Executive Assistant to British Consul General – Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Main purpose of job:
The British Consulate-General in Rio de Janeiro is looking for a full-time Executive Assistant to work for the Consul General and act as the Residence Manager for organising and supporting representational events at the Consul General’s Residence.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced candidate to work in a fast-paced fascinating environment in an important central role covering the full range of UK government priorities in Rio. The position reports directly to the Consul General.

The role will suit a team player who is open to new ideas and ways of working, is capable of working with constantly changing priorities and managing a full workload. Experience of working in secretarial duties and/or administration is essential and experience in events management is desirable.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Executive Office: Run the Rio Consul General Executive Office, providing executive and administrative support for the Consul General as well as limited support to the Deputy Consul General. Work with a range of teams in the Consulate and the wider network of UK government offices in Brazil to ensure events, visits by the Consul General as well as visits to Rio by senior UK government staff run well. 40% of the job
• Diary Management: Manage the diary of the Consul General and the Residence – ensuring that external and internal meetings, events and visits are handled smoothly and in a way that maximises the UK’s impact in Brazil. This includes making judgments on priorities, ensuring deadlines for notes and briefings are kept, extensive liaison with organisations in the public and private sector in Rio. 40% of the job
• Residence Events Management:  organisation, support and delivery of successful events both at the Consul General’s Residence and occasionally in other venues (eg The Queen’s Birthday Party), working closely with the Consul General, Residence and wider Consulate teams.   The jobholder needs to ensure that the Residence is ready and equipped and staff are trained for events, that other teams understand their responsibilities in organising events.   As Residence Manager, the jobholder is often “front of house” for the residence events, ensuring that events run smoothly and any problems are quickly solved. This will mean working late on the occasional evening. 20% of the job (with big variations during the year)

The jobholder will need excellent organisational skills, and an eye for detail. They should be a good planner, able to juggle competing demands, switch between different functions and be comfortable working at speed with a lot of different customers. They will need good influencing skills and the ability to deal confidently with a wide range of people both inside and outside the organisation, sometimes at senior level. The jobholder must have excellent teamworking skills.

The British Consulate General in Rio provides an inclusive, flexible and supportive working environment, with a strong focus on learning and development.

• Previous experience of office Executive/Personal assistant and/or office administration work;
• An excellent standard of written and spoken English and Portuguese;
• Excellent computer keyboard skills, including familiarity with the MS Office suite of programs;
• Excellent self-management and organisational skills;
• Excellent team work and interpersonal skills;
• Flexible and positive approach to working in a forward thinking, modern and motivated organisation.