View Vacancy – Executive Assistant to Her Majesty’s Ambassador and Development Director B3 (01/21 JUB)

Main purpose of job:

You will be a key part of the British Embassy Juba and at the centre of the Embassy’s work supporting the UK-South Sudan bilateral relationship, including UK efforts in support of implementation of the Peace Process and provision of development assistance. You will be responsible for providing administrative, organisational and diary support to Her Majesty’s Ambassador to South Sudan and the Development Director as well as lead on the co-ordination of high-level visits.  You will also lead on the co-ordination of key events for the British Embassy.

This is an important role that will require the building of relationships with key stakeholders to facilitate senior-level engagement and communication between the UK and the Government of South Sudan, other diplomatic missions, NGOs and international organisations to support the achievement of HM Government objectives in South Sudan. You will also provide administrative assistance to the Deputy Head of Mission, and to the political and development teams.

This is a dynamic and fast-paced role at the very heart of British Embassy Juba that will be very rewarding for the right candidate. In addition to important diary, administrative and organisational duties you will be expected to support the delivery of our UK post graduate scholarship scheme (Chevening) as well as maintain full oversight of budgets and ensuring compliance with guidelines.   

There is a very strong team spirit and collaborative approach within the Embassy. You will need to be self-starter, capable of taking initiative, and be willing to work with teams to ensure the smooth running of working practices and procedures.  There are opportunities for training and development in the role.

Strong communication (written and verbal) and organisational skills are essential.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

CONTEXT

The UK is committed to supporting South Sudan achieve peace.  The UK is the second largest bilateral provider of life saving humanitarian assistance and the lead provider of health and education services.  Both bilaterally and as part of the Troika (UK, US and Norway), the UK has played a leading role to provide support to key peace process activities at national and sub-national level.  UK works closely with multilateral partners in South Sudan including UN, IGAD, AU and EU.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Your responsibilities will include:

• Key point of contact for HM Ambassador and the Development Director (HMA and DD) with a focus on prioritising HMA/DD time and  commitments. Lead on diary and inbox management for HMA and DD – including  communicating with wider British Embassy team to ensure they know how best to work with HMA/DD.   Assist with arranging programmes for HMA and DD internal and overseas travel.

• Build relationships with key stakeholders in South Sudan to create a productive working environment and facilitate diplomatic engagement with the Government, ministries and international partners. You will need to ensure you have good working relationships with key members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and develop your understanding of diplomatic processes and procedures in order to help the mission run smoothly. 

• Lead on delivery of British Embassy events including the Queen’s Birthday Party and events held at the Ambassador’s residence. Work with colleagues across the Embassy to identify key stakeholders and issue invitations and lead on all logistical aspects of the event. You will also have oversight of budget management for events at the Ambassador’s Residence, including advising on spending trends, reconciling expenditure and facilitating accurate forecasting (to include ensuring compliant use of FCDO Accounting systems). 

• Respond and draft replies to routine enquiries and correspondence.  

• Ensure up to date management of the Embassy’s contacts database. 

• Assistance with the planning and delivery of high-profile UK visitors to South Sudan such as Ministers or the Special Envoys, including liaising with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leading logistical arrangements and ensuring visits run smoothly. 

• Assist political team in the preparation and administration of the UK’s Post-Graduate scholarship (Chevening) programme process following set guidelines.

• Assist with other corporate activities and to provide ad-hoc administrative support to the political and development team, including regular updates to the team on HMA and DD engagement; drafting of minutes of internal team meetings and supporting in-country travel planning for the team.  

You will be part of the political team and your specific areas may be amended to meet new priorities. You will be working alongside four UK and six locally engaged colleagues in the team when fully staffed.

• Previous experience working as an Executive Assistant or Private Secretary
• Experience working in an international organisation, Embassy or UN
• Excellent organisational skills and a keen eye for detail 
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English
• Communication and influencing skills, including experience of drafting records of meetings
• Ability to multi-task and work as a team player  
• Strong self-organisation, the ability to be flexible and resilient
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite  
• Strong interpersonal skills including the ability to be professional, courteous and discreet and deal directly with key players at a senior level inside and outside the Embassy   
• The ability to maintain high-level contacts with UK Government departments. Embassy staff, members of other diplomatic missions as well as members of the public