Who are we? 

The British Consulate General in Milan is a part of a world-wide network representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. Our network is recruiting for an Executive Assistant to HM Consul General for the Department for Business and Trade in Milan (DBT). The Department for Business and Trade is the Government Department that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s dynamic economy acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business.

Main purpose of job:

A fixed-term (with possibility of renewal) vacancy has arisen for the post of Executive Assistant to the British Consul General at the British Consulate General Milan.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Executive Assistant with strong organisational skills. We are looking for someone who is dynamic, digitally fluent and detail-oriented. We are an international organisation that requires a high adaptability to change. The successful candidate should start as soon as possible. Main purpose is to organise the day-to-day running of the office of the Consul General and provide support to the Deputy Consul General, who manages the Operations Team.
 

Roles and responsibilities:

1. To provide effective PA and administrative support to the Consul General, including managing diary and contact details, finalising correspondence, handling or redirecting as appropriate incoming e-mail and telephone enquiries, arranging internal and external appointments and scheduling management meetings and conference calls; preparation and formatting of Teams Meetings and external presentations, documents and reports on a regular basis;
2. To manage frequent travel arrangements of the Consul General and the Deputy Consul General, including regional visit programmes and transport logistics, with flexibility to support additional senior team members where operationally essential;
3. To manage the Consul General’s and the Deputy’s official expenditure  in line with UK Government policy;
4. To assist the Consul General in their role as the Director of Department for Business and Trade Italy, updating business documents and helping to arrange meetings with the DBT Europe regional network;
5. To lead on events organised at Milan Consul’s Residence (supported by other team members in the case of a large event) and manage Residence suppliers; to assist the Consul General in organising institutional dinners and support DBT teams with events as necessary;
6. To contribute to the FCDO Italy Network corporate agenda; to assist Rome colleagues in setting up the Ambassador’s visit programmes in Milan and coordination for such visits;
7. To build strong relationships with the offices and cabinet of local authorities and institutions, and work closely with senior staff and their contacts.

Our Ideal Candidate shows: 

• Full professional proficiency in English and Italian (written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework* or equivalent);
• At least 3 years of proven experience as an Executive Assistant supporting at a management level and/or experience in office administration environment (diary & contact details management, managing frequent travel arrangements);
• Experience of managing expenses and/or budget;
• Excellent IT skills, with the full range of Microsoft Office;
• Ability to participate in meetings in both English and Italian and take minutes;
• Excellent organisational skills, particularly attention to detail and the ability to forward plan;
• Ability to prioritise and revisit tasks under constant change;
• Discreet and excellent interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations and work collaboratively.