View Vacancy - VNM (HCMC) - Personal Assistant to HM Consul General, AO

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.
Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
Department for International Trade (DIT)

Main purpose of job:
     
To provide assistance and support to the UK Consul-General to Ho Chi Minh City and Director for UK Trade in Vietnam and oversee a portfolio of work relating to the operation of the UK Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. This is a hugely exciting time to join the UK in Vietnam network as the UK looks to further strengthen its bilateral relationship with Vietnam. The Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City leads on a wide range of UK activity, including commercial and political engagement and support for UK nationals.  


The relationship between the UK and Vietnam is growing across key areas including trade, education, and sustainability. Your role will be central to supporting seniors to ensure delivery of these ambitions. The ideal candidate will be a proactive self-starter, flexible and adaptable, and able to deliver at pace and in partnership with colleagues across the Mission.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:
     
As Personal Assistant to the UK Consul-General you will gain exposure to a wide portfolio of UK diplomatic and trade activity in Vietnam. You will lead on the Consul-General’s diary management and ensure effective prioritisation against Consulate priorities. You will liaise with key stakeholders to plan high-profile diplomatic and trade meetings. You will coordinate high-quality briefing material and programmes of activity for the Consul-General ahead of high-profile engagements. 


You will lead on pulling together programmes for visits to the Consulate, including for the UK Ambassador based in Hanoi. You will work closely with trade officers, as well as comms and events leads to ensure successful delivery of key Consulate activity. You will work closely with a range of teams to manage logistics and financial planning for key events. 


As finance lead for the Department for International Trade in Vietnam, you will be responsible for managing an annual budget of around £300,000. You will lead on ensuring comprehensive and accurate reporting to the regional financial team and hold team leads to account for their financial returns. You will ensure a close relationship with key stakeholders such as the British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam and you will manage the Trade enquiries mailbox to ensure questions are dealt with promptly.


You will also contribute to the corporate environment of the Consulate, working closely with teams in Ho Chi Minh City and the Embassy in Hanoi to deliver a range of corporate activity and ensure good communication between the two offices.

  • Fluent spoken and written Vietnamese and English 
  • Experience of diary management
  • Finance experience e.g. budget management
  • Organisation and time management skills 
  • Customer focus and attention to detail
  • Ability to work creatively without close supervision
  • Problem solving skills and the ability to deliver under pressure 
  • Good communications and networking skills

Language requirements: 

Language: English and Vietnamese

Level of language required: Fluent 

  • Experience of project management.
Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together
3 February 2023
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Permanent
39.5
Asia Pacific
Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
British Consulate General
1
VND
VND 28,144,748
3 April 2023

This position is being advertised as a full-time, permanent role in Ho Chi Minh City.

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to developing its staff, working hard to provide a comprehensive L&D offer. Staff have access to a wide variety of online resources through the Diplomatic Academy and Civil Service Learning. Staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of all the available opportunities.

The job-holder will be required to take some specific training courses related to their role. All new staff undertake a workplace induction and there are a number of mandatory e-learning courses covering areas such as diversity, health and safety, and information management.

Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff who are locally recruited by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. Visa sponsorship may be possible for non-Vietnamese nationals if meet local requirements.  

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.

Disabled and ethnic minority applicants will be invited to interviews if meeting the minimum requirement of the job.

Working patterns:

This is a full-time post with 39.5 of working hours per week. The Consulate would be willing to discuss flexible working options.

All applications must be received before 23:55 (Local Vietnam Time) on the day of the deadline indicated above.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen. 

All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the  next stage.
 
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’.  If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate”.

Please check the application centre regularly for any update on your application.

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.