View Vacancy - Private Office and Residence Assistant (ESP18.511)

The British Embassy in Madrid is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. We are seeking to recruit a Private Office and Residence Assistant to join the Private Office Team.

An exciting and rewarding place to work, the British Embassy develops and maintains relations between the UK and Spain across a full spectrum of interests. As the successful candidate, you will form part of the fast-paced teams in the Ambassador's Private Office and Residence, at the very heart of our Spain network. You will be expected to consistently provide high quality customer service to the Ambassador, as well as to internal and external contacts, and effectively support both the Residence and Private Office Managers. This is a varied role for a discreet, conscientious individual who can work quickly, effectively and flexibly, at times under pressure, with an impeccable eye for detail.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Administration support in the Private Office including, but not limited to, drafting and filing routine correspondence from the Ambassador, sourcing and booking hotels and travel tickets, processing expense claims and receipts, and other administrative tasks;
• Drafting and processing official correspondence with the Spanish authorities, such as the communication of VIP visits;
• Updating and maintaining a cross-team Outlook contacts database;
• Responsibility for the Private Office and Residence intranet pages;
• Providing support to the Private Office team, as directed by the Private Office Manager;
• Administrative work at the Ambassador's Residence including, but not limited to, submitting requests for maintenance work, processing of receipts, liaison with suppliers of goods to the Ambassador's residence, setting up new suppliers within the Embassy system, submitting Purchase Orders, and coordinating between suppliers and the Embassy accounts section to ensure the timely processing of payments;
• Residence events administration, such as preparation of guest lists, issuing of invitations to events and monitoring replies, preparation of protocol documentation for events, such as place cards, menus and programmes, and management of office stationary stocks;
• Providing practical support at events held at the Ambassador's residence, as directed by the Residence Manager;

• A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience;
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish;
• Secretarial/administrative studies and/or demonstrated experience in an administrative role;
• Basic level protocol studies and/or proven familiarisation with and understanding of protocol;
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail;
• Ability to work at pace, at times under pressure and adapt to changing priorities;
• Excellent prioritisation and time management skills;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate and work in a team;
• Strong IT skills, specifically with competence in the use of Microsoft Office programmes (Outlook, Excel, Word, Powerpoint) and the internet;
• Flexibility in working hours and availability to work outside of normal hours, if required;