Political Team Assistant and Personal Assistant to Deputy Ambassador

The British Embassy in Ankara is part of a worldwide network representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is looking for Political Team Assistant and Personal Assistant to Deputy Ambassador.

The political section is looking for an assistant to help support its work. It is essential that the successful jobholder has strong administration, organisation and communication skills. The ability to prioritise and problem solve under pressure is also important. The role is split into three elements: Political Assistant; Visits Officer; and Personal Assistant to the Deputy Ambassador.

As Political Assistant the jobholder is responsible for supporting the political section logistically with: organising events, arranging meetings, setting up transport and helping to manage the team budget. There are often competing demands on the jobholders’ time, the ability to work quickly, accurately and prioritise is essential. The ability to support the team with research, producing documents and occasional translation is also desirable.

Ankara sees a high number of senior visits from UK Royals, Ministers, MPs and diplomats.  The job holder should be able to lead and arrange the logistics for visits. This involves everything from arranging flights and transport, to coordinating with Turkish interlocutors and managing the often changing program. The ability to work quickly and effectively under pressure, problem solve, along with showing a can-do attitude is essential. During and in the lead up to visits, the jobholder may be required to work additional hours to ensure the visit is a success. The previous job holder successfully organised 16 senior level visits in 2016 and 13 in 2017 including a royal visit, UK Prime Minister and UK Foreign Secretary (3 times).

The jobholder also acts as the Personal Assistant to the Deputy Ambassador (DHM). This involves managing the DHM’s extremely busy schedule including domestic/foreign travel, and setting up internal and external calls with senior interlocutors. Strong communication skills are vital to ensure that the DHM day runs smoothly and that she gets to meetings on time and prepared. There are often competing demands on the DHM, the jobholder should be able to help the DHM prioritise and manage her time effectively. Experience of supporting seniors is desirable. The jobholder also liaises with the Ambassador’s office and other teams to ensure that the DHM efforts are coordinated and utilitised. Occasional translation and producing documents may also be needed.

Apart from these roles, the jobholder also: provides cover for the Personal Assistant to the British Ambassador; and helps monitor, signpost and respond to emails from the public which have been sent to the Embassy email account.

This job description may be subject to change if political section secure funds to hire an additional member of staff in the coming months.

In short, main responsibilities will include:

Political Assistant: including making appointments, arranging meetings/travels, making payments/accounting, producing documents such as biographies, short translations, notes and reports;

Visits Officer: senior level visits to the Embassy and all other levels to the Political Team;

Personal Assistant to DHM: including organisation of schedule and diary, arranging meetings / travels, preparing documents;

Other activities: including event organising, maintaining office systems, dealing with phone calls, activities related to Information Manager email account, providing cover to HMA’s Personal Assistant.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

Fluency in English and Turkish (both oral and written);
Excellent planning and organisation skills;
Ability to work closely with senior staff and Turkish interlocutors, including Ministers and Ambassadors;
Ability to maintain and develop a range of contacts to build effective working relationships;
Ability to coordinate with external contacts;
Being adaptable and open to change;
Ability to work under pressure;
Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools particularly Outlook, Word and Excel;
Ability to translate and interpret documents from / to English and Turkish.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

Minimum two years experience working in administration, a support role or as a personal assistant to a senior.

This is a full-time permanent contract, for 5 working days (36.25 hours net) per week.

The monthly salary for this position is 1,447.61 USD  gross, paid in 12 monthly instalments, A2 level. Please note that staff members are responsible for paying any income tax required by local law.

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Turkey. The British Embassy does not sponsor for work permits.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check, security clearance and a probation period of 2 months.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Ankara are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Turkish employment law.

British Diplomatic Missions are equal opportunities employers, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference. We are committed to developing a learning organisation that enhances business performance, maximises our staff’s potential and encourages staff innovation and development.