Chief of Staff

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)
**Main purpose of job**

This is a unique position in Bogota, which offers a fascinating opportunity to work at the heart of the UK-Colombia bilateral relationship, ensuring that the Ambassador (HMA) and the Deputy Ambassador (DHM) have the support they need to operate with maximum effectiveness. This role requires you to act as a force-multiplier, ensuring Heads of Section across the Embassy are fully informed and ensuring synergies across teams. The Chief of Staff will establish and maintain honest and trustful relationships across the Embassy.

Being effective in this role requires an aptitude for building trust and partnerships, proven proactivity and collaboration in a team will be key to success in the role. You will help colleagues understand HMA’s and DHM’s requirements and priorities and ensure that Private Office is seen as accessible, reliable and efficient. You will frequently need to shift from high-level strategic thinking, to practical problem solving, ensuring Private Office processes and routine corporate responsibilities are maintained to a high standard.

You will work closely with colleagues in the Embassy to ensure the Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador regularly engage with the most important people in the Colombian Administration, Congress, business, media, and wider UK stakeholders.
**Roles and responsibilities**

**Her Majesty Government (HMG) policy - Support to HMA**:

- Support the Ambassador and the DHM in strategic tasks and operational needs commissioned from London; often owning and driving special requirements. Particularly assisting during times of crisis.
- Ensure that key HMG aspects are rightly reflected in HMA speeches and scripts.
- Ensure that all HMA needs and requirements are understood, carried out in a timely manner and to the highest standards.
- Charter monitoring tools such as the Stakeholder Engagement Tracker, the monthly forward look of VIP engagements,
- Embassy action logs, strategy sessions with Heads of Sections and the risks, issues and dependencies matrix.
- Serve as a channel of communication between teams and HMA.
**Stakeholder engagement**:

- Lead strategic engagement, identification, tracking and monitoring of HMA most important stakeholders in close coordination with Embassy teams.
- Advise HMA in his stakeholder engagement anticipating sensitive issues and addressing them before they reach the lines of management.
- Ensure that HMA is rightly and timely informed before a meeting or engagement.
- Filter and supervise HMA's diary, making sure that HMA's time is focused on the Embassy's top priorities.
- Lead as the main point of contact in the presidential and ministerial private office across the Colombian Government as well as in other senior roles across private and public sectors.
- Serve as the Ambassador’s main point of contact when engaging with internal or external stakeholders and their requirements.
- Keep track of future and past engagements for decision-making.
- Lead the guest list for the annual QBP (Queen’s Birthday Party) celebration.
**Assisting the DHM**
- Work with the DHM to support the drafting and monitoring of the Country Plan also ensuring top risks and issues are both identified and proactively managed.
- Serve as the secretariat for the Country Board, ensuring meetings are carried out according to the top priorities of the Embassy.
- Ensure the Country Board is focused on the top priorities and decision-making processes.
**Working with Heads of Sections and Embassy teams**
- Have a detail understanding of the Embassy structures and teams, as well as the portfolio of cooperation that each lead.
- Hold regular catch-up meetings with HoS to ensure that support and impact on future activities are targeted to where most can be achieved.
- Work in close coordination with the Press and Public Affairs, Residence, and Close Protection Teams to provide logístical support from Private Office.
- Serve as a sounding board for future planning involving HMA/DHM agendas.
- Ensure that teams are timely informed as per Embassy activities and HMA engagements to ensure maximum effectiveness.
**Head of Private Office**:

- Be in charge of HMA’s diary in Bogota and ensure his engagements contribute to 1HMG objectives and that his time is focussed on his priories. You will liaise with cross-Embassy teams, the Press and Public Affairs as the Close Protection teams to ensure the programmes run smoothly and efficiently.
- Lead and oversee Private Office operation, ensuring maximum efficiency and a prime service to the HMA/DHM, colleagues and our Embassy network.
- Ensure the Private Office team has all operational needs, keeping the team motivated, supported, and encouraging a problem-solving approach.
- Support selection processes when required.
**Budget Management**:

- Monitor HMA’s and DHM's catering and travel budget.
- Oversee expenditure, provide accurate updates to HMA, DHM and Corpor