing Emergency Travel Documents during busy periods) as required. This is a great opportunity for an effective, motivated administrator who wants to gain experience working in an international environment.

The specific tasks the jobholder will be required to undertake include:

  • Receiving, recording, sorting, organising and distributing documentation relating to applicants obtaining UK citizenship;
  • Liaising with residence staff to arrange the location and timing of ceremonies;
  • Liaising with the South Africa consular team and Honorary Consuls to confirm their availability for ceremonies;
  • Liaising with colleagues in other UK government departments relating to applicants obtaining UK citizenship.
  • Issuing invitations for the ceremonies, monitoring RSVPs and responding to telephone or email queries from customers;
  • Recording ceremonies performed and associated activity in MS excel and consular case management system.
  • Attending, and occasionally performing, ceremonies – potentially across locations in Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
  • Acting as backup for Cape Town Consular Assistant on Emergency Travel Documents; support the Cape Town consular team during busier periods.
  • Other administrative tasks as required.

Candidates should note that the UK citizenship application process is administered by UK Visas & Citizenship. Decisions regarding UK Nationality are not taken at the High Commission, as such, the successful applicant will have no role in assessing applications for citizenship.

We are administering more than 100 ceremonies per year. This generates a lot of paperwork - the successful candidate will need to have excellent administrative skills, managing the process at speed. A proven track record in an administrative role is essential.  The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate the following key skills and attributes:

  • Excellent all-round communication skills to respond to queries from customers with empathy and professionalism;
  • Excellent customer service skills; ability to respond to a range of customer needs and cultivate strong relationships with customers and stakeholders.
  • Calmness under pressure;
  • Ability to research and follow guidelines, and to plan and prioritise effectively;
  • Ability to work well with others - to build and maintain relationships with customers and stakeholders;
  • Strong IT, literacy and numeracy skills (a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook is essential.
  • Level of language required - Fluent English 
  • Knowledge of South African languages are an advantage but not an essential
18 December 2019
Administrative Assistant (AA)
Fixed Term, Part-Time
20
12 months
Africa
South Africa
Cape Town
British Consulate General
1
R 7,362.91
2 January 2020

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The successful candidate will be required to complete online training directly relevant to the role. They will have access to the full range of FCO online learning, the Diplomatic Academy. Mentoring will be available for a candidate wishing to develop their career.


Working patterns:   Monday – Friday:  0800-1200



We may be able to offer some flexibility with regards working hours for the right candidate, providing the overall number of hours worked (20) remain the same, and within core Consulate General hours 0800-1600. This job is not suitable for regular working from home. Occasional working from home may be permitted subject to the needs of the business, but this will be the exception rather than the rule.

  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Pretoria are subject to the Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in South Africa.

  • All applicants must be legally able to work in the country of application with the correct visa/status or 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.

  • Reference and security clearances checks will be conducted.

  • If you don’t already hold a valid SA Police Clearance Certificate, we recommend that you apply for the certificate at the time of your application.

  • Any questions you may have about this position will be answered during the interview, should you be invited.

  • 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

  • Complete the application form in full as the information provided will be used for screening purposes.

  • Check your application before you submit, as you will not be able to make any changes once submitted.

  • The British High Commission will never ask you to pay a fee or money to apply for a position.

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.