View Vacancy - Consular Services Officer AO (01/23 PL)

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 (Consular Roles)
Consular

Main purpose of job:

To provide high quality and efficient consular and citizenship services to British nationals in Mauritius, in line with the standards set out in our publication "Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide” and Consular Strategy.

Roles and responsibilities:

Primarily responsible for administering and delivering consular services in Mauritius. This role primarily involves the administration of Citizenship Ceremonies to residents of Mauritius, and a small number in Seychelles, who have successfully applied to register as a British citizen. Ceremonies are joyful occasions where applicants swear their oath to the United Kingdom, and celebrate their connection to the UK. The jobholder will attend, and occasionally perform citizenship ceremonies with the wider team, working closely with internal stakeholders effectively to administer and ensure quality delivery.

The successful jobholder will form an essential part of the Mauritius British High Commission (BHC) team, and will occasionally support wider consular activity, such as processing Emergency Travel Documents.

The BHC team are a busy, friendly and supportive team. Our consular section assists UK Nationals in line with our public guide, Support for British Nationals Abroad. This role is a great opportunity for an effective, motivated individual who wants to gain experience of delivering a quality service in a customer-facing environment.

Consular Services: Citizenship (90%)

  • Receiving, organising and distributing documentation relating to applicants in Mauritius, Seychelles and Rodrigues obtaining UK citizenship.
  • Liaising with Residence and other colleagues regarding availability, location and timing of ceremonies.
  • Liaising and problem solving with consular colleagues and UK government departments relating to applicants obtaining UK citizenship.
  • Responding to email/telephone queries and engaging with customers about their ceremonies; whilst providing information and managing expectations.
  • Issuing invitations, monitoring RSVPs and preparing documentation for ceremonies.
  • Attending, and occasionally performing, ceremonies – at the High Commission in Mauritius and potentially occasionally in Rodrigues.
  • Managing and accurately recording information and associated activity on consular case management systems and MS Excel.
  • Candidates should note that the High Commission does not take decisions regarding approving UK Nationality. 

Consular Services: General (10%)

  • Print Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) and assist the ETD Centre with processing.
  • Provide standard consular information to customers.
  • Provide support to the consular team in responding to a consular crisis.
  • When required, manage, update and distribute documents and information between UK and Mauritian government departments.
  • Contribute to maintaining fundamental consular prevention tools such as lists of funeral directors and lawyers.
  • The successful candidate will also work closely with colleagues across the Sub-Saharan Africa consular network and in the UK in order to ensure excellent delivery and consistency of services.

For many British nationals, the only contact they will ever have with a British mission will be through our consular services. As a customer-facing member of staff, the jobholder will need to have excellent communication skills and be able to deal with customer needs in a sensitive manner and with empathy. The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate the following key skills and attributes:

  • Strong IT, literacy and numeracy skills (including Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook) is essential.
  • Strong organisational and office management skills.
  • Excellent customer service skills; ability to respond to a range of customer needs and develop positive relationships with customers and stakeholders.
  • Excellent all-round communication skills to manage customer expectations.
  • Strong problem solving skills using own judgement.
  • Ability to plan and prioritise effectively.
  • Calmness under pressure.
  • Ability to research guidance and follow processes.
  • Creativity and willingness to find solutions and try new ways of working.
  • A team player, with the ability to support colleagues and work well with others.
  • Ability to respond quickly to changing priorities and react positively to change.
  • Experience working in a British or international environment.
  • An interest or experience in assisting with crisis preparedness or crisis response.
Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Working Together
3 April 2023
Administrative Officer (AO)
Fixed Term
36
12 months
Africa
Mauritius
Port Louis
British High Commission
MUR 35,816.99
30 April 2023
30 April 2024

Learning and development opportunities:

  • Consular staff will follow a learning pathway specific to their role, including certain mandatory training.
  • The candidate will be supported to learn on-the-job, and will learn from others in the Sub-Saharan Africa network. The candidate will be supported to make time for personal development.

Working patterns:

Full-Time

  • Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.

  • Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.

  • The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.

  • Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Post are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Mauritius.

  • All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.

  • The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;

  • Obtain the relevant permit

  • Pay fees for the permit

  • Make arrangements to relocate

  • Meet the costs to relocation

  • The British High Commission do not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.

  • Employees who are not eligible to pay local income tax: e.g. certain third-country nationals and spouses/partners of UK diplomats will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

  • Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: 

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles 

  • Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.

  • Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of 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.