View Vacancy - Consular Officer (Pro-Consul)

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 (Consular Roles)
Consular

The British Embassy in Doha has a vacancy for a Consular Officer (Pro-Consul), Grade A2 (L) position.

Objective:

The successful candidate will have the ability to deliver professional and efficient consular services to British nationals in Qatar.  The main purpose of this role is to ensure that British nationals receive a professional, high quality service.  The support provided must be accurate, timely and consistent.  It must be in line with FCO guidance and offered in a sensitive manner.

Types of assistance will include, but is not limited to: dealing with distressed British nationals who may have suffered a loss, been a victim of crime or who are in hospital/prison; providing notarial and documentary services and issuing emergency travel documents after due consideration; building and maintaining contacts with local authorities and in the community; taking an active role in consular prevention, communication and outreach activities. 

The successful candidate will need to be able to work independently with minimal supervision and make operational judgements in consultation with local senior officers and Consular Directorate.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Assistance (70%)

  • Provide accurate advice and assistance to Distressed British Nationals (DBNs) and their families in a sensitive manner, either face-to-face, by telephone or by email, on a range of issues including arrest, hospitalisation/death, missing persons, child custody issues, mental health and debt and employment issues;
  • Conduct visits to Police stations, Prisons and Hospitals in support of DBNs. 
  • Maintain accurate and concise Casebook records;
  • Possible out-of-hours requirement in emergencies.

Communications and Stakeholder Engagement (20%)

  • Take an active role in the prevention and communication work of the consular section, including planning campaigns, producing materials, delivering presentations and attending events;
  • Actively seek out and manage partnerships with local authorities and the wider community.

Counter and Notarial Services (5%)

  • Administer the CABS appointment system;
  • Provide a range of counter services including notarial and documentary work;
  • Taking customer fees and other financial requirements;
  • Dealing with customer correspondence and enquiries.

General (5%)

  • Take part in emergency planning and any response to a crisis affecting British nationals.
  • Carry out other reasonable ad-hoc duties in support of the consular function.

Key Competencies:

  • Managing a Quality Service  - Effectiveness in this area is about being organised to deliver service objectives and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements.
  • Making Effective Decisions - Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using sound judgment, evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice.
  • Collaborating and Partnering- It is about working collaboratively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions.
  • Delivering at Pace - Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes.

Essential:

  • A team player who is capable of working on their initiative and who is adaptable to changing priorities, must be able to work and act without close supervision;
  • Good interpersonal and active listening skills, with the ability to empathise;
  • Excellent customer care skills and the ability to respond to a range of customers needs
  • IT literate and well versed in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), accurate typing skills;
  • Excellent written and oral English is essential with an eye for detail.

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of Arabic desirable but not essential.
29 October 2017
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Permanent
38
Middle East & North Africa
Qatar
Doha
British Embassy
1
QAR
11,073
1 December 2017

Working hours and Remuneration:

The British Embassy offers a competitive remuneration package, including non-negotiable salary of QR11,073 per calendar month and transportation allowance of QR800 per calendar month; a leave entitlement of 25 working days rising to 30 working days; and access to training. 

No accommodation and relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.

Embassy working hours are 7.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. on Thursday.  This position is offered on a full-time basis and due, to the nature of the work, some flexibility on hours will be required. 

The successful candidate will need to commence security clearance procedures through the Embassy.

Travel to the UK and within the Gulf region (and possibly further afield) may be required for training and logistical purposes.

Consular work can sometimes be stressful, distressing and of a sensitive nature. The successful applicant will therefore be expected to demonstrate high levels of personal resilience and maintain absolute consular confidentiality and impartiality.

Eligibility:

Candidate must already reside in Qatar either under spouse sponsorship or be able to transfer existing sponsorship to the British Embassy.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates must attach the following documents when applying online:

  1. A covering letter.
  2. An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)

** (Your application must include examples of when you have demonstrated the competencies outlined above in the cover letter. Applications that do not include this information will be rejected). 

The closing date for applications will be 29 October 2017 by 23:55 Doha time.

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.

Due to the large amount of applications we receive only those shortlisted for assessment will be contacted.

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 is 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.