View Vacancy - Corporate Services Officer (CSO)

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 (Operations and Corporate Services)
Finance

Main purpose of job:

The Corporate Services Officer (CSO) is responsible for overseeing the running of all of the Corporate Services within the British Embassy, in line with FCO policy and guidelines. This is to ensure that all Embassy departments are able to deliver their work efficiently and effectively at all times, and deliver value for money for the British Government. The CSO is also a key liaison officer with many essential external CS contacts.

Roles and responsibilities:

This is one of the most senior jobs in the British Embassy in Havana and is at the heart of operations. Corporate Services refers to all the internal management and support services that are critical to the running of the British Embassy and its departments. The CSO will oversee the range of services and will lead on some work streams.    It has significant leadership, budget and staff management responsibility. The CSO reports to the Deputy Head of Mission.

The CSO will have to become familiar with rules of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for CS activity, including audit rules and requirements. S/he will be responsibile for advocacy and capacity building across the Embassy to ensure everyone knows where to get guidance and which rules they need to be familiar with.

Financial Management. The CSO will have principal oversight of the Embassy budget to ensure it is properly planned, implemented and monitored. This requires working closely with other budget holders who have specific responsibility for parts of the budget to ensure they are planning and spending in line with plans and FCO rules, and are updating the CSO when plans change. The Embassy budget works with four currencies, so the CSO has to have good numerical skills. The CSO will champion the FCO policy to reduce cash payments, via more secure options such as credit cards. S/he will also authorise payments, check a number of imprest accounts on a monthly basis and review financial reports on the Residence.

The CSO works closely with the Accountant to update all budget information regularly for our Finance Hub (Mexico) and ultimately to headquarters in London. Financial decisions are approved by the Post Management Committee (PMC). The CSO will be responsible for preparing budget analysis and recommendations to the PMC on a timely basis. The CSO is also directly responsible for a number of budgets such as travel and freight and will cover for other budget holders from time to time.

Procurement

The CSO will be a key advocate for all staff to follow FCO policy and procedures and therefore will be the in-house expert on those. This includes reducing procurement by cash and ensuring colleagues know when to use tenders and contracts, and when to involve Procurement experts to achieve best value for money for the British Government. The CSO will oversee all procurement by the CST.

As well as Embassy audit and procurement rules, the CSO will have to understand local procedures for import and export of diplomatic and commercial consignments so that the Embassy does not have any delays with such procedures.

Human Resources Management

The CSO will have to know the FCO policies and principles as well as the local context for HRM. S/he will have an important liaison role with PALCO, and with the FCO’s HR Hub that is based in Mexico and an important source for guidance and quality management. The CSO will be responsible for maintaining the local handbook that describes the Conditions of Service for Embassy staff and will make recommendations to the DHM if amendments are needed, consulting with colleagues at times. The CSO will support recruitment exercises to fill any vacancies, and ensure all Embassy staff are familiar with performance management processes and their own responsibilities as job holders and line managers.

The CSO will lead when there is a change of UK officer, ensuring the CS Team manage all aspects of arrivals and departures efficiently and to a high standard.

Overall the CSO will support the Embassy to maintain a culture of engagement, well being, ethics and integrity and respect, with zero tolerance for bullying, harassment or discrimination

Learning and Development

The CSO will be a strong advocate for L&D within the Embassy and will be a member of the L&D committee. There will be an element of leading by example and demonstrating continuous improvement within the CS Team.

Asset Management

The CS Team is responsible for managing all Embassy properties (offices and staff houses, including the historic building that is the Ambassador’s Residence) and stores (furniture, stationery, vehicles, maintenance equipment and spares, fuel etc). The CS manages the contracts for properties, utilities and freight. S/he will ensure the CS Team monitor spending on utilities, maintain up to date inventories (on specific databases), have regular spot checks and there is a planned replacement programme.

The CSO will become familiar with UK health and safety policy and standards and ensure these are factored into Embassy plans and budgets and through the Embassy maintenance team.

Crisis and Logistics

Everyone in the Embassy is involved in time of crisis, e.g. hurricane. The CSO is the designated Logistics Manager, so will work with other officers to ensure a high quality and timely service for operations in Havana or wherever the Embassy needs to be on the island. This will include arrangements for colleagues who may be flying in to assist.

Back up/deputy responsibilities

The CSO may be asked to cover the CS Manager role of the DHM when she is absent. The CSO will also act as Post Security Manager from time to time and Event Management at the Ambassador’s Residence.

General

The CSO will find themselves involved in almost all aspects of running the Embassy. This will include being part of the Post Management Committee, the Post Security Committee and the Embassy Board (that brings together all departments).

The CSO requires a range of skills and competences to manage some very practical and numerical tasks, through to communication, negotiation and diplomatic skills for working with colleagues and external contacts.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Oversight of Embassy budget (approx £700,000) with specific responsibility for some budget areas.

Line manager of 4 officers in CS team (Accountant, Head of Properties and Technical Works Team and two CS staff) and countersigning officer of 16 colleagues (Residence Manager, Cleaners, Drivers and Security team).

Oversight of all Embassy properties and assets.


Essential on arrival: Driving Licence; experience of finance and budget management and reporting; staff management, including performance management and merit based recruitment; working to deadlines; working within policy guidelines and regulations.

Language requirements:

Language: Spanish and English

Level of language required: Fluent (Oral, reading, writing and translation)


Working with international customers, managing and office, supporting Committees.
27 August 2018
Executive Officer (EO)
Full-time
Latin America and Spanish speaking Caribbean
Cuba
Havana
British Embassy
1
22 October 2018

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

We will provide an induction plan. There is a suite of e-learning plus access to video conference training and formal training.

The Embassy promotes ongoing learning and development. There is a budget for L&D.

Some of the essential training will include:

-  E-learning modules on Diversity at Work; Health and Safety Awareness; IT induction; Protecting Information; Staff Induction

-  Use of credit cards;

-  Purchase to Pay process;

-  Internal budget and asset management systems (know as Prism and Pyramid);

-  Estate Management

-  Recruitment.

-  Performance Management.

It is anticipated there will be learning opportunities in UK or other British Embassies in the region so the job holder will be expected to travel if these are confirmed.


We would like someone to start as soon as possible. The preferred candidate has to be appointed through PALCO.  The position is open to anyone who is already registered with PALCO and anyone who is not.  We know that, for anyone not registered with PALCO, it could take some weeks to conclude that process.  So, although we have indicated a start date of 22 October, we realise it could be later.


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.