View Vacancy - Corporate Services Officer – CLO and Estates (BGR23.011)

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 (Operations and Corporate Services)
Estates

Main purpose of job:

The Corporate Services Team at the British Embassy in Sofia is looking to recruit a full time Corporate Services Officer responsible for Community Liaison and Estates (CLO) to join the team. The successful candidate will support the Corporate Services team in community liaison and estates matters. The CLO works closely with the Corporate Services Team and Senior Post Management to ensure the well-being of all staff at Post, with the primary function as advocate for all UK-based staff and families (across HMG) on family and community issues, principally in the areas of information gathering, welfare and communication.

The Corporate Services Officer – CLO and Estates will work closely with the Deputy Head of Corporate Services Team to assist with estates matters when needed. This will be related to assistance with acquisition and disposal of rented properties, liaison with different partners and contractors on estates matters, assistance on maintenance projects, visits and reports.

The Corporate Services Officer – CLO and Estates will be supporting the Corporate Services Team in organising events and gatherings, as per the Embassy’s business plan.

The candidate will proactively contribute towards the well-being and work of the whole team and will remain open to taking on new and different roles. They will be a great communicator, with influencing skills, demonstrating patience and empathy, able to listen to alternative perspectives and needs, responding sensitively and checking understanding where necessary. The person will be a good team player with good prioritisation and problem-solving skills, a person who thinks out-of-the-box and demonstrates a can-do attitude.

The person will be reporting to the Head of Corporate Services.  

Roles and responsibilities:

CLO (70%)

  • Information gathering for UK-based officers and their spouses/partners and families (including for those not yet in Sofia). This may include information on possibilities for spouse/partner employment in Bulgaria and completion of an annual Spouse and Partner Employment Report for FCDO; children's education (through completion of separate School and Nursery Information Sheets of authorised schools); feedback on career and training opportunities; advice on foreign-born spouse/partner issues; recreational facilities and social matters. Biannual completion of the Cost-of-Living report.
  • Welfare at Post: welcoming all staff on posting/temporary duty/maternity covers/interns and accompanying families to ensure as smooth an integration as possible into the life of the Embassy community; following up to check that staff and families are settling in; being a source of referral and support where questions or problems arise; providing new starters’ Induction Packs; updating the Post Welcome Pack and the Visitors’ Welcome pack; keeping up to date the private ambulance database; being the driving force and work with the various Embassy Committees to deliver wellbeing and social activities for all staff (UKB and CBS) and families such as Food fairs; Easter Tea party, Sports Day, Welcome Staff BBQ; Ambassador’s Quiz; Embassy Halloween Party; Kids Christmas Party; Embassy Staff Christmas Party, etc.
  •  Advocate for UK-based staff and families in addressing issues of importance with Post Management, including as their representative on the post housing committee, working with Corporate Services Team to identify appropriate accommodation, and as the chief link between the Embassy and the Diplomatic Staff Families’ Association in London. Supporting the UK-based staff and families with all medical matters – booking appointments, translating, accompanying to hospitals/clinics, assistance with acquiring medical consumables and medicaments. Maintaining close relationship with doctors, medical staff, pharmacies and other medical partners.
  • Covid 19 - Assisting the Embassy management team with Covid 19 matters - policies updates, contacts with government bodies, assisting with provision of vaccines, returns to London.
  • Communication and Information Management: Communicate effectively on community and social matters across Post to all staff and responsibility for information management; input to update and review of the Post Report, Post Fact Sheet and One HMG Induction Pack.

Estates duties (20%)

  • Working closely with the Deputy Head of Corporate Services Team to assist with acquiring and disposing of residential properties; communication with landlords, estate agents, removal companies and facility management companies, ensuring that the process meets all the standards and policies, while taking into account the individuals’ expectations.
  • Working closely with our maintenance company to bring up to H&S standards our properties.
  • Support the team on estates projects.

Operational duties (10%)

  • Assisting the team with procurement of items when necessary
  • Supervising external visitors and workers when necessary
  • Helping the team with ad hoc requests
  • Taking part in different Embassy committees
  • Follow corporate policies and best practice.

  • Excellent customer focus using problem solving and judgement skills to deliver results within set deadlines;
  • Good communication and influencing skills, ability to manage well both external and internal customer expectations and to develop and maintain contacts with internal and external stakeholders;
  • Strong time management skills - able to work to deadlines and targets, prioritise accordingly;
  • Positive, proactive and can-do attitude
  • Ability to work in a team in a fast moving target-driven environment;
  • Strong service delivery awareness, adaptability, flexibility, patience and empathy.
  • Excellent command of spoken and written English (C1) and Bulgarian (C1);
  • IT skills (MS Office - Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Excel);
  • Ability and willingness to drive.
Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
12 February 2023
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Permanent
36h/ week
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Bulgaria
Sofia
British Embassy
1
BGN
25438 BGN annual
15 March 2023

This a full-time and permanent position of 36 hours per week (net of lunch breaks). 

The successful candidate will receive a monthly salary of BGN 1956.77 (gross), (non-negotiable, payable 13th times per year).

The job holder will be entitled to 25 days annual leave. The successful candidate will be provided a mobile phone with unlimited data and calls. 

We offer free parking space in City Center.

This position has limited possibility for working from home.

Core skills training and mandatory trainings will be provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. All staff have a personal development plan and access to world class learning and development opportunities. 

The successful candidate will be subject to confirmation of a background and security clearance. Anyone with right of residence and employment in Bulgaria may apply, including all EU/EEA citizens and the family members of EU/EEA nationals exercising a treaty right in Bulgaria.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to terms and conditions service according to Bulgarian employment law.

Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Bulgaria and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Please be advised that the FCDO will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment  levels  please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.

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.