Main purpose of job:

The Community Liaison Officer (CLO) works closely with British High Commission management and alongside Corporate Services Team for the well-being of all staff at British High Commission, with a primary function as advocate for and provision of support to UK-based staff and families on family and community issues, principally in the areas of information gathering, welfare and communication. The role holder will also provide resilience and leave cover for our Protocol Officer, ensuring continuity of service on time critical elements of that important Corporate Services portfolio.
This is a people-focused role, and the successful candidate will be energetic, enthusiastic and able to confidently work autonomously as well as collaboratively with others. They will be approachable, empathetic and resilient.

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

• Information gathering and management for UK-Based officers and their spouses/partners and families. To include information primarily on spouse/partner employment at BHC; children’s education (through completion of separate School and Nursery Information Sheets of authorised schools at BHC); a comprehensive information pack on childcare at post; adult education, career and training opportunities; family circumstance-related issues; recreational facilities; social matters; completion of FCDO Families, Spouse and Partner Annual Employment Report and periodic cost of living (COLA) returns.  The CLO coordinates regular reviews of Post Report and Fact Sheet to ensure accuracy and comprehensive diversity and inclusion information.
• Welcome and welfare at BHC: Initiate contact with UK-Based appointees and coordinate introductory calls (‘warm calls’) to ensure that officers feel well supported and fully briefed on what to expect in advance of their arrival; welcome all staff on posting/temporary duty/flexible deployment and accompanying families to ensure as smooth an integration as possible into the life of the BHC community; follow up to check that officers and families are settling in well; act as a source of referral and support where questions, problems and difficulties arise; provide short Post community induction; provide support and advice on departure processes.
• Advocate for UK-based staff and families in addressing issues of importance with Post Management, including as their representative on the Post Housing Committee, and as the chief link between BHC and FCDO Families at HQ. 
• Communicate effectively on community and social matters across BHC to all staff and through engagement in committees (Post Housing Committee, Wellbeing Hub, Crown and Anchor amenity committee). The CLO is expected to establish some form of communication for staff and spouses/partners across BHC, such as a WhatsApp group, in accordance with the FCDO social media policy.
• Lead on design and delivery of community-focused events in partnership with others, particularly those that involve that contributing to a sense of community for families. 
• Emergency planning: the CLO must engage in Post crisis and contingency planning and exercises and is usually part of the Crisis Wellbeing Team.
• Protocol cover:  The CLO covers for our Protocol Officer during absences, including liaison with the MFA Protocol Team on UK-based staff accreditation, support for visa applications for official travel. 
• Flexible corporate support:  The CLO is expected to provide flexible support across Corporate Services Team functions when needed.   

All the above requires the CLO to work in close collaboration with Corporate Services Team, BHC’s senior leaders and the FCDO Families HQ office.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to be professional, confident, courteous, and deal with interlocutors at senior level.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to multi-task and strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent customer service skills, with proven ability to take responsibility and exercise considerable discretion.
• Good attention to detail, excellent organisational, IT and administrative skills.
• The ability to work at pace and independently.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Outlook/Word/Excel/PowerPoint).