View Vacancy - Community Liaison Officer (CLO)

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)
Community Liaison

The British Embassy in Doha is part of a worldwide network that represents political, economic, security and consular interests overseas and is now looking for a Community Liaison Officer (CLO), job grade Administrative Officer (AO).

The successful candidate will work closely with Post Management for the well-being of all staff at Post, with primary function as advocate for and provision of support to UK-based staff and families (FCO and PAGs) on family and community issues, principally in the areas of information gathering, welfare and communication. 

Duties and responsibilities:

  • Information gathering for UK-Based officers and their spouses/partners and families, and Country-based Staff on flexible deployment (including for those not yet at Post). To include (where applicable) information primarily on spouse/partner employment at Post; children's education (through completion of separate HR School and Nursery Information Sheets of authorised schools at Post); a comprehensive information pack on childcare at post, feedback on adult education; career and training opportunities; single officer and foreign born spouse/partner issues; recreational facilities; social matters; and completion of Diplomatic Service Families Association (DSFA) Spouse and Partner Annual Employment Report.
  • Welfare at Post: welcoming all staff on posting/temporary duty/flexible deployment and accompanying families to ensure as smooth an integration as possible into the life of the Post community; following up to check that the settling in process is working; being a source of referral and support where questions, problems and difficulties arise; providing short Post community induction. CLOs are not expected to be medically trained and have no medical responsibility.
  • Advocate for UK-based staff and families in addressing issues of importance with Post Management, including as their representative on Post Joint Management Boards, evacuation/contingency planning and housing committees, and as the chief link between Post and DSFA in London.
  • Communicating effectively on community and social matters across Post to all staff and receive notification of staff arrivals/departures. The CLO should participate in the Joint Management Board (JMB); Post Security Committee/ Evacuation and Contingency Planning; Post Amenity and Club Committee. The CLO should advertise details of DSFA career support services and courses to eligible UK-Based spouses/partners at Post. CLO is expected to establish some form of communication for staff and spouses/partners across Post, such as a WhatsApp group, in accordance with the FCO social media policy.
  • Information management of Post Welcome Pack, CLO homepage on Post’s Intranet/SharePoint site, input to update and review of Post Report and Fact Sheet; management of domestic equipment float. CLOs should be accessible and able to provide information in areas including pre-Posting information, spouse/partner employment at Post; child and adult education, childcare, recreation facilities and training opportunities.
  • Emergency Planning: the CLO must be aware of and involved in any Post contingency and evacuation plans. All CLOs should complete the Crisis Preparedness Management eLearning on GLO.

All the above tasks require the CLO to have strong links with senior management, relevant Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) departments and the DSFA’s London office.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required.

Key Behaviours:

  • Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
  • Managing a Quality Service - Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
  • Making Effective Decisions - Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
  • Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a strong and empathetic customer focus and the ability to respond to a range of customers’ needs. Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with stakeholders across all levels;
  • Exceptional planning, organisational skills and keen attention to detail. Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines without compromising the quality of the work.
  • Candidates should also have the ability to think logically/laterally and be able to display sound judgement and common sense;
  • Ability to hold sensitive and confidential information;
  • Fluency in English language (both written and spoken). Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
  • Very good level of IT skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams);
  • Previous experience in customer service/ customer-facing role.
  • Background or knowledge of UK Education System.
Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace
12 February 2023
Administrative Officer (AO)
Fixed Term, Part-Time
24
12 months
Middle East & North Africa
Qatar
Doha
British Embassy
1
QAR
8,031
2 April 2023

Eligibility:

Applicants must already reside in Qatar and hold the right to live and work there, including those either under spouse sponsorship or be able to transfer an existing sponsorship to the British Embassy. If sponsorship transfer is required, all sponsorship incurred fees shall be borne by the successful applicant. The Embassy cannot guarantee how much cost or time it may take for the process to complete. 

Working Hours and Remuneration:

The British Embassy offers a competitive remuneration package, including non-negotiable salary of QR 7,551 per calendar month and transportation allowance of QR 480 per calendar month, paid in arrears. No accommodation and relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.

This position is for a part-time employment, on a fixed-term basis for two (2) years, subject to three (3) months’ probationary period. This part-time role is based on 24 hours per week, and working pattern can be agreed at interview stage, which should cover the core working hours. Embassy working hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Sundays to Wednesdays and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

The Embassy supports flexible working including working from home for some part of the working week, and is committed to helping its staff maintain a healthy work life balance.

The Embassy has an active Continuous Professional Development Committee, and the whole of Post is committed to providing the time and resources for staff to develop professionally. The 70/20/10 learning and development model is applied flexibility, with both internal and formal opportunities readily available.

All CLOs should attend the CLO Course as soon as possible after completing probation to help them fully meet the demands of the job.

The successful candidate will need to commence security clearance procedures through the Embassy and will be required to have or obtain the appropriate security clearance before employment commences and maintain this throughout period of employment.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates must include 1) an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) 2) a covering letter/ motivation essay stating how you meet the requirements of the role; and 3) examples, in the relevant sections of the online application form, of how you meet the key behaviours and skills required. 

Applications that do not include this information will not be considered. 

Closing date of receiving applications is before 23:55 (Local Time) on 12 February 2023. 

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered. 

Process:

The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around two months.

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful at interview may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of six (6) months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security-vetting procedures.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo security-vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances, medical clearance and reference checks.

 

The British Embassy Doha is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of service according to local Qatari employment law.

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.