View Vacancy – Personal Assistant to HM Consul General (TUR24.322)

Who are we? 

The British Consulate General in Istanbul is part of a world-wide network representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. It is part of a Turkey-wide His Majesty’s Government (HMG) network, which also includes the British Embassy in Ankara and coastal posts. The Consulate General is led by our dynamic Head of Mission, who has a dual role as HM Consul General in Turkey, and Trade Commissioner for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, encompassing trade offices in 14 countries.

Main purpose of job: 

We are now seeking a Personal Assistant to the Consul General – this role is at the heart of everything the Consulate General does, providing essential secretarial, administrative and organisational duties, and personal assistance and support across his portfolio. This role works as part of a CG Private Office which consists of the Personal Assistant (PA) and the CG’s Chief of Staff, who manages the PA. The PA provides effective liaison with all other sections within the Consulate including a busy trade team with a regional portfolio, a large visa team, the hospitality team who manage multiple events, and other essential services such as Consular. This means being a strong team player will be vital. The role is also the first contact many external visitors have with the Consulate, and so all written and spoken communications in both English and Turkish will need to be clear and professional.

It is an exciting opportunity to gain an insight into every aspect of the work of the Consulate and really make a difference for the relationship between the United Kingdom and Turkey. A chance to use their experience and knowledge of Turkey to support the Consul General and other colleagues on a variety of issues. The work of the Consulate can change and move rapidly, and so the job holder will need to be adaptable, flexible, highly organised and with great attention to detail. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn, develop and grow in the role. 

Roles and responsibilities: 

• Proactively managing a busy diary, often subject to last minute changes and across multiple time zones; and supporting the chief of staff in managing the inbox;
• Devising and maintaining office systems;
• Day to day office management; collating documents, briefing papers and presentations; screening calls and requests and handling them appropriately;
• Dealing with visa queries which have come directly to the HMCG/TC;
• Liaising with senior members of the team at Post, Regions and London; meeting and greeting visitors;
• Making cost effective decisions and recommendations when booking travel and accommodation;
• Managing HM Consul General and Trade Commissioner’s expenses and keeping a record of all receipts;
• Managing gift register which meets audit requirements;
• Effectively line-managing the HMTC/GG’s driver and approving his expenses;
• Liaison with HMTC/CG’s Personal Protection Officer regarding schedules and arrangements;
• Liaison with Events Manager to ensure HMTC/CG involvement in receptions/meetings/conferences in Pera House are well-planned and organized efficiently;
• Liaison with external organisations, guards and caterers in run-up to events and on the day.

Our Ideal Candidate shows: 

• Fluent written and spoken Turkish and English (C1 level the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages*);
• University Degree in administration, business, management, international relations, politics or similar;
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in administrative/ support role;
• Some experience in diary management, travel arrangements or as a Private Assistant / Private Secretary;
• Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines, without compromising the quality of the work;
• Ability to diary manage and set priorities;
• Excellent planning and organisation skills;
• Being adaptable and open to change;
• Being strong team-player;
• Ability to work closely with senior staff of the Consulate and their contacts;
• Ability to maintain and develop a range of contacts to build effective working relationships;
• Courtesy and consideration in dealing with telephone callers and others;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools particularly Outlook, Word and Excel.