British Embassy
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
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Private Office
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Who are we?
The British Embassy in Madrid, Spain, is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. We are looking to recruit a Executive Assistant to the Deputy Head of Mission (DHM)/Deputy Ambassador.
Main purpose of job:
This is an opportunity to form part of the fast-paced Private Office team, at the very heart of our Spain Network. The selected candidate will be responsible for facilitating the work of the DHM through effective management of the DHM’s diary and the provision of administrative support across the Private Office team.
This job requires exceptional organisational and communication skills, discretion, good judgement, flexibility, an ability to deal confidently with people at high levels, including in government Ministries and the Royal household, to work calmly when under pressure and to deliver at pace.
Roles and responsibilities:
- Management of DHM’s diary, including setting up meetings with internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring the DHM has all required briefing materials ahead of the meeting.
- Providing general administrative support to the DHM as required, including travel bookings, the submission of expense claims and the processing of correspondence.
- Providing cover for other members of the Private Office during periods of leave.
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Our Ideal Candidate shows:
- Full professional proficiency in English and Spanish, both verbal and written, with excellent communications skills (a minimum of C1 level, according to CEFR*);
- Minimum of 2 years of previous relevant work experience (personal assistant, or executive assistant, etc);
- Experience in diary management and/or travel arrangements;
- Experience of working with senior executives;
- Experience of working in international environment;
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, both verbal and written;
- Ability to work proactively, autonomously and forward plan;
- Excellent time management skills;
- Ability to manage diverse activities and changing priorities while demonstrating strong organisational skills and attention to detail;
- Ability to work collaboratively and deliver results through others and through cross-team work;
- Excellent stakeholder management skills;
- Ability to use sound judgement to make effective decisions.
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Nice to have:
- Expertise in executive coordination or office management at a senior management level is highly desirable.
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Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
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12 January 2025
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Administrative Officer (AO)
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Full-time, Permanent
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37.5
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Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
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Spain
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Madrid
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British Embassy
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1
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EUR
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€ 34,712.13
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yearly
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10 March 2025
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This is a full-time, permanent contract at AO grade level, based in Madrid.
The successful candidate is subject to a confirmation of a background check, security clearance and the successful completion of a probationary period.
The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Spanish Social Security Scheme and will therefore not be entitled to any gratuity from the Embassy based on gross annual salary.
The Embassy is a Diplomatic Mission with tax exempt status and does not collect taxes for other States. Employees are fully responsible for payment of income tax at the legally required rate. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Spain are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Spanish employment law.
Visa/work permit requirements:
Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Spain and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.
Working patterns:
Normal working hours are 37.5 per week.
Learning & Development:
We offer time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation.
All new hires undertake a workplace induction and there are a number of mandatory e-learning courses that must be completed in order to pass probation.
The job holder will need training on embassy IT systems on arrival, and will complete a full induction programme. The embassy offers an extensive learning and development offer, which the job holder will be able to benefit from.
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Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
FCDO does not pay for travel-related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCDO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.
*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment levels please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.
The Embassy is committed to employee development and wellbeing and has several initiatives in both areas that benefit staff.
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To apply please copy and paste this link: https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/candidate/jobboard/vacancy/1/adv/
To help us track our recruitment effort, please specify on the application/indicate in your cover letter where (nearmejobs.eu) you saw this job posting.