View Vacancy - Accommodation Officer

Main purpose of job: 

As part of a 5 person team led by the Estates Manager to source and furnish good-quality residential accommodation for UK staff posted to Mexico, in line with agreed budgetary, security, family, health & safety and other Estates requirements, as set out in more detail below and in line with the Corporate Services Team’s (CST) goal to provide a first-class service in support of Embassy staff, their Sections and the Embassy’s wider objectives under the Country Business Plan.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

Under the supervision of the Estates Manager, deliver on the following roles and responsibilities of the job in line with the Corporate Services Charter:

Residential and Office Accommodation

• In close co-operation with the Community Liaison Officer (CLO), conduct pre-arrival communications with newly-posted UK-based staff in order to gather information about individual and family circumstances for helping to understand their accommodation and furniture requirements;
• On the instruction of the Post Housing Committee (PHC), identify suitable accommodation for incoming UK staff, taking into account rent ceilings, family circumstances and Health & Safety requirements, and liaise with the Post Security Manager on security issues.
• Initiate negotiations with Owner/Landlords on lease contracts, ensuring satisfactory terms and inclusion of diplomatic clauses, and with the aim to achieve value for money;
• Liaise with incoming UK staff on available choices of furniture and fittings, in line with Post’s Furniture Policy. Place value-for-money orders locally or from elsewhere (US/UK) - including for white goods, and arrange repairs - ensuring strict adherence to UK standards for fire retardation;
• Co-ordinate with UKB staff and their spouses/partners on supplier and contractor visits for first Arrivals and Departures (March in/out process);
• Assess demand and arrange for value-for-money repairs and sourcing of new office furniture and fittings, as required. 

Property Management

• Liaise with Owner/Landlords and agents and manage ongoing office (Capital Reforma, Torre del Angel), residential property leases in Mexico, including for subordinate Posts where relevant, e.g. offices in Cancun and Guadalajara;
• Manage the warehouse lease, with a view to reducing Embassy storage costs to an acceptable minimum through, e.g. lease negotiation based on a forecast of furniture storage demands and by arranging the auction of surplus and disposal of irreparable items.

Core Pyramid user

• Lead on maintaining the property inventory on Pyramid;
• Monitor property rental data;
• Lead on Government Art Collection (GAC) inventory, location of individual artworks, overall holdings and rotation of stock in close liaison with stakeholders at Post (e.g. HMA) and in UK (GAC).   Packaging and freighting, as required.  

Other

• Maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of all Embassy office, residential and warehouse furniture and fittings;
• Prism P2P: raise Purchase Orders, Requisitioner/Receiver;
• Under the supervision of the Estates Manager, effective management and accurate monthly forecasting of Post rental and furniture budgets, ensuring payments are processed correctly in OBIEE, following FCO financial and procurement guidelines;
• As required, leave cover for Estates-related CLO duties, especially in respect of UKB staff Arrivals/Departures;
• Any other Estates, CST or Corporate activities required by the Estates Manager, CSM or HCS.

Corporate

All employees in the Embassy are expected, as part of their job, to contribute towards the Corporate activities of the organisation, including in times of crisis

• 3+ years experience in an administrative or clerical position;
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrable ability to work as part of a multifunctional team;
• Ability to prioritise (urgent/important) under pressure to tight deadlines;
• Good numerical skills for analysing and reporting on expenses and budgets