Consular and Passports Officer

**Job Title**

**Consular and Passports Officer**

**Type**

**Non-ongoing one year contract (with potential to be made permanent)**

**Location**

**Vienna**

**Department**

**DFAT - Vienna**

**Full-time: 36.75 hours per week**

**Classification: LE3**

**Salary: EUR 43,163 (EUR 3,083.07 14 times per year)**

**About the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)**

The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to advance the interests of Australia and Australians internationally. This involves strengthening Australia’s security, enhancing Australia’s prosperity, delivering an effective and high-quality overseas aid program and helping Australian travellers and Australians overseas.

The department provides foreign, trade and development policy advice to the Australian Government. DFAT also works with other Australian government agencies to drive coordination of Australia’s pursuit of global, regional and bilateral interests.

**About the Position**

Under direction, this position provides passport and notarial services to Australian citizens in Austria and other countries of accreditation in accordance with Australian Government guidelines and legislation. The position also provides reception services, as well as routine consular case management as required.

**The key responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited **to**:

- Provide notarial services, including witnessing signatures and authenticating documents for use in countries of accreditation or Australia
- Provide consular services in accordance with Australian Government guidelines, including providing advice and responding to routine casework and referring complex and sensitive cases as required
- Operate consular and passports related databases, filing systems, maintain accountable documents and assist with reporting requirements as required
- Liaise with key stakeholders, including the Australian Passports Office, Honorary Consuls in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia and the Canadian Embassy in Budapest to ensure effective provision of passport and consular services for Australian citizens
- Provide reception services, including responding to general enquiries from the public, directing callers within the Embassy and assisting visitors as necessary
- Contribute to crisis preparedness by assisting with consular and contingency planning as required
- Provide back-up cashier support as required

**Qualifications/Experience**
- Demonstrated client service experience.
- Ability to obtain a sound working knowledge of the guidelines, policies and legislation governing the provision of passport and consular services.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Strong capacity to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality
- Strong problem-solving skills, sound judgment and excellent attention to detail
- Excellent organisation skills, ability to prioritise workloads and work flexibly within tight deadlines
- Ability to be proactive and work independently
- Demonstrated ability to work productively as an effective member of a small team
- High level of IT proficiency, excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Proficiency in spoken and written English and German essential, in another language from one of the Embassy’s other countries of accreditation highly desirable

**Selection Criteria**

Please respond to the Selection Criteria in the given space. In your written statements, you must include succinct, high-level relevant examples that support your claims against the role. The word limit is strictly 250 words per response. Responses which exceed this word limit will not be considered.

B. Ability to build relationships and work effectively with other team members in a busy and demanding environment by demonstrating flexibility, reliability, adaptability, initiative and resourcefulness.

C. Strong communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate empathically, clearly, and simply with people from diverse backgrounds in person, over the telephone and in writing; this includes managing high-stress and sensitive situations.

D. Confidence in assisting Australians with contacting relevant Austrian agencies for queries, assistance, or escalation, as required.

E. Ability to conduct thorough and accurate research from a variety of sources, collect information, and present findings/reports to a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.

We are looking for a motivated and well-organised person to join a dynamic team in Vienna as a Consular and Passports Officer.