View Vacancy - Executive Secretary to Her Majesty's Ambassador (SVK18.778)

The British Embassy in Bratislava is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is looking for an Executive Secretary to Her Majesty's Ambassador (B3).

This role will provide executive support to the Ambassador by managing their diary, coordinating programmes with the Residence team and driver as well as drafting briefings and programmes for visits and meetings. You will act as a gatekeeper for appointments as well as build good contacts with the relevant and multiple internal and external partners. The role is vital to smooth operations of the Embassy including the effective use of the Ambassadors time and communication with all staff in the Embassy team.

Roles and Responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the position are as follows, although the jobholder may at times be required to take on other tasks and roles as required:

• Managing the Ambassador’s diary with minimal supervision, by proactively arranging meetings and appointments, and making travel arrangements;

• Commissioning and drafting briefings for the Ambassador for meetings, taking ownership of delivery and working with sections across the Embassy to collate, as well as drafting independently;

• Providing strategic advice on diary priorities for the Ambassador, establishing and maintaining effective relationships with a wide range of contacts in key offices across the public and private sectors, and using those relationships to make proactive policy recommendations on who to meet, and to secure timely meetings;

• Drafting complex visits programmes, working with all sections of the embassy to proactively recommend Ambassadorial engagement;

• Managing embassy contacts, being confident engaging very senior interlocutors, and maintaining a contacts database and a log of engagement to prioritise embassy engagements;

• Drafting correspondence for the Ambassador autonomously;

• Managing the Ambassador’s driver, the three person Residence team and events at the Residence;  
  

• Providing ad-hoc support to the wider embassy, as required, including translation;

• Requisitioning and receiving expenses on Prism (our management information programme) for the Ambassador;

• Providing the secretariat for the Post Management Committee, scheduling meetings, drafting the agenda and taking the note.

• Strong experience in a similar role, including managing a complex diary and managing a team, and an strong decision making skills;

• Ability to develop and maintain contacts in both the public and private sectors, including at very senior levels, and an ability to engage / influence effectively;

• Positive, proactive attitude and ability to work both independently and in a team, and to create professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people both internally and externally;

• Excellent communication skills both written and oral to a wide range of stakeholders at all levels – including confidence when engaging with senior interlocutors and an ability to communicate with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm;

• Flexibility, resilience, patience, a strong team-player, and the ability to deal with difficult situations with a level of discretion and responsibility;

• Willingness to undertake a variety of tasks, excellent organisational skills, self motivated and proactive;

•  Excellent command of both written and oral English and Slovak;

•  Strong IT skills, particularly Outlook, Word and Excel, and databases.