View Vacancy – Personal Assistant to Deputy Head of Mission & Political Team (TUR24.314)

The British Embassy in Ankara is part of a world-wide network representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. We are looking to hire a Personal Assistant (PA) to the Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) & Political Team to join the Private Office.

The British Embassy is a busy post and plays a vital role managing a bilateral relationship of growing importance across a range of UK interests, from foreign and security policy, trade and counter terrorism to migration, international development and humanitarian affairs. We are looking for an assistant to support the DHM and Political Team to deliver the UK’s objectives in Turkey.

The role is split into two equal elements:

As Personal Assistant to the DHM, you will support the DHM in all aspects of their work to ensure they can perform effectively. You will manage their busy schedule, including travel, and set up internal and external engagements with senior interlocutors. Strong communication skills are vital to ensure the DHM’s day runs smoothly, working closely with the full range of stakeholders across the British Embassy. There are often competing demands on the DHM, so the jobholder should be able to help the DHM prioritise.

As Assistant to the Political Team, you will be the lynchpin of the team and support them to deliver effectively. You will provide executive support to the Political Counsellor, managing their engagements and travel. For the rest of the team, you will arrange meetings with a range of Turkish Ministries and institutions, political parties, think tanks and other diplomatic missions. You will also be expected to support the team hosting senior visitors from the UK government.

All staff at the British Embassy are expected to contribute to the organisation’s corporate agenda and make the Embassy a great place to work.

What the role entails as:

Personal Assistant to DHM

• Lead on administrative, diary management and logistical duties for the DHM. This will include setting up external meetings and organising the DHM’s travel and internal visits.
• Ensure the DHM is prepared for all engagements, with transport booked and necessary briefing provided in a timely manner.
• Support the DHM in their capacity to engage across the Turkey Network by arranging internal meetings and coordinating regular drop-in sessions.
• Organise formal lunches and dinners by issuing invitations and, when necessary, liaising with catering companies.
• Help monitor, signpost and respond to emails from the public which have been sent to the Embassy mailbox.
• Ad-hoc translation between Turkish and English will be required to facilitate the DHM’s communication.
• This role will provide cover for the Personal Assistant to the Ambassador when necessary.

Assistant to the Political Team

• Lead on administrative, diary management and logistical duties for the Political Counsellor. This will include setting up external meetings and organising the Political Counsellor’s travel and internal visits. Ensure their contacts list are up to date.
• Arrange meetings for the team with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other organisations, including travel and logistical arrangements. Draft Note Verbales when required.
• Assist with logistical arrangements for incoming working level visits and support the team in their official visits in Turkey, liaising with transport providers and hotels where necessary.
• Organise internal team events such as Away Days and team meetings. Lead on administrative duties such as making payments, organising gifts to be sent on behalf of the team, rostering duty cover, managing the annual leave planner and ensuring the team’s file management system is up to date.
• Contribute to the wider Embassy function and support positive behaviours and team-work.

Our Ideal candidate will have:

• Proficiency in written and spoken English & Turkish (C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to support a team and work effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Ability to build strong and collaborative working relationships with the Government, institutions and international community.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail; able to work independently and manage a varied, fast-paced workload.
• Experience leading travel and visit programmes and delivering events.
• Literacy in Microsoft Office packages (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Teams).