View Vacancy – Personal Assistant for the Head of Mission (PA HoM), Caracas

Main purpose of job: 

The British Embassy in Caracas is looking to recruit a bilingual (Spanish and English) Personal Assistant for the Head of Mission.

This is a varied, fascinating role, right at the heart of everything the Embassy does.  The job holder will work directly with the Head of Mission, providing administrative support and managing his professional (and some personal) commitments, and working on some of the most important and high profile issues the Embassy deals with.  

The role goes well beyond just diary keeping.  The Head of Mission will rely heavily on the job holder’s ability to support him on prioritising competing priorities.  The job holder will, therefore, be expected to proactively and strategically manage the Head of Mission’s time, working closely with him but also showing initiative to anticipate needs, balance competing demands, and ensure quality-control of everything he does.

The job-holder needs to have strong interpersonal skills.  He or she will work closely with the Head of Mission and so needs to be able to develop a strong and trusting relationship with him.  But the job holder also needs to be able to work flexibly and constructively with others from across the Embassy and beyond, following-up on the Head of Mission’s requirements of them but also supporting them when needed on wider Embassy projects.  Strong stakeholder management skills are also important.  The job holder will be the main point of contact within the Embassy for many of our most important and senior external contacts, so he or she needs to be unfailingly efficient but also friendly and approachable.

You will work closely with other staff in the Embassy (particularly the Embassy’s Events Manager) and in the Head of Mission’s Residence, as well as with colleagues in the British Government in the UK. From time to time, you will also provide some administrative support to the Deputy Head of Mission

Roles and responsibilities:

Day to day responsibilities vary, but core duties typically include:

• Managing the Head of Mission’s official (and personal) agenda, including by making sure that the HoM’s time is managed as strategically, efficiently and effectively as possible and in ways that reflect his key priorities;

• Organising all of the Head of Mission’s official (and personal) diary commitments, including all meetings with other Embassy staff and external stakeholders (this process involves liaising across the Embassy to ensure that all briefing, security and transport requirements are met);

• Helping to organise events at the Head of Mission’s official Residence (so working with the Embassy’s Events Manager to help organise larger or more complex meetings, receptions and speeches etc);

• Organising the Head of Mission’s travel overseas and in Venezuela (the Head of Mission travels frequently to the UK and other countries elsewhere for official and personal reasons, and has plans to visit more of Venezuela in the next year);

• Other miscellaneous administrative tasks, for example:
  –    acting as the first point of contact for phone calls and general queries to the Head of Mission;
  –    managing the Head of Mission’s travel budget;
  –    quick, informal translations of documents between Spanish and English, and vice versa;
  –    note-taking for some meetings; and
  –    some administrative support for the Deputy Head of Mission.

Resources managed: 

Management of the HoM’s travel budget

Essential on arrival:   

• Fluent in Spanish (ideally as a mother tongue) and English
• Excellent administrative skills, particularly with Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel
• At least 2 years’ experience in a relevant position
   
• Evidence of strong, effective decision making, delivering at pace, and working with others
    
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both Spanish and English
    
• Strong interpersonal skills

Language requirements: 

Language: Spanish and English

Level of language required: Advanced Spanish and English (at least C1 fluency on the CERF or equivalent.

Fluency will be assessed through the recruitment process, including at the interview stage.