The British Government in Germany is based at the British Embassy in Berlin and our consulates in Dusseldorf and Munich. We are part of a worldwide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. Currently, we are looking for an independent, dynamic and detail-oriented Pro-Consul with prior experience in customer service, at the British Embassy Berlin. The jobholder will play a key role in providing modern and efficient consular assistance and services to British people living and visiting Germany. The successful applicant will be working as part of a Germany-wide consular team alongside colleagues based at the British Consulate-Generals in Dusseldorf and Munich, also supporting consular officers at other German speaking posts when needed.
The jobholder will furthermore be expected to contribute to wider Consular objectives and the British Government’s Germany Network priorities and to support its positive working environment and actively participate in Learning and Development efforts. The Consular team in Germany is part of the wider EuroAsia Consular region that includes twenty-nine countries.
The role will involve interaction with members of the public, local and UK authorities. It will also require to build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders and agencies and deliver targeted prevention campaigns to advise and inform the British public. You will also be asked to prepare for accidents and incidents as part of our crisis preparation work and respond where necessary. As well as being a fully engaged member of the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) consular sub-region and wider EuroAsia Network the jobholder will support the delivery of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO’s) Consular Strategy.
You will join a supportive, diverse team with a culture of continuous improvement and taking responsibility for personal learning and development. We value a diverse range of skills and backgrounds. Consular Assistance is a challenging and very rewarding job. Our work is constantly evolving providing us with exciting opportunities. We look forward to working with someone who would like to further shape the future with us.
What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?
- Support British people and their families, for example in case of bereavement; providing assistance to destitute British people; supporting victims of crime and people who have been hospitalised; as well as assisting victims of rape & sexual assault, domestic violence, prisoners and people with mental health needs. Carry out vulnerability assessments. Please note this could require visits in challenging environments; some cases will have media/parliamentary interest;
- Develop and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with all external stakeholders in Germany to support the delivery of day-to-day consular assistance and crisis response, such as funeral companies, law enforcement authorities, courts, prisons, charities and support organisations;
- Plan and deliver consular prevention initiatives and communication campaigns, engaging with the Embassy’s communication team and feeding consular messages through Embassy social media channels where appropriate;
- Provide consular services, such as issuing Emergency Travel Documents to British Nationals, and notarial and documentary services in Germany. Manage the online appointments booking system as well as perform administrative duties;
- Take part in the whole of mission response to a crisis or incident in Germany, including crisis preparedness activities such as liaising with authorities and updating the Crisis Management Plan with the Regional Crisis Advisor and Consular Regional Operations Manager. Work closely with colleagues across our three posts and be prepared to deploy to the scene if needed;
- Provide resilience and support with case handling to colleagues in the DACH and EuroAsia Consular region; providing remote cover for other posts on an ad hoc basis, and possibly deploying to provide physical services at the request of the Consular Regional Operations Manager;
- This position will require travel meeting key stakeholders and consular customers throughout the year;
- Provide out of hours assistance in emergency consular cases as appropriate.