View Vacancy - Dubai - Vice Consul B3(L)

The British Embassy Dubai has a vacancy for a Vice Consul, Grade B3(L).

The successful candidate will ensure that British nationals in Dubai and Northern Emirates receive a professional service that is effective, timely, consistent, and in line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidance.  They will be required to provide direct advice and support to distressed British nationals including leading on certain high level and sensitive assistance cases.

The job holder will be responsible for the local delivery of the Consular Regional Business Plan and global consular initiatives as well as the consular elements of the Country Business Plan. Reporting to the UAE Operations Manager based in Dubai, they will be required to lead, motivate, and encourage a team of 6 x Pro Consuls and 1 x Consular Assistant to participate in global and regional consular activities and proactively deliver consular prevention and outreach work. The job holder will need to be a self-starter and highly motivated, with excellent interpersonal skills.

In response to a local or regional crisis, the job holder will also play a key role in managerial responsibility for the Section’s response and deployment.

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. 

Main duties and responsibilities:

– Lead, motivate, and develop the Consular Team, with direct line management of three Pro Consuls.

• Manage the Team’s provision of Consular Assistance to distressed British nationals, including providing guidance and support in difficult cases such as: detainees, including visiting police stations and prisons; hospitalisations; dealing with bereaved families; child custody issues; other sensitive cases such as rape, child abduction, forced marriage; notarial and documentary services.
• Ownership of formal response to public correspondence. Ownership of returns and forms that are required by FCO London.
• Identify areas of potential high level interest and brief seniors and others accordingly. Prepare written briefing and updates on cases and issues.
• Monitor changes in local procedures and practices and ensure that our information and guidance for British nationals reflects any changes and is up to date.
• Monitor changes in consular processes and FCO corporate issues and keeping team updated.
• Manage emergency travel document (ETD) processing and notarial/ legalisation operations, ensuring consistent customer service to British nationals.
• Key role in Post Emergency response to crises including planning, exercising, and any response to a crisis affecting UK citizens.
• Participate in formulating Embassy management policies. Represent the Consular section at Embassy and corporate events.
• Identify training and developmental opportunities. Manage section cover and other operational issues.
• Be prepared to work out of hours and occasionally anti-social hours, as required.

– Prevention Communications & Outreach - Proactively plan and deliver high quality UAE prevention and outreach projects in support of the Consular Strategy, working closely with the Dubai Press/ Communications Team.

– Regional - Travel to the UK and within the MENASA region (and possibly further afield) will be required for training and logistical purposes.

Key competencies required:

• Leading and communicating – Leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction, and enthusiasm, and managing and engaging with people with honesty and integrity.
• Making effective decisions – Using sound judgement, evidence, and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice. Showing clarity of thought, setting priorities, analysing, and using evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well reasoned justifiable decisions.
• Managing a quality service – Being organised to deliver service objectives and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements. It involves effective planning, organising, and managing time and activities to deliver a high quality and efficient service, applying programme and project management approaches to support service delivery.
• Delivering at pace - It means focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes. It is working to agreed goals and activities and dealing with challenges in a responsive and constructive way.

• Adaptable to changing priorities. Must be able to work and act without close supervision.
• Experience of managing a team.
• Good interpersonal skills and an ability to cultivate and maintain a range of contacts at all levels.
• Experience of working strategically and of project development and management.
• Ability to bring a flexible and creative approach to your work. 
• Ability to talk to large groups of people as part of our Prevention and Communication work.
• Excellent customer care skills and the ability to respond to a range of customers needs.
• Excellent oral and written English language skills