Job Description

Main purpose of job:Consular assistance is an FCDO priority and issuing Emergency Travel Documents (ETD\'s) is a large part of the assistance offered to British nationals whilst working or travelling overseas.The Emergency Travel Document Centre operates as a hub, managing all ETD applications globally from three centralised locations (Singapore, Madrid and Mexico). Between the Centres we operate a near 24 hour service, 7 days a week.Your role will primarily encompass the processing of applications and production of ETDs for British Nationals whose full validity passport has expired, been damaged, lost or stolen or is otherwise unavailable with a need to travel urgently. The vast majority of these will have been online applicants whom you will support remotely, however you may also support individuals in person within Singapore.As an Officer, you will primarily work on more complex applications. Applicants in this circumstance may be more vulnerable and often require to be interviewed to ascertain their suitability for an ETD. Your role will include reviewing supporting information to assess an applicant\'s eligibility, taking payments for applications, data inputting, processing applications, printing Emergency Travel Documents, organising courier delivery and liaising with customers, usually by email or by phone. You may also be required to line manage an individual or small team of staff.Please note that ETD applicants are often distressed and occasionally vulnerable, requiring staff undertaking this role to be resilient and able to work under pressure. This is a very rewarding role with a global reach. You will provide support on a daily basis to people across every continent making important journeys, often out of situations that are challenging or stressful. You will work closely with British Consular teams, particularly within Asia Pacific, but also parts of MENASA and South Asia.This is a rewarding role particularly for someone who is looking for a role that provides a direct, positive outcome for individuals. The successful candidate is able to prioritise effectively, work pro-actively and think independently with well-rounded verbal and written communication skills. The successful candidate must also be a strong team player able to consider other people\'s points of view and understand the big picture when working with others.Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

• Processing of all straightforward ETD applications within service time targets, ensuring ETD information is correct for journey required.
• Meeting daily productivity benchmarks and quality targets.
• Processing of all non-straightforward ETD applications in time for the applicant\'s planned journey.
• Spotting and acting on potentially vulnerable applicants who require further support to in-country consular teams.
• Working together with a wide range of internal departments as needed to provide the correct solution to individuals.
• Triage of all new applications - correcting mistakes, clarifying travel plans, performing mandatory checks.
• Maintaining contact with applicants and managing expectations both verbally and in writing.
• Taking over the phone payments.
• Handling calls with applicants.
• Printing off, packaging and shipping of ETDs within APAC region.
• Closing duplicate applications.
• Managing collections where required.
• Sending notifications and requests for additional supporting documentation.
• Managing shared mailboxes and correspondence with APs.
• Attending regular operations team meetings and once monthly officer meetings.
• Engaging in and delivery of continuous improvement projects to improve operational service delivery.
• Undertaking regular training to develop and maintain relevant skills.
• Liaison with customers throughout the ETD process where required.
• General office upkeep including ETD stock management.
• Potential line management of staff

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• The successful candidate may be required to line manage a small team of consular assistants.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Fluency in English both verbal and written, with excellent communications skills.
• Strong IT literacy and able to learn new systems and tools quickly.
• Attention to detail.
• Demonstrable experience of working effectively within a team.
• The ability to work flexibly in a fast paced environment undergoing frequent change.
• Strong prioritisation and organisational skills to deliver within required timescales.
• Customer service skills with 3 years\' experience minimum including handling difficult conversations.
• Experience working in an administrative hub or centralised operation.

• Able to drive your own goal setting, development and learning.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience leading or managing process improvement projects.
• Previous experience managing an individual or a small team.
• Previous experience conducting interviews with customers or stakeholders.

Required behavioursDelivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture, Working TogetherApplication deadline29 August 2024GradeAdministrative Officer (AO)Type of PositionFull-time, PermanentWorking hours per week37.5RegionAsia PacificCountry/TerritorySingaporeLocation (City)SingaporeType of PostBritish High CommissionNumber of vacancies1Salary CurrencySGDSalary4,118Start Date28 October 2024Other benefits and conditions of employmentBenefits:We offer a competitive package, which includes basic salary of SGD 4,118 per month and a generous annual wage supplement (as part of total guaranteed remuneration) of an additional 2 months\' salary paid out in December each year, Central Provident Fund (CPF) payment in lieu for non-Permanent Resident foreign nationals, 23-days annual leave entitlement and a health insurance plan. The basic salary is non-negotiable.We have a generous leave offer including: 23 days annual leave, increasing to 25 after 5 years\' service, with the option to carry over up to 12 days into the subsequent leave year; 14 public holidays; generous maternity and paternity leave; and childcare leave. We encourage volunteerism and offer up to 3 days paid volunteer leave.We offer medical insurance to support staff with the high costs of healthcare in Singapore and periodic reimbursement for the cost of eye tests and replacement eye wear.Learning and development opportunities:This is an exciting opportunity to join a busy, fast paced team providing direct assistance to individuals around the world every day.We offer time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation.The BHC has an active Learning & Development Committee which works hard to provide a comprehensive L&D offer. There is a wide range of options available for personal development including training courses, coaching and mentoring, job-shadowing, presentations and learning sets. Staff have access to a wide variety of online resources through the International Academy and Civil Service Learning. Staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of all available opportunities.All new hires undertake a workplace induction and there are a number of mandatory e-learning courses that must be completed in order to pass probation.Working Patterns:Working hours are 37.5 per week. Emergency Travel Document Centre staff are required to work on a rotational shift pattern. Centre opening hours are 0600 to 1800 during off-peak and up to 2000 during peak. You will be rostered to work shifts daily within those hours. Working hours will involve some weekends, unsociable hours and public holidays.BHC Singapore supports and promotes flexible working where possible as a crucial part of our inclusive offering.Other information:In addition to the duties which this job normally entails, you may from time to time be required to undertake additional or other duties as necessary to meet the needs of the High Commission, including playing a part in the corporate life of the mission and supporting any crisis response.No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. You must have or be able to obtain a local work permit which we will sponsor.Staff recruited locally by the British High Commission are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Singapore employment law.Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks. Only short-listed applications will be called for personal interviews.The British High Commission is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation. Our values of Collaboration, Opportunity, Respect and Excellence (CORE) are our guiding principles. We aspire to live our values consistently in order to make the British High Commission a great place to work where staff feel valued, supported and inspired to be their best. To learn more about the Commission, watch .Please note that all successful candidates will be expected to serve a minimum of 6 months in their new role before being eligible to apply for further positions within the British High Commission.The FCDO also operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.Additional informationPlease note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field \xe2\x80\x9cApplication deadline."Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time.Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a \'reserve list\'. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender, and nationality.The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

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