The Netherlands Consulate General in San Francisco is looking for a Consular Affairs Officer. This job is fulltime (40 hours per week). This job will be offered at pay scale 6 for a fixed term of one year, with a probationary period of one month.

The main task in this role is providing consular services and support to Dutch citizens and ser vices to non-Dutch citizens that want to visit the Netherlands. In addition this role is responsible for the WUV (Wet uitkering vervolgingsslachtoffers) for the whole United States of America.

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

 For more information, please contact Mr. Murad Smit (Operational Manager), e-mail: murad.smit@minbuza.nl

Application letters with resume, both in English, should be addressed to:

Consulate General of the Netherlands
Attn: Mr. Murad Smit
One Montgomery Street, Suite 3100
San Francisco, CA 94104
United States

and be submitted via email to: SFN-HR@minbuza.nl.

Closing date for applications: 4 April 2025
Starting date: 1 May 2025
Indicative monthly gross salary: 7,055.00 (pay scale 6, step 0)
401k plan is offered. Health/dental/vision is provided on a 72%-28% employer-employee basis.

*This vacancy is open to internal (local employees and partners of officials posted to a Mission in the US)  and external candidates. If a local employee and a partner of an official posted to a Mission are equally qualified, the local employee shall be given priority. Furthermore, if a local employee and an external candidate are equally qualified , the local employee shall be given priority.

** As per US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), employers in the US are required to ensure that all employees have the legal right to work in the US. Under US State Department requirements, the embassy and our consulates may only employ, as non-diplomatic staff, persons who are US citizens, US Green Card holders or “A” visa holders. There is a max term for A2 visa holders of 5 years, the Netherlands Embassy / Consulate General cannot sponsor any work permits for family members.

General job description 

The Consular affairs/WUV Officer (general consular affairs, WUV and visas) is primarily responsible for providing consular services, work in the field of the Benefit Act for Victims of Persecution (WUV), as well as logistic clerical and administrative support. The function is performed approximately in a 75/25 ratio between the consular/WUV duties and other operational management duties.

Result areas and related duties

Consular services

• Dealing with applications for travel documents, visas and authorisations for temporary stay, nationality requests, assessing the various documents, entering the applications in the various computerised systems and issuing travel documents and visas;
• Providing background and other information and issuing guidelines and advice (orally and in writing) on applications for travel documents, visas and authorisations for temporary stay;
• Preparation of consular statements;
• Provision of consular assistance and guidance of detained Dutch nationals in the area (contact, visit, reporting, etc.);
• Mediation with requests from the Ministry for Medical Examinations of beneficiaries.

Logistic clerical support

• Assessing the importance and urgency of incoming correspondence and, on his/her own initiative and at his/her own discretion, appending information that is needed in order to deal with it;
• Keeping consular records by creating, organising, storing, weeding and maintaining physical files and documents;
• Management of the daily cash proceeds and transfer to the account holder;
• Preparation of the (financial) accounting from the automated systems;
• Organizing, preparing and coordinating naturalization ceremonies.

Services to clients of Pension & Benefit Board / Social Insurance Bank

• Acting as a service point for clients of the Pension & Benefit Board (PUR) / Social Insurance Bank (SVB) residing in the United States;
• Performing work in the context of the Benefit Act for Victims of Persecution (WUV) at the request of the implementing organization;
• Providing general information about the laws for war victims (at folder level);
• Forwarding questions regarding applications, benefits and / or provisions to the executive organization in the Netherlands.

Support administrative / general affairs

• Performing supportive administrative and logistical activities to aid one or more operational business processes in the field of business operations, including event management, transport, and general administrative tasks that may occur.

Framework

• The consular affairs officer is accountable to the Operational Manager for the accuracy of the information provided and the lawful application and implementation of the legislation, procedures and instructions in force;
• Relevant legislation, instructions and guidelines are important to performing duties properly;
• The consular affairs officer takes decisions about the provision of consular services as well as logistic clerical and administrative support.

Contacts

• 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 interministerial agencies/institutions (including the Consular Affairs and Migration Policy Department (DCM) and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)), to provide or obtain further information;
• With the overseas department of Pension & Benefit Board / Social Insurance Bank;
• With WUV clients, medical institutions and doctors;
• With the external service provider on Visa topics.

Work environment

The Consulate General (CG) in San Francisco is a medium size diplomatic post with 4 seconded diplomats and 21 local employees and is active in the fields of economic and technological cooperation, innovation, climate policy, the promotion of the Dutch culture & art, public diplomacy and consular services. The working language at the office is English and the office is situated in downtown San Francisco.

The Consulate General in San Francisco is part of the network of Dutch missions in the US, that consists of the Embassy in Washington D.C. and 5 CGs (Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York and San Francisco). CG San Francisco serves a jurisdiction that covers the thirteen western states (including Alaska and Hawaii), an area of approximately 116 x the Netherlands. The center of gravity of the work is in the state of California.

In the consular area, the office focuses on promoting the interests of the Dutch citizens and on implementing the passport and visa policy. Almost 45,000 people with a Dutch passport live in the resort of CG San Francisco. An estimated 100,000 Dutch people stay in this area for a shorter time each year (both business and leisure).

The operational management department forms a close-knit team, within which the various employees are responsible for the correct and timely handling of the work assigned to them. This means that all employees are expected to go beyond the boundaries of their own area of ​​responsibility, to pay attention to the functioning of the department as a whole and to assist colleagues with high work pressure. The department has set itself the goal of optimizing support to the primary sectors within the post within the framework of the applicable regulations. The daily coordination and coordination of activities of the consular affairs officer takes place under the responsibility of the operations manager.

Job requirements

Knowledge and experience requirements:

• Secondary vocational level (MBO);
• Some knowledge of applicable legislation, internal clerical and administrative procedures, work instructions and formal rules on competence and procedures, as well as the organisation’s duties, structure and way of working;
• Knowledge of general principles of policy concerning migration and consular affairs;
• Skill in creating and keeping files;
• Skill in providing information on implementing legislation and procedures;
• Knowledge of the relevant computerised and other systems is a pre;
• Social and communication skills.

Specific competences

• Anticipate
• Customer focus
• Contact oriented
• Collaborate
• Quality oriented
• Stress resistant

General description

• You are able to work independently as well as in a team and you have good social and communication skills;
• You are reliable, customer-friendly, creative, discreet, and solution and result-oriented and you have a flexible attitude;
• Willing to travel for mobile passport applications sessions at external locations when applicable;

Knowledge of the Dutch language is desirable, but not a condition.

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