Support Officer to the Political Section (SWE21.016)

Foreign,
Commonwealth &
Development Office

Support Officer to the Political Section (SWE21.016)
The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

The British Embassy in Sweden is part of a worldwide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is now looking for a Support Officer to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the Embassy's political section, providing practical support to colleagues working in the team.
Roles and responsibilities:
. Support colleagues hosting visits and running events, managing transport, accommodation, venues, catering etc. Manage and update Embassy contact lists. Collate and submit standard reports to London, under the guidance of team leaders;
. Manage the Political Section budget, monitoring spending, maintaining records and liaising with the Embassy Accounts Manager. Manage relationships with suppliers and take responsibility for procurement of office supplies, media and other items;
. Respond to standard requests from correspondents with the Embassy including through the Embassy's email account. Lead on collation of information for Freedom of Information requests;
. General administration and support to Political Section colleagues. Work with the Corporate Services team to manage maintenance, cleaning and IT support;
. Provide holiday and sickness absence cover for the Ambassador's PA and assist the Deputy Head of Mission with diary management;
. Under the guidance of relevant team leaders deliver social media activity, and policy reporting.
Essential Skills
. Evidence of strong organisational skills (i.e. 2 years' experience as office manager, visits management, corporate PA, etc.);
. Good MS Office and IT skills (Windows 10, Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams)
. Proven ability to prioritise, handle multiple tasks and respond quickly to changing circumstances;
. Ability to work under pressure;
. Confidence to engage at all levels of the organization;
. Full professional proficiency in English and Swedish (minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework*).
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

. Professional experience managing budgets is very desirable;
. Experience with social media platforms;
. Experience working for government, embassy, NGO or international organisation.

Required competencies
Making Effective Decisions, Collaborating and Partnering, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace

Applications

Deadline for applications is 25 February 2021. For further details on this vacancy and information on how to apply, please follow the link to the FCDO Local Staff Vacancies Homepage: https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/brand-2/candidate/so/pm/4/pl/1/opp/13649-Political-Section-Support-Officer-SWE21-016/en-GB


This is a full-time, permanent position (40 hours per week).
According to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, locally employed staff should either be Swedish citizens, EU citizens or permanent residents of any nationality registered in the population register when beginning their employment. Registration in the population register is not possible once employment has begun. For more information, please consult:
https://www.government.se/government-of-sweden/ministry-for-foreign-affairs/diplomatic-portal/diplomatic-guide/8.-employment/8.1-locally-employed-staff/
The successful candidate will be subject to confirmation of a background check and security clearance.
Additional information
The FCDO does not pay for travel related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCDO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.
Information due to COVID-19:
. You may experience some delay in the progress of this recruitment campaign and we are working hard to minimise any disruption;
. Interviews will be done remotely if the existing situation determines this to be the right course of action;
. Starting date may be delayed depending on circumstances at the time and it will be agreed with the selected candidate.