View Vacancy – Personal Assistant to HM Consul General and Trade Commissioner (TUR24.415)

Job Category

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

Job Subcategory

Private Office

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Who are we?

The British Consulate General in Istanbul is part of a world-wide network representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. It is part of a Turkey-wide His Majesty’s Government (HMG) network, which also includes the British Embassy in Ankara and coastal posts. The Consulate General is led by our dynamic Head of Mission, who has a dual role as HM Consul General in Turkey, and Trade Commissioner for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, encompassing trade offices in 14 countries. We are now seeking a Personal Assistant to the Consul General – this role is at the heart of everything the Consulate General does, providing essential secretarial, administrative and organisational duties, and personal assistance and support across his portfolio.

Main purpose of job:

Our Personal Assistant to the Consul General (PA) works as part of a Consul General (CG) Private Office which consists of the PA and the Consul General’s Chief of Staff, who manages the PA. The Personal Assistant provides effective liaison with all other sections within the Consulate including a busy trade team with a regional portfolio, a large visa team, the hospitality team who manage multiple events, and other essential services such as Consular. This means being a strong team player will be vital. The role is also the first contact many external visitors have with the Consulate, and so all written and spoken communication, in both English and Turkish, will need to be clear and professional.

It is an exciting opportunity to gain an insight into every aspect of the work of the Consulate and really make a difference for the relationship between the United Kingdom and Turkey. A chance to use your experience and knowledge of Turkey to support the Consul General and other colleagues on a variety of issues. The work of the Consulate can change and move rapidly, and so the job holder will need to be adaptable, flexible, highly organised and with great attention to detail. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn, develop and grow in the role.

Roles and responsibilities:

Proactively managing a busy diary, often subject to last minute changes and across multiple time zones;
Managing a heavy inbox, often in the absence of HM Consul General and Trade Commissioner (HMCG/TC), who travels frequently;
Managing the separate Consular General enquiries and Trade Commissioner inbox;
Devising and maintaining office systems;
Day to day office management; collating documents, briefing papers and presentations; screening calls and requests and handling them appropriately;
Dealing with visa queries which have come directly to the HMCG/TC;
Liaising with senior members of the team at Post, Regions and London; meeting and greeting visitors;
Making cost effective decisions and recommendations when booking travel and accommodation;
Managing HM Consul General and Trade Commissioner’s expenses and keeping a record of all receipts;
Managing gift register which meets audit requirements;
Effectively line-managing the HMTC/GG’s driver and approving his expenses;
Liaison with HMTC/CG’s Personal Protection Officer regarding schedules and arrangements;
Liaison with Events Manager to ensure HMTC/CG involvement in receptions/meetings/conferences in Pera House are well-planned and organized efficiently;
Liaison with external organisations, guards and caterers in run-up to events and on the day.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Our Ideal Candidate shows:

Excellent, written and spoken English and Turkish language skills (Minimum of C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages*);
Minimum of 2 years of experience in administrative/ support role;
Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines, without compromising the quality of the work;
Ability to manage busy diary and set priorities;
Experience in supporting senior level executives;
Excellent planning and organisation skills;
Being adaptable and open to change;
Being strong team-player;
Ability to work closely with senior staff at the Consulate and their contacts;
Ability to maintain and develop a range of contacts in an effort to build effective working relationships;
Courtesy and consideration in dealing with telephone callers and others;
Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools particularly Outlook, Word and Excel.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Ideally it would be great to have:

Line management experience;
Ability to translate/interpret between English and Turkish;
Some experience as a Senior Level Administrator, Personal Assistant or Private Secretary would be advantageous.

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline

24 November 2024

Grade

Executive Officer (EO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week

36.25

Region

Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Country/Territory

Turkiye

Location (City)

Istanbul

Type of Post

British Consulate General

Number of vacancies

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

$2,900.00

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

6 January 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

This is a full-time, permanent contract, for 5 working days (36 hours and 15 minutes net), per week.

The monthly salary for this position is 2,900 USD gross, paid in 12 instalments, EO level. Please note that staff members are responsible for paying any income tax required by local law.

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Türkiye. The British Embassy does not sponsor work permits.

We offer a benefits package including:

A minimum of 25 days annual leave per year (calculated pro-rata) starting from the first day of employment.
One day working from home per week (for applicable positions only)
Optional Private Health Insurance (The Türkiye Network will pay 80% of the premiums for staff and 60% of the premiums for spouses and children)
Comprehensive leave, such as maternity, paternity, adoption, compassionate, and development leave.
Employee Assistance Program (Confidential support for mental health)
Performance related bonus
Time off in lieu or overtime pay
UK and Turkish public and privilege holidays (Total of 14 days per year)
A good work-life balance and positive working environment
Access to the FCDO learning & development (L&D) platform for career enhancement and progression
The opportunity to work in an international, diverse, and inclusive environment

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check, security clearance and a probation period of 2 months.

Staff recruited locally by the British Consulate General in Istanbul are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Turkish employment law.

British Diplomatic Missions are equal opportunities employers, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference. We are committed to developing a learning organisation that enhances business performance, maximises our staff’s potential and encourages staff innovation and development.

Please note that the salaries paid to staff who are exempt from income tax in Türkiye and to those who have already retired from SGK will differ from the salary advertised for the role. Further details can be provided by the local HR team.

Additional information

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.

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.

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.

Next Bankett Sales Manager (m/w/d) »

Previous « Aveanna Healthcare Private Duty Nurse RN

View Vacancy – Personal Assistant to HM Consul General and Trade Commissioner (TUR24.415)

Health & Safety Manager (m/w/d)/ ISO 45001 Implementation Project

Head of Saab Air Traffic Management AB

Inventory Manager

Academic Strategy and Operations Manager, School of Energy and Natural Resources

Quantity Surveyor-4 day per week (Remote)

Research Associate (Level ARAS)