View Vacancy - UKVI Country Manager - B3 - Colombo

Length of the contract: 2 Years

Main purpose of job:

This role is a key management position for UKVI in South Asia. UKVI receives approximately 21,000 visa applications from Sri Lanka each year. These applications are handled and assessed by UKVI in Chennai and Sheffield. The Country Manager role is designed to support UKVI case working operations and ensure that all UKVI’s customer service and border security objectives are delivered in Sri Lanka. 

Each visa application is processed in accordance with the Immigration Rules, government policy and UKVI’s customer service targets. To support this activity in Sri Lanka the Country Manager will be responsible for delivering UKVI’s collaborative relationships with:

• VFS-Global in Colombo to ensure all Visa Application Centre activity fully accords with UKVI’s customer service standards and UKVI’s SLA with VFS-Global.
• FCO and PAGs at the BHC Colombo to ensure UKVI’s role in HMG’s Prosperity and Security agendas is fully embedded in the work of the mission.
• British Council – to ensure the UK attracts the brightest and best students whilst simultaneously tackling abuse of the UK’s education routes.
• Day to day liaison with UKVI in Chennai and Sheffield and oversight of some aspects of visa processing.
• Outreach work: public speaking and presentations about the role of UKVI in Sri Lanka with particular emphasis on Education, Business and Tourism, in collaboration with Education and Stakeholder managers from UKVI India
• IEI liaison to ensure intelligence about threats to the visa system are exchanged between UKVI and IEI
• Customers: document verification and customer interviewing, including making enquires with third parties such as employers, banks and other organisations, to help ensure the veracity of information provided by visa applicants.

This is a highly pressured B3 role that sets significant demands upon the post holder. The post holder will require demonstrable strengths in:

• Administration and process management
• Establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships internally and externally
• Researching, probing and testing information to establish its accuracy and veracity in a professional and customer service orientated manner
• personal ability to deliver under significant operational pressure and to multi-task completing, demanding and resource intensive activities without day-to-day line management support
• line management for one team member

You will need a clear vision of the purpose of this role and a close eye for detail.  Your skill in managing both strategically and in detail will be core to your success. UKVI has an ethos of continuous improvement and you will play an important part in improving UKVI’s procedures. This is a high volume, fast moving environment that requires a particularly strong skills and experience set.

Roles and Responsibilities

• To deliver enrichment activity in Sri Lanka by undertaking enrichment checks and interviews within agreed timescales and customer service standards. Ensuring reports are clear, accurate and timely, highlighting risks and emerging trends. To analyse verification results to better focus UKVI’s enrichment work on the highest risk applicants.

• To manage the relationship with VFS in Sri Lanka by acting as a gateway between VFS and UKVI to support efficient and effective visa processing in Chennai and Sheffield.

• To liaise with UKVI in Chennai and Sheffield and oversee aspects of visa processing for Sri Lankan applications.

• To manage the relationship within BHC Colombo by acting as a gateway between FCO, PAGs and UKVI to deliver a streamlined relationship whereby all parties support each other’s objectives within available resources.

• To liaise with the UKVI Education Account Manager and the British Council to promote UKVI’s Prosperity & Security priorities by delivering student outreach activities and acting as a gateway to UKVI for the British Council for priority enquiries.

• To manage the relationship with VFS-Global in Sri Lanka to ensure that the Visa Application Centre meets UKVI’s customer service and Service Level Agreement standards.

• To plan and deliver UKVI’s corporate outreach to external stakeholders to promote good customer service and border security.

• To undertake VAC and SELTs inspections in Sri Lanka.

Learning and development opportunities 

Both FCO and UKVI offer a comprehensive development programme based upon business need and individual staff requirements. Development opportunities will be discussed with the successful applicant.  Travel to Chennai and possibly New Delhi will be required.

We are in our peak season when operational demands are at their highest. The post holder will therefore require the following essential experience to make an immediate impact and ensure business continuity:

• Education: Degree level
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience would be preferred
• Current and proven ability to self-manage complex and competing operational demands without day-to-day supervision.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Sinhalese and Tamil – with the ability to identify misrepresentations (documentary and verbal) and handle challenging conversations with internal and external stakeholders.
• A proven track record of successful personal delivery in a high volume, customer orientated, fast moving and pressured working environment.
• A proven ability to establish and develop collaborative relationships.
• A proven track record of changing & improving; in particular with regard to internal-assurance and compliance checking.
• An ability to handle large volumes of data with accuracy & confidence.
• A thorough knowledge of MS Office applications – in particular Excel.