Current Vacancies at Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Roles and Responsibilities / what will the job holder be expected to achieve:

The below roles and responsibilities are general guidelines. The role is not limited to the detail below and the responsibilities are subject to change from time to time with prior consultation if circumstances, structures, work pressures or priorities alter, or if absences need covering.

• Meeting and greeting new diplomatic and some visiting staff and providing security briefings.  Ensure all staff have been briefed at the various level of briefing required. Maintain a log of briefings.
• Keep up to date with current affairs that may have an impact on security of the staff and buildings and ensure up to date messaging is sent out. Keep security managers updated.
• Responding to incidents affecting staff and liaise with emergency services and other authorities/security providers to ensure staff receive help as soon as possible. Keep the ROSM and others updated.
• Plan and provide security support for high-level visitors with the support of the security managers. Carry out reconnaissance visits to vulnerable areas with security support in place. Manage convoys of official vehicles and ensure good communications are in place throughout visits.
• Establish a strong security network with diplomatic and other organisations that provide security in Cape Town and other areas.
• Planning security support and measures for events at the main residence and other locations. Working alongside other teams within the mission.
• Conducting security assessments for new properties, hotels and other accommodation as informed by the ROSM or Security Operations Manager, against periodic reviews or in response to issues arising, ensuring British High Commission standards are met, compliance with Health & Safety requirements, and a high standard of customer service for staff and residential occupants.
• Maintaining security features such as alarms, electric fences, CCTV, access control and other security measures used at the offices and residences to a high standard. Planning regular service reviews with contractors. Ensuring staff follow security policies and protocols.
• Testing the contracted guards and security companies on periodic security incident responses. Be an active member in the crisis team, post security committees and other committees that require security input.
• Organising work to deliver security works in offices and properties including planning / scheduling of work tracking progress and record keeping.
• Raising requisitions orders and receipting funds on the British High Commission’s IT systems, dealing with financial issues and budgeting requirements and researching and assessing works quotes and costs.
• Monitoring security related maintenance requests, ensuring that issues are addressed in line with agreed standards and deadlines, and communicating with staff and residential occupants.
• Security administration duties including responding to email and phone enquiries from staff, service suppliers, contractors and others. Update security asset registers. Understand the procurement processes and account for security works procured. Possible admin duties related to security work at other British High Commission locations.
• Using experience / knowledge to observe and highlight any estate or security concerns, including accompanying security contractors, related to property inspections and maintenance around generators, electrical, plumbing, security equipment and other similar issues.  Assess security standards at properties and offices and report on these to managers.
• Provide advice on physical and procedural security matters, and about local security threats, risks and trends (covering different areas of Western Cape, and its facilities, eg, hotels, places to visit etc.), to staff, UK Government visitors to Cape Town and to managers based in Pretoria. / BC premises.  Support visits to Cape Town by UK Government representatives, including VIPs, in particular security considerations for the logistical and public-facing elements of such visits.
• Liaising with landlords as required to ensure security standards are met. Reporting on these to managers based in Pretoria.
• Provide a strong contribution with the security department in Pretoria and other teams in the British Consulate in Cape Town, especially related to learning and development, teamwork, collaboration and support to others, respect to colleagues, and diversity and inclusion.
• Deliver professionally other security tasks and new work as delegated by managers on an ad hoc basis, often outside the above areas, to support the work of the British High Commission in South Africa.
• Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 1 

• Strong computer literacy
• Multi-tasking, planning, communication with customers and time-management skills
• Valid Driver’s licence.  The jobholder must be able to drive
• Administration experience, including dealing with external contractors and being able to deliver proactively on their own initiative
• Fluent in written and spoken English

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 1 

• Experience in property management / facilities management / working in the security sector
• Budgetary experience
• Full training will be provided to the successful candidate if they do not have this experience

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Roles and Responsibilities / what will the job holder be expected to achieve:

The below roles and responsibilities are general guidelines. The role is not limited to the detail below and the responsibilities are subject to change from time to time with prior consultation if circumstances, structures, work pressures or priorities alter, or if absences need covering.

