Job Description

                                                    Consular Officer/Interpreter

1. Introduction

The Embassy of Ireland in Hanoi is a busy office engaged in a range of activities and services.

The Embassy works to promote a positive relationship between Ireland and Vietnam across a wide number of sectors. From developing Irish economic and business interests in Vietnam to supporting Vietnam’s development through our Irish Aid programme which provides technical support and experience sharing to our Vietnamese partners, the Embassy focuses on maintaining the excellent relationship between our two Governments.

The Embassy of Ireland in Hanoi is also accredited to Cambodia and Lao PDR and Ireland has also established a strong political and development presence in these countries.

Beyond the trade, economic, cultural and development activities, the Embassy processes visa applications for entry by foreign citizens to Ireland and provides a wide range of consular services for Irish citizens, including passport processing, Foreign Birth Registration, Certificates of Freedom to Marry and authentication of documents, and consular assistance to Irish citizens in emergencies in South-East Asia.

2. The Position

The Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam is seeking to recruit a highly motivated and experienced individual to join our Embassy team. The Consular Officer/Interpreter will report directly to the Second Secretary responsible for consular services, and will also work closely with the Embassy’s Administrative Attaché and two existing consular officers/interpreters. This is a new role and will be subject to probation.

The Consular Officers at the Embassy of Ireland perform a wide range of duties across the Embassy’s three countries of accreditation (Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR), including but not limited to: provision of consular services and consular assistance; provision of visa services; liaison with Government and other diplomatic missions; provision of customer services at the Embassy’s public office; diary management and logistics support to posted staff; provision of translation and interpretation; and, event management support. The Embassy’s Consular Officers, while each having distinct areas of responsibility, work in a flexible manner to ensure continued coverage of the broad range of tasks assigned to these roles.

Specific Responsibilities:

Consular services

• Communicating with Irish citizens and visa applicants in the Embassy’s three countries of accreditation by email, phone and in person and ensuring the provision of accurate and timely information on consular and visa services;
• Ensuring  the  provision  of  timely,  efficient  and  appropriate  customer  services  at Embassy’s public office;

• Processing a range of consular services, including passport applications, emergency travel documents, certification of documents, authentication of adoption applications, Foreign Birth Registration, Certificate of Freedom to Marry, etc.;
• Management of consular and visa filing systems, maintenance of Irish citizen registers in the three countries of accreditation, and compilation of monthly consular statistics;
• Management and reconciliation of Embassy petty cash and reconciliation of consular receipts;
• Liaison and relationship-building with relevant counterparts in Ireland to ensure the smooth functioning of public services offered by the Embassy;

Consular assistance

• Provision of direct consular assistance to Irish citizens, by email, phone and in person;
• Provision of critical support to diplomatic consular officers for complex consular cases, including negotiation with authorities, liaison with key actors, and interpretation/translation;
• Support to emergency consular assistance, including out of hours;
• Maintenance of accurate records of consular assistance provided;
• Liaison, negotiation and relationship-building with immigration, police, hospitals, undertakers and other organisations, and maintenance of list of key contacts, to ensure the provision of essential consular support in the Embassy’s three countries of accreditation;
• Liaison, negotiation, and relationship-building with Government ministries and other diplomatic missions, and maintenance of list of key contacts, to ensure the provision of essential consular support, and to facilitate the Embassy’s broader engagement in its three countries of accreditation;
• Liaison and relationship-building with relevant counterparts in Ireland to ensure the smooth functioning of public services offered by the Embassy;

Visa services

• Provision of accurate advice to visa applicants and agents, by phone, email and in person;
• Preparation of visa applications for consideration by the deciding officer;
• Liaison and relationship-building with consular/visa officers in other diplomatic missions to facilitate information-sharing, within the provisions of the Data Protection Act;

Interpretation/Translation

• Provision of translation and interpretation to:

i)facilitate the provision of consular assistance;

ii)facilitate official communications with Vietnamese authorities;

iii)facilitate the effective conduct of meetings between diplomatic staff and the Vietnamese Government, state bodies and other key interlocutors;

• In particular, provision of interpretation to Ambassador and Second Secretary in bilateral meetings with Government, including on justice, political and foreign policy matters;
• Provision of interpretation to incoming delegations, notably in respect of adoption matters; 

Local executive assistant duties

• Provision of administrative support to the Ambassador including through: management of Ambassador’s diary; maintenance of database of key contacts; organising appointments with key Government, diplomatic and Irish community contacts across the three countries of accreditation; travel arrangements;
• Organisation of events at the Embassy and Residence, including preparation of invitation lists, managing RSVPs, and coordinating event logistics;
• Management of diaries and provision of logistics support (travel, accommodation, visas) to all posted staff;

Wider Embassy Support

• Provision of logistics support to incoming and outgoing visits;
• Assisting in the promotion of Ireland and maintenance of diaspora links through supporting the organisation of Embassy events;
• Provision of input on consular matters across the work of the Embassy, to ensure that consular issues are understood and taken into consideration across other aspects of the Embassy’s work;
• Contribute to the Embassy’s promotional and trade agenda through providing timely, accurate and efficient advice and support to prospective visitors to Ireland.

Note: The Embassy of Ireland in Hanoi is a professional team and all staff are expected to be respond to challenges, be flexible, and to assist with other duties and projects of the Embassy as required. Staff should note that some position duties may change over time as required.

3. Selection Criteria

A.A minimum qualification of a recognised university degree is required;

B.Strong organisational skills and ability to undertake projects, administrative duties, and to organise public activities and programmes, including managing complex events, and paying close attention to detail;

C.Ability to work with minimal supervision, to set priorities and manage complex tasks and competing demands to meet deadlines while maintaining high standards of work. Ability to work under pressure, solve problems, be flexible and adapt to new tasks and situations as required;

D.Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to cooperate well with colleagues, key contacts and citizens and to develop good working relationships. Ability to work well as a member of a team, as well as to work independently;

E.Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing in English and Vietnamese, including strong liaison, negotiation and translation skills;

F.Understanding of the importance of maintaining the integrity of a diplomatic mission, and of the confidentiality of consular services.

Applications

We are seeking high quality written applications in English. Your application should include a cover letter, CV, copy of university certificate, name and contact details of three referees, a passport photo and statement directly addressing the selection criteria (for each criterion no more than 100 words). Written applications form part of the final assessment, and applications that do not directly address the selection criteria will not be considered.

How to apply

·       Interested qualified candidates are invited to send the detailed curriculum vitae with letter of application in English, including copies of relevant certificates and references, please send your application package to: jobs.for.ngo.hanoi@gmail.com.

·Deadline 11/01/2018

·Title: “Ireland_ Consular Officer/Interpreter _Full name”

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted and CVs cannot be returned. Any question, please contact 024.3826.5118 (Mr. Thang or Ms. Quyen).