View Vacancy - Community Liaison Officer

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. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Residence and Support Staff)
Community Liaison

The British Embassy in Muscat is looking for a dynamic team player to take up the position of Community Liaison Officer, Grade AO, to start as soon as possible.

Main Purpose of the Job:

The successful candidate will work closely with Post Management for the well-being of all staff at Post, with primary function as advocate for and provision of support to UK-based staff and families on family and community issues, principally in the areas of information gathering, welfare and communication. 

This role reports to the Head of Corporate Services.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Welfare at Post

  • One of the key objectives of the role is to build inclusive relationships with All staff and develop, plan and co-ordinate various multi-faith community wide initiatives. This includes welcoming all staff and accompanying families on arrival to Post and to ensure a smooth integration into the life of the Post community. The officer has a key role in supporting the arrival and departure process of new and leaving (UK based) staff and their families and works collectively with the Corporate Services Team, ensuring high standards. This includes making sure that housing is ready and a domestic equipment float is provide. The officer is a source of referral and supports where questions, problems and difficulties arise.
  • The role establishes different forms of communication for staff and spouses/partners across Post and is involvement in the organization of social events during the year.

2. Information gathering

  • Collecting (pre posting) information and informing UK-Based officers, their spouses/partners and families on flexible deployment, spouse/partner employment, child care, child and adult education, career and training opportunities, single officer and foreign born spouse/partner issues, recreational facilities and local social matters. The officer ensures relevant information sources, Post reports and facts sheets (such as, Cost of Living Reports) are kept up to date and distributed where needed.
  • Information gathering for UK-Based officers and their spouses/partners and families, and Local Staff on flexible deployment (including for those not yet at Post). To include (where applicable) information primarily on spouse/partner employment at Post; children's education (through completion of information sheets for Authorised School and Nurseries  at Post and remain a link between schools and Post  ; a comprehensive information pack on childcare at post, feedback on adult education; career and training opportunities; single officer and foreign born spouse/partner issues; recreational facilities; social matters; and completion of DSFA Spouse and Partner Annual Employment Report.

3. Advocate for UK-based staff and families in addressing community and social matters of importance with Post Management, including representation in different Post committees, involvement in evacuation/ contingency planning and being the chief link between Post and the Diplomatic Services Family Association (DSFA) in London.

4. Confidentiality: Confidential or sensitive information may be shared with the CLO who should be discreet and observe confidentiality. CLOs may also signpost staff to medical support if necessary.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required.

Key Behaviours:

The candidate will need to demonstrate the following competencies and the values of who we are during the interview:

  • 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. People who are effective plan, organise and manage their time and activities to deliver a high quality and efficient service, applying programme and project management approaches to support service delivery.
  • Working Together: People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done. It requires working effectively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions.​
  • Communicating and Influencing: Effectiveness in this area is about communicating purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. It’s about respecting the needs, responses and opinions of others.
  • Making Effective Decisions: Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using sound judgment, evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice. It means showing clarity of thought, setting priorities, analysing and using evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well-reasoned justifiable decisions.

Our Values:

Wherever we work in the world, we share a set of values that guides our decision-making, sets standards for our behaviour and helps us deliver the UK's national interest internationally.

These values are underpinned by the UK Civil Service values (Integrity, Honesty, Objectivity, Impartiality) and complemented by values all One HMG colleagues bring from their own department, service or administration.

  • Excellent customer service skills, with a key focus on communication (both written and oral) in English. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, and someone who treats everyone with fairness and respect.
  • Team player, with proven ability in collaborating and supporting others to deliver results whilst also capable of working on their initiative and adapting to changing priorities.
  • Strong organisational and analytical skills. Ability to organise and prioritise workload, organise records, and meet deadlines and changing priorities whilst maintaining close attention to detail and without compromising the quality of the work.
  • Good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
  • Holds a valid driving licence with own transportation.
  • Ability to hold sensitive and confidential information.
  • Experience of living in Muscat for +1 year.
  • Previous relevant experience either in an embassy/ foreign diplomatic mission or an international organisation.
  • Previous experience of living and/or working in an overseas environment.
Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
4 May 2022
Administrative Officer (AO)
Permanent, Part-Time
21
Middle East & North Africa
Oman
Muscat
British Embassy
1
OMR
491.040
monthly
1 July 2022

The Embassy offers an attractive working environment and remuneration package for the role, including a non-negotiable salary of 491.040 Omani Riyals per month inclusive of all allowances; and use of on-site recreational facilities including a swimming pool and social club.

This position is for a part-time employment, on a permanent basis subject to 3-month probationary period.

Normal working hours for the Embassy are currently 0730 to 1430 Sunday to Thursday. This is a part-time role for 21 hours per week. Working days and core hours to be agreed with line manager prior to start date.

There is a holiday entitlement of 30 days per year (pro-rated) following successful completion of a 3-month probation period. Holidays that have already been booked will be honoured. There are also national holidays determined annually by the Embassy, which usually total 14 days per year (pro-rated for part time staff). 

The successful candidate will need to attend the CLO Course as soon as possible after completing probation to help the jobholder to fully meet the demands of the job.

Employment in the advertised position is dependent on the potential employee having or acquiring valid UK security clearance. Security clearances can take several weeks to process. Inability to obtain a clearance will preclude employment. Loss of a security clearance at any time will lead to termination of employment.

Eligibility:

  1. The successful candidate must hold or must be able to secure a local work permit in Muscat.
  2. The British Embassy provides visa Sponsorship. The successful candidate will be required to transfer their visa under the Embassy's sponsorship.

 To Apply:

Interested candidates must attach the following documents in English when applying online.

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

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

The closing date for applications is 04 May 2022 by 23:55 (Local Time).

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered. Telephone applications and enquiries will not be accepted.

The successful applicant's employment will only be confirmed after the completion of any security clearance/checks. The checks can take several weeks to complete and the applicant will only be employed if the UK security clearance is granted.

 

The British Embassy Muscat is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.  Staffs recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of service according to local Muscat 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.