View Vacancy – KL – Head of Consular Section and Vice Consul, EO

Main purpose of job:

The Vice Consul provides leadership, motivation, strategic direction and oversight of the day-to-day consular operations in Malaysia and Brunei, with management and leadership responsibility for a team of two consular officers. 

The Vice Consul manages the team in the High Commission dealing with a wide variety of assistance casework, including following deaths, hospitalisation, welfare and in helping people return to the UK. You will also be involved in responding to crises and other stressful events. Visits to prisons, hospitals and mortuaries will be required.

The Consular Section in the British High Commission Kuala Lumpur is part of a global network providing a wide range of consular assistance and services to British people in Malaysia and Brunei. This is provided in line with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) published Consular Guidance and Customer Charter, Consular Services Strategy, local procedures, guidance and performance standards. Consular Officers have the opportunity to make a direct difference to people’s lives in challenging circumstances. 

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

Management and Leadership:

• Lead the day to day running of consular operations in Malaysia in Brunei, with overall responsibility for ensuring staff deliver the consular strategy, meet targets and deliver consistent and high-level customer service.
• Line manage two staff, providing guidance, support and direction to them, ensuring workload allocated equitably. Motivation and development of the team, ensuring staff are appropriately trained and supported. Provide support to colleagues working under pressure and in a challenging environment, creating a positive inclusive work environment, focussing on wellbeing.
• Represent consular team and work with senior managers in Malaysia and Brunei and within the Asia Pacific consular region.  Act as contact point for Consular Directorate within the FCDO.
• Ensure all audit requirements are met and understood by all staff.

Consular Assistance: 

• Lead on high profile/complex assistance cases, including visiting prisoners, dealing with deaths, hospitalisations, victims of crime, distressed British Nationals.
• Where necessary travel within Malaysia and Brunei, possibly at short notice, to provide assistance directly to customers.
• Maintain timely and accurate records using FCDO’s consular case working system.
• Remotely oversee assistance for British Nationals in Brunei.

Communication, Outreach and Prevention: 

• Develop and deliver plans to reduce preventable consular incidents in Malaysia and Brunei, collaborating with the Asia Pacific Prevention Manager.
• Manage outreach, both in Malaysia and Brunei (visiting Brunei quarterly), and communications with key external stakeholders, building partnerships with local authorities, British groups, the travel industry, other government organisations and likeminded missions.
• Monitor and update the consular element of the travel advice, including recommendations for social media messaging.
• Ensure publicly available information on gov.uk is accurate and up-dated regularly.
• Liaison with regional consular management and other consular staff on operational and policy issues, including involvement in regional working groups.
• Provide statistical returns and reporting throughout the year.

Crisis:

• Assisting, as part of the whole of mission approach, in preparing for and responding appropriately to mass casualty incidents or crises.
• Be a member of the Post crisis management team.
• Liaison with Regional Crisis Advisor (RCA) on training and exercise timetable

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

Two consular officers

• Able to lead a multi-skilled team providing motivation, support and development, resolve conflict and bridge cultural differences.
• Able to display sound judgement and an analytical approach in decision making.
• Ability to drive high quality service standards, plan and prioritise for a busy team using sound judgement, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, applying procedures and guidance.
• Output focused – ability to drive delivery through the team, resolving issues fairly and promptly.
• Experience of working in a customer-facing environment including the ability to support clients and team members in traumatic or difficult circumstances.
• Good self-management and organisational skills with an ability to work under pressure in challenging, stressful situations, demonstrating a high level of resilience.
• Flexible, resilient, patient and able to deal with difficult situations, including working unsocial hours in an emergency.
• Proven experience of displaying a high level of discretion and responsibility.
• Ability to liaise with and manage external stakeholder relationships.
• Experience in completing timely and accurate written information in English.
• IT proficiency (e.g. Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Teams)
• Ability to travel within Malaysia, Brunei and Asia as required.

Language requirements: 

Language: English

Level of language required: Fluency in spoken and written English