MNL - Pro-Consul, AO

The British Embassy in Manila is part of a global network providing a full range of consular assistance to British people in the Philippines in line with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) published Consular Charter, local procedures, guidance and performance standards. The successful candidate will be working in a fast-paced and complex environment where the ability to work under pressure and provide leadership is vital, as well as having responsibility for driving high standards of service delivery.

The Pro Consul will work as part of a Consular Team of 8 staff (and as one of five Pro-Consuls) in the delivery of the day to day operations and assistance to British Nationals.

The Pro Consul has the opportunity to make a direct difference to the lives of British Nationals, often in difficult and challenging circumstances. The job requires dealing with a wide variety of assistance casework, including following deaths, hospitalisation and in helping people to return to the UK. You may also be involved in responding to crises and other stressful events. Visits to prisons, hospitals and mortuaries, including travel to different parts of the Philippines, will also be required.

Roles and responsibilities /What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

• Consular Assistance: Provide support to British Nationals in the Philippines, under guidance from the Vice-Consuls and Consul, including: visiting prisoners, dealing with deaths, hospitalisations, victims of crime and victims of rape or sexual assault. Where necessary travel within the Philippines, possibly at short notice, to provide assistance directly to customers. Maintain timely and accurate records using FCDO’s consular casebook system.
• Notarial Services: Provide routine notarial services to British Nationals, including issuing Emergency Travel Documents and setting up same sex marriage ceremonies.
• Communication, Outreach and Prevention: Support in the delivery of plans to reduce preventable consular incidents in the Philippines, collaborating with the Prevention lead and colleagues within the Manila Consular Team. Contribute to pro-active outreach in the Philippines and communication with key external stakeholders, including building partnerships with local authorities, British Groups, the travel industry, other government organisations and likeminded Embassies. Contribute ideas and suggestions for Embassy social media messaging. Ensure publicly available information on gov.uk, including service provider lists and guidance sheets are accurate and up-dated regularly.
• Crisis: As part of the whole of mission approach, you will be expected to play an active role in the Embassy’s crisis preparedness, including contributing the Embassy Crisis Management Plan and being a member of the Consular Crisis Team in the event of a major incident.
• Corporate : Play an active part in the corporate life of the Embassy, joining Embassy Committees where appropriate, to maximise the overall wellbeing of staff.