The British Embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is now looking to recruit a full-time Projects Support Officer to support delivery of the British Embassy programme portfolio.

The UK Government has a portfolio of approximately £45 million of programmes which support resilience, stability and security across the Western Balkans. The job holder will be part of the Embassy Programme Team and work to the Head of Programmes on the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programmes in Montenegro. In doing so, the job holder will strive to ensure full compliance with CSSF and FCDO programming procedures, support Projects Officers in setting up and managing delivery of UK-funded projects and ensure of all administrative and finance requirements are met.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance with FCDO and CSSF operating procedures – You will provide support to Projects Officers in setting up new projects, including through ensuring all administrative procedures are completed on time and due diligence and contractual processes are finalised timely and in line with best practice. You will keep track of projects’ alignment with gender equality and social inclusion requirements, as well as Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning standards and work with Projects Officers to ensure all targets and requirements are met.
• Administrative and financial management of the Embassy programme portfolio – You will maintain and manage project records, online and offline. You will monitor financial spend across bilateral projects; provide spend forecast and process payments on bilateral projects. You will act as a point of contact for external implementing partners and Western Balkans Programme Unit for information on programmatic procedures and processes.
• Support projects and programme reporting processes – You will be responsible for commission and review of monthly and quarterly financial reports from implementing partners. You will provide guidance to implementing partners on reporting processes and respond to regular and ad hoc financial reporting demands. You will support the Head of Programmes in organising and administering Country Programme Board meetings, by requesting inputs from project leads, preparing meeting agendas and drafting meeting minutes.
• Support wider programming work – You will support organisation of project-related events, visits and public diplomacy activities.
• Support wider Embassy work – Each British Embassy Podgorica staff member is expected to contribute to wider Embassy work. You will be expected to take part in cross-Embassy committees and crisis preparedness work.

• Full professional proficiency in English and Montenegrin, including excellent writing skills (written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework*);
• At least three years of experience in project administration;
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office tools;
• Strong ability to prioritise tasks and adapt to organisational changes;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Ability to think creatively and take a proactive role in achieving portfolio objectives.