View Vacancy – Workflow Manager, Emergency Travel Document (ETD) Centre (ESP26.056)
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Consular Roles)
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Consular
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Want to be part of a fast‑paced global operation that makes a real difference to people in urgent need? Join our Emergency Travel Document Centre in Madrid and help deliver vital support to British nationals around the world—every single day.
Who are we?
The British Embassy Madrid forms part of the UK Government’s worldwide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas.
The Emergency Travel Document (ETD) Centre operates across Madrid, Singapore and Mexico City, managing all ETD applications globally. Together, our teams deliver a near 24‑hour service, six days a week, ensuring British nationals receive rapid, reliable assistance when travel plans go wrong.
Main purpose of the role:
As Workflow Manager, you will oversee the efficient flow of ETD applications across our global hub, ensuring cases move smoothly through our service and are completed within the agreed 2‑working‑day SLA. Working closely with colleagues in all three ETD centres, you will lead, supervise and motivate staff, respond to complex case queries, and maintain high standards of accuracy, pace and quality. This is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to a front‑line consular service that directly supports individuals in urgent and often stressful circumstances.
What you will do – In this role, you will:
- Continuously monitor and review global ETD Application queues, ensuring cases progress efficiently across Madrid, Singapore and Mexico City.
- Allocate and task ETD staff, including managing the closure of older cases.
- Supervise a team of processors, including induction, training and onboarding of new members.
- Provide guidance on complex or sensitive cases, including vulnerable customers and urgent, compassionate travel needs.
- Make independent decisions on complex applications, such as child cases and first‑time applicants.
- Track workflow issues and report daily to the Regional Operations Manager.
- Support performance management, ensuring KPIs and targets are met.
- Oversee handovers, remote interviews (CABS), and contribute to policy and guidance improvements.
- Assist with ETD approvals or processing when required.
- Manage shift scheduling and workforce coverage to maintain service continuity.
What you’ll love about this role
- Real impact: You’ll directly help people facing stressful, urgent situations abroad.
- Fast‑paced environment: Every day brings new challenges across multiple global hubs.
- Growth and development: Access to training, induction support and professional learning opportunities.
- International collaboration: Work closely with colleagues in Madrid, Singapore and Mexico City.
- A supportive team culture: You’ll join a motivated, mission‑driven Consular team that values quality, pace and teamwork.
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Our Ideal Candidate shows:
- fluency in English to C level (according to CEFR*), verbal and written, with excellent communications skills;
- At least 5 years’ experience in a fast‑paced consular or customer‑focused environment;
- Proven team management experience, with the ability to guide, support and motivate others;
- Flexibility and resilience, including the ability to work unsocial hours, adjust quickly to changing priorities, and occasionally work weekends or out‑of‑hours;
- Strong leadership and organisational skills, with a calm and confident approach under pressure;
- Excellent IT skills with sound working knowledge of Outlook, Word, Excel;
- Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy in decision‑making;
- Excellent communication skills including senior management engagement;
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines under little supervision;
- Experience in motivating others to meet deadlines, benchmarks, key performance indicators and quality standards.
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Nice to have:
- Experience working in a hub, centralised operation or processing centre;
- Previous experience of collaborating with external suppliers and partners;
- Experience or knowledge of working in an international environment;
- Ability to gather and analyse customer insight / research data.
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Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
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4 March 2026
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Executive Officer (EO)
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Full-time, Fixed Term
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37.5
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6 months
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Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
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Spain
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Madrid
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British Embassy
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1
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EUR
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52,179.69 annual gross
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yearly
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4 May 2026
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Please be advised that Consular positions at the FCDO entail dealing with crisis and casework in situations that may involve death, detention, rape, assault, post-mortems, prison visits and highly distressed customers. Candidates should therefore have a high level of resilience to trauma.
This is a full-time, fixed-term contract at Executive Officer (EO ES) grade level, based in Madrid.
The successful candidate is subject to a confirmation of a background check, security clearance and the successful completion of a probationary period. Only short-listed applications will be called for personal interviews. No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.
The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Spanish Social Security Scheme and will therefore not be entitled to any gratuity from the Embassy based on gross annual salary.
The Embassy is a Diplomatic Mission with tax exempt status and does not collect taxes for other States. Employees are fully responsible for payment of income tax at the legally required rate. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Spain are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Spanish employment law.
The British Embassy in Madrid occupies floors of a high-rise building. In an emergency, lifts may be inoperable, requiring evacuation via stairs or to a fire safety refuge. Applicants with mobility needs are encouraged to discuss this with the job sponsor to ensure appropriate arrangements, including a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan.
Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Spain and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract. The British Embassy does not sponsor visas or work permits.
Working patterns:
Working hours are 37.5 per week. Emergency Travel Document (ETD) Centre staff are required to work on a rotational shift pattern. As Workflow Manager, while standard working hours would initially be between 0800 to 1600 Monday to Friday, your working hours will adjust regularly to meet the needs of the team and service delivery. Working hours will involve weekends, unsociable hours and public holidays. The British Embassy Madrid supports and promotes flexible working where possible as a crucial part of our inclusive offering.
Learning & Development: We offer time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation. All new hires undertake a workplace induction and there are a number of mandatory e-learning courses that must be completed in order to pass probation.
The FCDO is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.
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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.
The Embassy is committed to employee development and wellbeing and has several initiatives in both areas that benefit staff.
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To apply please copy and paste this link: https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/candidate/jobboard/vacancy/1/adv/
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