View Vacancy - Accommodation Officer

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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Estates

Main purpose of job:

 

The Accommodation Officer is responsible to the Estates Manager and the Head of Corporate Services (HCS) for sourcing and furnishing good-quality residential accommodation for UK staff posted to Mexico, in line with FCO/Post residential policy and agreed budgetary, security, health & safety, family and other Estates requirements as set out in more detail below, with the aim to deliver a first class service in support of Embassy staff, their Sections and the Embassy’s wider objectives under the Country Business Plan (CBP) as they relate to Mexico City and its subordinate Posts (Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cancun).


 

Roles and responsibilities:

 



Under the supervision of the Estates Manager, as part of a 5 person team, deliver on the following roles and responsibilities of the job in line with the Corporate Services Charter:


 


Residential and Office Accommodation

 



  • In close co-operation with the Community Liaison Officer (CLO), conduct pre-arrival communications with newly-posted UK-based staff in order to gather information about individual and family circumstances for helping to understand their accommodation and furniture requirements;
  • On the instruction of the Post Housing Committee (PHC), identify suitable accommodation for incoming UK staff, taking into account rent ceilings, family circumstances and Health & Safety requirements, and liaising with the Post Security Manager (PSM) on security issues;
  • Initiate negotiations with Owner/Landlords on lease contracts, ensuring satisfactory terms and inclusion of diplomatic clauses, ensuring value for money;
  • Liaise with incoming UK staff on available choices of furniture and fittings, in line with Post’s Furniture Policy. Place value-for-money orders locally or from elsewhere (US/UK) and arrange repairs - including for white goods, ensuring strict adherence to UK standards for fire retardation;
  • Co-ordinate with UKB staff and their spouses/partners on supplier and contractor visits for first Arrivals and Departures (March in/out process);
  • Assess demand and arrange for value-for-money repairs and sourcing of new office furniture and fittings, as required.

 


Property Management


  • Liaise with Owner/Landlords and agents and manage ongoing office (Capital Reforma, Torre del Angel), residential property leases in Mexico, including for subordinate Posts where relevant, e.g. offices in Monterrey, Guadalajara and Cancun;
  • Manage the warehouse lease, with a view to keeping Embassy storage costs at an acceptable minimum, e.g. through lease negotiation based on a forecast of furniture storage demands and by arranging the auction of surplus and disposal of irreparable items.

 


Core Pyramid user


  • Lead on maintaining the property inventory on Pyramid;
  • Monitor property rental data;
  • Lead on Government Art Collection (GAC) inventory, location of individual artworks, overall holdings and rotation of stock in close liaison with stakeholders at Post (e.g. HMA) and in UK (GAC). Packaging and freighting, as required.

 


Other


  • Maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of all Embassy office, residential and warehouse furniture and fittings;
  • Prism P2P: raise Purchase Orders, Requisitioner/Receiver;
  • Under the supervision of the Estates Manager, effective management and accurate monthly forecasting of Post rental and furniture budgets, ensuring payments are processed correctly in OBIEE, following FCO financial and procurement guidelines;
  • Any other Estates, CST or Corporate activities required by the Estates Manager, CSM or HCS.

 


Corporate


  • All employees in the Embassy are expected, as part of their job, to contribute towards the Corporate activities of the organisation, including in times of crisis.

 

Essential on arrival:


-        3+ years experience in an administrative or clerical position;


-        Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills;


-        Strong organisational and multitasking skills;


-        Demonstrable ability to work as part of a multifunctional team;


-        Good numerical skills for analysing and reporting on expenses and budgets;


Desirable:


-        Prior experience in Real Estate industry;


-        Prior experience of negotiating contracts;


-        Project Management experience;


-        Business administration background;


-        Interior design background.


27 August 2019
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time, Permanent
38
Latin America and Spanish speaking Caribbean
Mexico
Mexico City
British Embassy
1
MXN
19,320 MXN
14 October 2019
Candidates must be able to live and work in Mexico within their own right. The successful candidate will be subject to a security clearance and professional reference check.

Language: English and Spanish


Level of language required: Advanced written and spoken


The British Embassy Network offers a strong benefits package. This package includes generous vacation and leave time, flexible working patterns, and an enriching learning and development opportunities. All staff at the British Embassy and its Consulates in Mexico are expected to work towards the UK mission statement of Building a UK/Mexico partnership, which makes the world and us more prosperous and secure, and to embody the Embassy’s agreed values of Honesty, Respect, Inclusion And Professionalism.


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.