A. BASIC DETAILS

Job title                                                                :         Consular Officer

Mission                                                                :         Consulate-General Sydney

Job level                                                              :         Scale 6

Number of hours                                             :         Fulltime (38 hours p/w)

Salary                                                                   :         Indicative monthly gross start salary AUD 6091
                                                                     (pay scale 6 step 0); additional steps may be
                                                                     added based on relevant working experience.

SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The consular assistant/officer is responsible for carrying out consular tasks correctly, and reports to the operational manager and/or the head of the consular section. The consular assistant/officer understands that consular affairs play a significant role in other countries’ perceptions of the Netherlands and Dutch people’s perceptions of BZ, and that a customer-focused approach is therefore essential. The consular assistant/officer communicates with applicants and other parties seeking information (in person and via email, telephone, social media, etc.). The consular assistant/officer checks incoming documentation for accuracy and completeness, and processes it in the system in accordance with the arrangements set out in the consular Products & Services Catalogue. As part of this process the consular assistant/officer checks documentation in the light of relevant legislation, procedures and agreements, and provides support in the event of evacuations and repatriations. The consular assistant/officer works closely with the Consular Service Organisation (CSO) and Netherlands Worldwide (NWW).

The consular officer also deals with more complex matters.  Following internal consular staff meetings, the consular officer records the minutes and action points, identifies any problems and actively contributes to solutions. The consular officer is alert to irregularities encountered in the course of their tasks and informs their line manager about such issues when necessary. The consular officer identifies consular trends and reports them to their line manager. Where necessary, the consular officer may be asked to carry out simple translation assignments (Dutch/English/local language). The consular officer provides support in social consular situations (e.g. prisoner support and Dutch nationals stranded abroad) in accordance with instructions and regulations.

TASKS

  • Assessing applications for all consular products such as Dutch travel documents,  option statements, naturalisation requests, authorisations for temporary stay (MVVs), consular certificates and registration in the various computer systems, in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations in an effective and customer-friendly manner.                                              
  •  Answering consular questions in a meticulous, customer-friendly manner.
  • Accurately manging consular payments.
  • Identifying and reporting on trends/development relevant to the consular work (such as updating our travel advice).  
  • Providing social consular services Dutch nationals in an effective and customer-friendly manner.

 

CONTACTS

  • With members of the (Dutch) public;
  • With third parties, to obtain and provide information on the content and progress of clerical processing of cases;
  • With the Consular Service Organization (CSO) as a consular expertise centre and in the area of carrying out the back office tasks;
  • With ministerial and inter-ministerial agencies/institutions, including the Consular Affairs Policy Department (HDCV)  and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), to provide or obtain further information;
  • With the consular and administrative network in Australia.

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STAFF MEMBER PROFILE

As consular officer you are the face of the Consulate-General to the public, and therefore impeccable manners and excellent customer service skills are imperative. The consular officer is communicative and a team player with a service oriented working attitude. The employee is flexible and continues to work carefully under pressure and communicate smoothly with applicants, colleagues and third parties. Good cooperation in the relatively small consular team is of great importance. Affinity and/or experience with laws and regulations is a plus. She/he is aware of the need for integrity and security of the work environment.

The Netherlands Government celebrates all forms of diversity and is deeply committed to foster an inclusive environment within its organisation. Individuals in advancing these diversity goals are strongly encouraged to apply.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS

  • English level C1
  • Knowledge of the Dutch language is useful
  • Good feel for organisation and coordination, shows intercultural sensitivity
  • Skilled in communicating with internal and external contacts at various levels, striking a good balance between empathy and assertiveness
  • Experienced at using computer programs         
  • Administrative skills
  • Knowledge of general policy principles regarding movement of people, migration and consular affairs is useful

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COMPETENCES

  •  The staff member is meticulous and has integrity.
  • The staff member is customer-oriented, flexible and sympathetic.
  • The staff member can plan and organise.           
  • The staff member is results driven.
  • The staff member can work well with others.
  • The staff member can cope with stress.               

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LEVEL OF EDUCATION / ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE

Cognitive and other work-related abilities:        Secondary vocational level (MBO)

Level of experience:                                                      Demonstrated relevant working experience __________________________________________________________________________

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is represented in Australia through its Embassy in Canberra, its Consulate-General in Sydney and five Honorary Consuls in state capitals,
who can also provide consular assistance to Dutch citizens. The main focus areas of the Netherlands diplomatic missions in Australia are bilateral and multilateral cooperation, security policy, economic diplomacy, promotion of bilateral trade and investment, cooperation on shared cultural heritage and consular services to Dutch citizens. The Embassy in Canberra and the Consulate-General in Sydney work closely together.

The Consulate-General in Sydney has its offices in Westfield Tower 2, Bondi Junction. The team consists of the Consul General - who is also heading the economic team - a Deputy Consul-General (consul) heading the consular team- and nine locally recruited staff members (3 economic policy advisors, 2 general affairs staff members, 1 assistant director for the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency and 4 consular officers). The working languages are English and Dutch. The atmosphere is open, inclusive and informal and a high integrity standard applies.

CONSULAR TEAM

As consular officer you will be working in a small team of 4 people (2 fulltime and 2 parttime employees) at the Consulate-General in Sydney (Bondi Junction). A part of our visa and passport process is outsourced to our external service provider VFS Global with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. In addition our consular team frequently travels interstate for pop-up passport desks in various cities across Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Hobart).
 

OTHER INFORMATION

The employee can be expected to cooperate in activities that concern the entire mission, such as our national King’s Day reception or other events. The employee will be required to travel interstate to participate in pop-up passport desks in other cities in Australia several times a year. The consular officer will also be expected to participate in an -out of office hours- duty officer roster (1 week every 2 months) for which the employee will receive an additional allowance. Occasional travel for training purposes (within the Asia region or to the Netherlands) may also be required.

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CONTACT AND APPLICATIONS (CLOSING DATE 27 SEPTEMBER 2024)

For further inquiries, please contact Deputy Consul-General Meike de Jong:
meike-de.jong@minbuza.nl

Interested candidates are requested to send a cover letter and CV by Friday 27 September addressed to Ms Meike de Jong, Deputy Consul-General, at SYD@minbuza.nl