Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Private Office
The British Embassy in Berlin is a large overseas mission in the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) network, with a considerable number of official visitors including Royals and senior ministers. We are looking for an Diary/Social Secretary to provide diary and administrative support to the British Ambassador to Germany.
This is a critical role at the centre of the Ambassador’s office and the wider embassy, which gives the job holder an excellent overview of British engagement with Germany. The Diary & Social Secretary will lead on securing appointments for the Ambassador, managing her changing diary and overseeing the organisation of social events at the Residence, led by the Residence team. The Diary Manager performs a central function in the private office – providing a focal point for external enquiries and ensuring the Ambassador’s time is used as effectively as possible. The Diary Secretary will also need to be highly organised, able to highlight risks or meeting clashes to relevant team members, use his/her initiative and offer creative solutions to juggling competing demands.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
- Diary and secretarial support for the Ambassador, including setting up internal and external meetings on her behalf and managing her diary, ensuring her time is used effectively;
- Organise and book travel arrangements for the Ambassador, including transport and accommodation;
- Manage the Ambassador’s expenses and budget;
- Preparation of correspondence when needed, including editing and preparing letters or packages;
- Send Note Verbales to the German Foreign Ministry when required;
- General administrative duties including dealing with post, handling correspondence and telephone enquiries in English and German, distribution and filing of documents;
- Carry out ad hoc translation tasks where required;
- Management of the Residence Manager, coordinating with him and the team closely to host external functions and events;
- Receive visitors to the Embassy when required;
- Book catering/refreshments for external meetings;
- Oversee the handling of invitations for the Ambassador, seeking steers from policy teams on which ones should be accepted;
- Provide flexible support ahead of, and during, Embassy events;
- Participate in wider Embassy initiatives as required, including engaging in a corporate role.
- Recent experience in an administrative/secretarial role or similar;
- Previous diary/PA experience;
- Excellent organisational skills;
- Ability to deliver high quality work within deadlines and under pressure;
- Customer focussed and excellent customer service skills;
- Excellent oral and written English and German (to at least level C1 CEFR);
- Excellent communication skills;
- The ability to work independently but also with colleagues and contacts in the immediate and wider teams as appropriate;
- Excellent IT skills, especially standard MS Office applications (Word, Excel and Outlook);
- Ability to keep confidentiality at all times;
- Working knowledge of the German political and governmental institutions and structures.
- Previous experience working in an international environment or in the German political system;
- Experience in event management desirable.
Leading and Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace
14 October 2021
B3 (L)
Fixed Term, Full-time
37.5
24 months
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Germany
Berlin
British Embassy
1
EUR
€61,080.00 gross per annum rising to approx €68,611.00 gross per annum after a qualifying period in addition to performance related pay (Salary is not negotiable).
1 March 2022
This is a full-time fixed-term position for a contract period of two years.
The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance. The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation in Germany in order to apply.
Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.
Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Germany and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.
Our Learning & Development environment:
The British Embassy has a strong ethos of Learning & Development, including our Learning & Development Week. In addition, there will be many opportunities to attend external seminars and events on relevant issues. This is in addition to the induction programme offered to all staff.
The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the British Embassy, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting the British Embassy’s positive working environment.
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.
Please be advised that the British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.
*Please note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C1 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning; can express fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions; can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes; can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. For more information 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.
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