View Vacancy - AUH - Vice Consul B3(L)

The British Embassy in Abu Dhabi has a vacancy for a Vice Consul grade B3 (L) to start as soon as possible.

Main Purpose of the Job:

The Consular Team’s purpose is to support British people living, travelling, and working in our region: by providing high quality, accessible consular services, focused on those most in need; responding rapidly to all crises, leading cross-government action; and reducing preventable incidents affecting British people through collaboration with partners and governments.

The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring British nationals in Abu Dhabi receive a professional service that is effective, timely, consistent, and in line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidance. This will include providing direct advice and support to distressed British nationals and leading on high-level and sensitive assistance cases.

The jobholder will be responsible for the local delivery of the Consular Network Business Plan and global consular initiatives, as well as the consular elements of the Country Business Plan. Reporting to the Head of Consular Operations (UAE) based in Dubai, he/ she will be required to lead, motivate, and encourage a team of two (2) Pro Consuls to participate in global and regional consular activities and proactively deliver consular prevention and outreach work.

The jobholder will need to be a self-starter and highly motivated, with excellent interpersonal skills. They must be able to work independently with minimal supervision and make operational judgements in consultation with senior management locally and in London.

In response to a local or regional crisis, the jobholder will also play a key role in managerial responsibility for the Consular team’s response and deployment.

Consular work can sometimes be emotionally challenging, distressing and of a sensitive nature. The jobholder will therefore be expected to demonstrate high levels of personal resilience and maintain absolute consular confidentiality and impartiality.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Leadership and Resources

• Provide effective leadership to the Consular team with direct line management of two (2) Pro Consuls; set objectives in line with FCO strategic priorities and the Consular Network Business Plan; ensure Performance Development Plans (PDP) are in place and regular Appraisals are conducted.
• Manage day-to-day consular operations; ensure updates to consular guidance and policies are understood and implemented; ownership of formal response to public correspondence.
• Promote a learning culture within the team; ensure all mandatory learning is completed; identify training and development opportunities.
• Represent the Consular Section internally and externally; participate in relevant committees and working groups; help formulate Post management policies; coordinate with key stakeholders in the British community; promote cross-mission working to achieve objectives; prepare written briefings and reports for seniors, up to and including ministerial level.
• Coordinate absences to ensure sufficient service coverage; manage working stocks of accountable assets such as Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) and cash reserves; oversee the consular appointment system and reconcile consular fee payments promptly and accurately.

Consular Assistance

• Manage the team’s provision of consular assistance to British nationals and their families, including providing guidance and support in difficult cases such as: arrests/ detention, hospitalisations, dealing with bereaved families, mental health, child custody issues, debt and employment issues, and other sensitive cases such as rape or forced marriage.
• Identifying areas of potential high-level interest and briefing seniors and others accordingly. Preparing written briefing and updates on cases and issues.
• Ensure assistance provided is best practice and case notes are well written and concise; monitor caseloads to ensure effective service delivery and quality assurance.
• Manage Emergency Travel Document (ETD) processing and provision of various notarial and documentary services.
• To be prepared to work out of hours, occasionally anti-social hours, as required.

Prevention and Partnerships

• Monitor and react to trends in order to identify prevention objectives; develop and deliver prevention and outreach projects aimed at local partners or the British community; ensure prevention trackers and methods of evaluation are in place; use a variety of channels and work closely with partners internally and externally to increase impact and reach of prevention materials.
• Build and develop relationships with key strategic and operational partners, including local authorities and other diplomatic missions; work strategically with partners to tackle issues and improve access to services; ensure cross-mission cooperation and sharing of contacts to solve problems.
• Deliver sustained engagement with British community; effective networking and use of contacts in key sectors such as business and education; monitor the local environment and react to any changes which may affect British nationals living in or visiting Abu Dhabi; contribute to the formulation of Travel Advice and ensure updates are cleared and acted on in a timely manner.
• Build and maintain relationships with key internal partners, including frontline Call Centre, Consular Directorate, Political/ Press, Immigration Enforcement International (IEI), Corporate Services Teams, and Senior Management Team.

Crisis Planning

• Take an active role in Crisis Committee, participating in drills, tests, and exercises related to crisis and contingency planning; ensure Field Deployment Officers are aware of roles and responsibilities in a crisis.
• Regularly maintain and update the consular elements of Post’s Crisis Management Plan; ensure Consular Staff have access to and are familiar with the Crisis Hub.
• Work with lead on the provision of consular skills training to non-consular staff within the Embassy to improve Post’s capability to respond to any crises in UAE.
• Maintain a readiness to respond to a declared crisis, based on named roles within the Crisis Management Plan; provide regional resilience support where required.

Key Competencies Required:

• Leading and Communicating - Effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens.
• Delivering at Pace - Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes. 
• Collaborating and Partnering - 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.
• Changing and Improving - People who are effective in this area are responsive, innovative and seek out opportunities to create effective change. It’s about being open to change, suggesting ideas for improvements to the way things are done, and working in ‘smarter’, more focused ways.
• Making Effective Decisions - Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using sound judgment, evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice.
• 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.

• A team player who is capable of working on their initiative and who is adaptable to changing priorities, must be able to work and act without close supervision.
• Good interpersonal and active listening skills, with the ability to cultivate and maintain a range of contacts at all levels.
• Experience of working strategically and of project development and management.
• Excellent customer care skills and the ability to respond to a range of customer needs.
• Ability to bring flexible and creative approach to your work and with an eye for detail.
• Ability to talk to large groups of people as part of our prevention and communication work.
• IT literate and well versed in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.