View Vacancy – Chief of Staff, British Consulate-General Montreal

The British Consulate General in Montreal is recruiting for a Chief of Staff to the Consul General. The position is vital to the smooth running of the Consulate General, the UK Government’s office in Quebec. The position is offered on a full-time, permanent basis starting as soon as possible, subject to successful security clearance. The jobholder must be fully bilingual in French and English.

This is a varied and interesting role. The Chief of Staff will use their excellent administrative and customer service skills in a small, busy diplomatic mission that operates as part of the UK’s wider network of offices in Canada. Through supporting the Consul General and the wider team, they will contribute to the Consulate General’s work on investment and trade; science and innovation; and political and public affairs.  

Specific responsibilities include the following; flexibility is required due to the varied nature of our work:

• Support to the Consul General, allowing them to carry out their duties effectively: diary management, scheduling meetings, maintaining contacts databases, writing official correspondence, preparing expense reports, arranging travel and other bookings, preparing background material for meetings, protocol liaison, facilitating maintenance of CG’s Residence, greeting visitors and preparing refreshments, ad hoc administrative support.
• Office Manager, ensuring the smooth functioning of the Consulate General: liaising with suppliers and vendors, organising office maintenance and/or security upgrades, answering general inquiries, handling visitors at front door, managing office supplies, arranging mail services, overseeing official vehicle maintenance and usage, acting as local lead on IT and information management, overseeing office health and safety, assisting with crisis preparedness, completing financial processes as required.
• Events, visits and other projects: Flexible support to the wider team through assisting with different projects as required. Event management: assisting or overseeing event planning and delivery, including issuing invitations, managing RSVPs, liaising with venues and arranging catering. Support on incoming official visits, including overseeing logistics, maintaining programmes and coordinating briefing and reports. Ad hoc support, for example assisting colleagues with research.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

The jobholder will play a role in managing the budgets of the Consulate and of ad hoc projects.  

• Bilingual French and English
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong IT skills, including MS Teams, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word
• Good organisational and prioritisation skills
• Good interpersonal skills, able to form strong working relations including virtually
• Attention to detail whilst grasping the bigger picture
• Ability to ensure value for money in dealings with vendors and suppliers
• A positive and flexible team player, willing to help others and take on new tasks.
• A professional demeanour, remaining calm dealing with difficult customers and confident greeting senior stakeholders
• Familiarity with and knowledge of Quebec

Language requirements: 

Language:  English and French
Level of language required:  The jobholder must be fully bilingual, able to operate in both English and French at the highest level, both orally and in writing. This will be tested during the recruitment process.