• Organising tasks required in managing a portfolio of residential accommodation including site visits, managing contractors, tracking progress and record keeping.
• Organising work to deliver facilities management activities in offices and properties including planning / scheduling of work and ensuring staff have the correct information about works and property issues.
• Raising requisitions orders and receipting funds on the British High Commission’s finance portal dealing with financial issues and budgeting requirements and researching and assessing works quotes and costs.   These tasks include remote working for the British High Commission’s South Africa-wide Estates team by supporting budget and finance duties related to properties, offices and estates at other British High Commission locations.
• Conducting property assessments, against periodic schedules or in response to issues arising, ensuring British High Commission standards are met, compliance with Health & Safety requirements, and a high standard of customer service for staff and residential occupants.
• Monitoring maintenance requests, ensuring that issues are addressed in line with agreed standards and deadlines, and communicating with staff and residential occupants.
• Administration duties, including internal record-keeping on properties, service suppliers, contractors, budget issues and asset registers.  Management of property information and inventories, including on the British High Commission’s IT systems.  These tasks include remote working for the British High Commission’s South Africa-wide Estates team by supporting admin duties related to properties, offices at other British High Commission locations.
• Using experience / knowledge to observe and highlight any estates concerns, including accompanying contractors, related to property inspections and maintenance around generators, electrical, plumbing and other similar issues.  Assess health and safety standards at properties and offices and report on these to manager.
• Liaise with landlords and building managers to ensure fire safety, and health and safety standards are met, including regular fire testing.  Reporting on these to managers based in Pretoria.
• Provide a strong contribution, in addition to the above day-to-day tasks to the morale and team spirit of the local Corporate Services team, and other teams, in the British Consulate in Cape Town, especially related to learning and development, teamwork, collaboration and support to others, respect to colleagues, and diversity and inclusion.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Oversee works funded by the British High Commission estates, including researching quotes, assessing these and ensuring costs offer good value for money, financial processes are managed effectively on the IT system and budgetary information is recorded, reported and maintained accurately.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• Strong computer literacy
• Multi-tasking, communication with customers and time-management skills
• Valid Driver’s licence.  The jobholder must be able to drive
• Administration Experience, including dealing with external contractors
• Fluent in written and spoken English

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience in property management / facilities management
• Budgetary experience

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Roles and responsibilities:

Financial & Budgetary Management:

• Be accountable and lead on all financial management of the DBT Africa delegated budget (around £5.2million) ensuring -/+1% forecast outturn against budget is reached on a yearly basis.  Monitor day-to-day financial operations within the DBT Africa region through accurate forecasting and financial management.
• Accurately cost staff budgets, manage the budget and report on any variances, regularly reporting back to HQ (London) on our overall financial performance.
• Monitor non-staff budgets of the 18 Country Teams and 7 Sector teams, providing oversight, assurance and challenge as needed to ensure teams remain within budget and policy rules.  

 Financial Reporting & Analysis:

• Provide reassurance and challenge to teams through monthly discussions with London, monthly country audits and quarterly Country Directors and Sector Directors finance deep dives. Prepare Africa pay and non-pay budget (Business Plan) at various currencies, using both historically pegged and current exchange rates
• Provide challenge and support to the senior leadership team through financial reports and interpreting financial information to aid in long-term and short-term decision-making. This includes preparing, monitoring and reporting performance against the annual budget and any longer term financial plans and workforce planning.
• Lead the finance element of the yearly business planning process, ensuring the region secures the funding it needs to deliver its objectives.

Financial Policy, Guidance and Building Capability and Expertise:

• Ensure compliance with local and HQ accounting policies and regulatory requirements. Deliver financial training when required, including finance & procurement induction for new joiners and budget holders.
• Support all teams in the network to effectively manage financial resources and achieve value for money through proactively sharing information and best practice, and providing sound financial advice and help troubleshoot complex financial issues.
• Management of an Administration Coordinator to oversee their work supporting the region. They will support them to deliver on admin activities, finance, HR, event management, internal communications and information management.
• Deputise for the DBT Africa Chief Operating Officer on finance matters as needed and Support them on wider leadership team across an array of finance and non-finance areas.
• Be an active corporate member of DBT Africa.   

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Line manage of 1 Administration Coordinator
• £5.2m core budget and £240k Export Support Service budget (held in HQ)

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Tertiary Education with an Accounting/Auditing/Financial focus degree and/or undergraduate degree and financial/accounting professional qualification.
• Experience with Accounting Principles and Processes
• Experience of budget management and forecasting across multiple areas.
• Experience of month end reporting, analysing and presenting financial information.
• Minimum 3 years relevant work experience in finance and/or accounting. 
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills
• Attention to detail , with an ability to spot numerical errors
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to quickly grasp financial management reporting tools

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Effective project and time management skills.
• Problem-solving, strategic and analytical capabilities with an excellent record of delivering against measurable metrics and milestones.
• Works independently, Self-starting, proactive and persistence to lead and deliver activity 
• Design automated reports through Quick Sights (not essential, internal training is available)