View Vacancy - SIN - Consular Officer, Emergency Travel Documents Centre Singapore, A2(L)
The British High Commission Singapore is part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) worldwide network of 270 Posts, representing British political, military, economic, and consular interests overseas.
Consular assistance is an FCO priority and issuing Emergency Travel Documents (ETD’s) is a large part of the assistance offered to British nationals whilst working or travelling overseas. The Emergency Travel Document (ETD) Centre processes applications and produces ETDs for British Nationals whose full validity passport has expired, been damaged, lost or stolen or is otherwise unavailable and need to travel urgently. The vast majority of these will have been online applicants and will not attend the High Commission.
Working in a busy team in the ETD Centre, your primary role will be to support your direct reports as you and they process applications for and issue thousands of ETDs.
Your role will include:
- Leading a small team to deliver the ETDs within published FCO timescales. This includes setting objectives and providing line management support for your direct reports, focussing on their delivery and development
- Actively monitoring team performance and resolving potential issues in achieving the FCO service levels
- Providing regular updates to your line manager
- Having a good understanding of the ETD end to end process and the ability to organise the team to implement it
- Having a good understanding of the ETD policy and guidance and helping to shape these
- Checking documents and assessing applicant’s eligibility
- Determining applicant’s entitlement to British Nationality (in exceptional cases)
- Taking payments for applications
- Data inputting and processing applications
- Quality assuring travel documents ensuring compliance to policy/guidance and approving the issue of ETDs
- Printing ETDs and organising courier delivery
- Liaising with customers, usually by email or by phone but some face-to-face contact
- Interviewing some applicants by video link or occasionally face-to-face or by phone
- Liaising with consular colleagues and a third party courier company
- ETD Stock management duties
You would also be required to lead on the more complicated applications, ensuring we meet our commitment to British nationals whilst ensuring both security and accuracy of documents.
Main duties and responsibilities:
Using Consular and Her Majesty’s Passport Office systems to:
- Perform background checks on applicant
- Approve the issue of ETDs
- Check applications and supporting documentation
- Request additional supporting documentation information
- Enter supplementary information for the ETDs
- Issue ETDs within Consular agreed service levels
Liaison with customers throughout the ETD process, where it is relevant. Liaison with posts, other consular departments, couriers and other partners.
Line management of ETD assistance staff at A1 grade.
- Fully IT literate
- Attention to detail
- Line management experience in a busy, customer focused operation
- Excellent organisational skills
- Customer service skills with 3 years’ experience minimum
- Experience working in a hub, centralised operation or processing centre
- Experience in working to deadlines, benchmarks, key performance indicators and quality standards
- Excellent communication skills
- Knowledge or experience of working in consular services
- Previous experience of interviewing customers
- Previous experience interpreting and applying policy and guidelines
BHC Singapore offers time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation.
BHC Singapore supports and promotes flexible working as a crucial part of our inclusive offering. These roles will all be done on a shift rotation basis, with a varying work schedule each week Monday through Sunday, including unsociable hours and public holidays.
The exact working hours and shifts will be determined by the BHC Singapore, the ETD Centre may be open 24/7 and the working patterns will reflect this.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. You must have or be able to obtain a local work permit. Where minimum salary levels are met the British High Commission will sponsor and apply for the relevant work permit.
Staff recruited locally by the British High Commission are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Singapore employment law.
Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks. Only short-listed applications will be called for personal interviews.
The British High Commission is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.
All applications must be received before 11:55PM (Singapore Time) on 22 January 2020.
Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.
Only short-listed applicants will be contacted regarding the next phase of the selection process. To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
