|
This is an exciting opportunity at the heart of the British High Commission’s Corporate Services Section. The job holder will work with the Corporate Services Manager to effectively manage the High Commission’s finances, leased estates portfolio and provide administrative support for Corporate Services and the wider team as required. They will be required to build effective relationships with suppliers, ensuring the UK High Commission obtains high-quality and value for money services across the Corporate Services portfolio. They will work with a variety of colleagues across the corporate portfolio, based at the corporate Regional Hubs in Pretoria and Manila.
The role would suit someone with strong communication, line management and delivering at pace skills. They should have strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with clear focus on delivery and meeting often competing stakeholder expectations. The successful candidate will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, both internal and external, at the British High Commission, in the UK and the African region.
|
Financial Management 35%
- Lead on compliance of financial procedures including Distribution Sets, Invoices, Debit and Credit memos, Miscellaneous Receipts and Network Post Accounts, including correctly accounting for spend, supporting the Corporate Services Manager to manage and improve financial processes to mitigate the risk for fraud.
- Support the Corporate Services Manager to advise new staff on their HERA financial responsibilities including reconciliation of corporate credit card and expense claims.
- To be fully familiar with financial policies of the FCDO and be able to make effective use of these tools to manage financial information, communicating and negotiating recommendations for improvements to streamline existing processes.
- Identify and investigate financial trends that are impacting Post’s performance indicators, delivering solutions to improve compliance procedures. This includes ensuring all payments are made to suppliers promptly, monitoring cash and bank account, liaise with GTPC on unreconciled items, managing relationship with local bank and preparing cash funding profiles.
- Proactively identify options for cost effectiveness, potential efficiencies and value for money across the corporate portfolio this includes supporting change by implementing new policies, procedures and systems on the corporate platform.
Protocol Administration 10%
- Lead on the arrival and departure processes for diplomatic staff and their families’ ensuring processes are efficiently managed to meet required deadlines (vehicles, heavy baggage and airfreight).
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key external contacts in the Mauritian administration, negotiating and influencing stakeholders to achieve the required outcome.
- Provide regular, clear and timely updates on protocol issues and keep diplomatic staff up to date on developments related to these issues.
- Manage customs clearance for diplomatic shipments, including airport access.
- Update of Post Geographical guide for travel and review and update Post Report, working with the Deputy High Commissioner.
Procurement 5%
- Lead and ensure that the procurement process is followed on a timely basis, ensuring colleagues are compliant when setting up new suppliers.
- Collaborate with the Corporate Services Manager and the regional procurement hub to reviewing existing supplier lists.
- Support the Corporate Services Manager and the team in the procurement of goods and services using FCDO guidance and meeting UK standards.
- Proactively manage low value procurement of goods and services with suppliers and contractors, reviewing quote submissions, ensuring good value for money, and maintaining compliance, transparency and sound audit trails.
- Manage the local contracts database, reviewing contract expiration dates and investigating aggregate spend with suppliers.
Payroll 15%
- Manage CBS payroll, overtime, allowances and ensure pay is submitted and received on time.
- Process and submit statutory returns to local authorities, including social security CSG/NPS returns to MRA.
- Lead on information compliance of Corporate Services finance record retention by proactively reviewing data that has become obsolete or requires archiving on MS teams site.
Estates 20%
- Lead on and act as the liaison officer for all leased property maintenance requests. Investigating issues raised promptly, collaborating with landlords to agree timelines for delivery of work tasks, locking in dates with UKBS officers and seeking feedback on standard of delivery of completed works.
- Manage and replenish domestic floats as required when officers arrive/depart from Post, updating inventories on MS teams.
- Deputise when the Estate and Security Manager is on leave as required on estates matters.
- Ensure that diplomatic staff are kept informed on developments related to maintenance requests on leased properties.
Management 10%
- Management of Transport Manager/Driver ensuring the staff member has set goals that contribute to organisational priorities, focussing on delivery and behaviours with success criteria. Ensure that performance and development conversations consolidate learning achievements and development needs and provide the appropriate coaching and mentoring guidance as required.
Team support 5%
- In the absence of the Corporate Services Manager, lead on HR, Protocol and management of the High Commission budget, this includes running budget forecasting and expenditure HERA reports and attending end of month meetings with the Head of Mission, weekly Senior Leadership Team meetings, quarterly meetings with the Deputy Head of Mission, Post Management Security Committee meetings, updating stakeholders and responding to queries from Senior Management on Corporate Services activities as required.
- Manage and update Corporate Services Finance and HR content on teams’ sites.
- Support other colleagues within Corporate Services and the wider team when necessary
- Participate in Post crisis activity, updating crisis tree, providing support to the wider British High Commission (BHC) team and assisting the consular team with support for UK nationals.
The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific responsibilities could change in the future and this would be at the discretion of the line manager or head of section. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the BHC’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis.
|
