Who are we?

The British Embassy in Tirana is part of a world-wide network representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is now looking for a Chief of Staff and PA to His Majesty’s Ambassador to Albania.

Main purpose of the job:

The job holder will act as Chief of Staff to His Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA), facilitating leadership across the British Embassy and engagement with Whitehall and external partners. They will be managing HMA’s front office, assessing incoming enquiries, determining the course of action and appointing/delegating tasks.

Simultaneously, they are tasked with preparing for visits, events and communication / speaking opportunities for the HMA, enabling prioritisation of HMA’s time and appointment schedules.

They will ensure smooth, timely and effective information flows from different Embassy departments to HMA (briefings, reports, internal meetings).

Roles and responsibilities:

• Assist HMA with leadership of the Embassy, acting as facilitator for the Country Board, Senior Leadership Team and weekly coordination meetings, advising on cross-sectional topics, including policy, media, projects, economy, corporate services, through research, analysis of facts and data. Use judgement to produce constructive ideas as a contributor to team discussions on politics and communications.
• Manage HMA’s diary effectively, planning ahead and liaising with relevant offices to ensure meetings occur when they are needed, with all transport, comms and other arrangements in place. Participate in relevant internal and external meetings with HMA, making sure action items from the meetings are executed.
• Work independently to write first drafts and recommendations for HMA for emails, letters, WhatsApp correspondence; delegating tasks and follow-up to other embassy teams. Act on behalf of HMA on HERA expense reconciliation and prompting HMA on actions.
• Plan proactively and ensure implementation of preparations for all Embassy events involving HMA, working with the Residence Manager and team to organise and coordinate all events at the Residence and other teams on those at other venues, ensuring high public visibility and attendance, whilst applying innovative ideas on participation and format.
• Organise and manage all VIP inward visits, to include advice on interlocutors, media exposure, logistical arrangements, protocol and local security; and visits by HMA to the UK to meet with senior Whitehall officials, Ministers and UK-based stakeholders, arranging HMA’s travel requirements; and HMA’s up-country visits to municipalities around Albania.
• Maintain and develop wide range of external contacts with all levels of the Albanian government, Parliament and institutions, international partners and cross-sector organisations to ensure quick and efficient access with key contacts in line with embassy priorities. Support the Deputy Head of Mission in arranging meetings, particularly when they are standing in for HMA as Chargée d’Affaires.
• Manage Residence Manager and assist them with oversight of the Residence Team to ensure best use of resources and budget; and mentor them on skills development.  Oversee the spend of entertainment budget to ensure value for money.  Motivate staff at junior grades to develop skills and enable more efficient delegation.

Our ideal candidate shows:

• fluency in Albanian and English at a minimum level of C1 according to CEFR*;
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience as a personal assistant or similar roles;
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral;
• Excellent organisational skills and high level of attention to detail;
• Constructive and service orientated approach;
• Ability to prioritise workload where required working with minimal supervision;
• Ability to manage routine and ad hoc taskings;
• Ability to work as member of a team;
• Ability to respect the confidentiality of work issues and understand the personal and professional consequences of lapses in security.