Executive Assistant

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language.
 
We work in two ways – directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world. We help young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections they are looking for to realise their potential and to participate in strong and inclusive communities. We support them to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. Our work in arts and culture stimulates creative expression and exchange and nurtures creative enterprise. We connect the best of the UK with the world and the best of the world with the UK.
 
These connections lead to an understanding of each other's strengths and of the challenges and values that we share. This builds trust between people in the UK and other nations which endures even when official relations may be strained. We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.

Pay Band: 4
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Contract type: Permanent (locally appointed)
Closing date: Thursday, 15 December 2022
 
Role Purpose:

To provide proactive and effective management of the Country Director’s office and help to coordinate the Country Leadership Team so that British Council business is transacted in a timely, appropriate way. Provide administrative and operational support to high level visits and events.

Main Accountabilities:

Country Director Bangladesh (30%)

  • Work independently and manage routine administrative work for the Director, e.g., managing email, diaries, arranging meetings and venues, meeting visitors, managing travel, document signature and supporting wider coordination across British Council Bangladesh teams.
  • Liaising with country/area teams to work on programme and all logistical arrangements for CD including speeches, visits and events - ensuring guidance is shared with teams in advance and high-quality briefing notes and speeches (where necessary) are prepared for all meetings and visits.
  • Manage directorate contacts, ensuring these are up to date at all times.
  • Liaise with communications team to agree content for Director’s external communication, incl. CD messages on corporate website and social media channels.
  • Act as single point of a contact for Country Director’s office for external stakeholders including following up all meetings and establish contacts with peers in key stakeholder and partner organisations. Liaise with key contacts at British High Commission Dhaka.

Bangladesh Country Leadership Team – secretariat (50%)

  • Work closely with the Bangladesh Leadership Team on team meetings, leading on scheduling meetings, preparing and circulating agendas, keeping minutes, noting action points and following up on actions until completion.
  • Lead on official visits and support coordination of cross-operation large-scale events and VIP visits, ensuring guest lists are up to date and high-quality programming and logistics.
  • Mobilise relevant teams to input to speeches linked to high level, cross-operation visits and events ensuring high quality briefing notes are prepared for all associated visit meetings. Produce accurate and timely minutes of meetings as required.
  • Coordinate onboarding of Bangladesh leadership colleagues, as necessary – liaise with relevant departments and HR to effectively oversee international mobility and national onboarding of Bangladesh leadership colleagues, including requests for asset procurement, IT support, overseeing scheduling of induction meetings.

Cross-cutting support (20%)

  • Lead and / or support implementation of actions plans related to cross-cutting issues such as equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Environment, Safeguarding and Information Governance, liaising with relevant focal points.
  • Provide ad-hoc support to the Cultural Engagement and facilities and Security team, particularly in relation to events and visits management.

The post holder will need to be flexible in terms of occasional in country travel and work.

Qualifications

Minimum / Essential
Undergraduate degree or equivalent
Desirable
Master’s Business Administration

Role specific knowledge and experience

Essential
One year of relevant experience in an administration or coordination role
Desirable
Relevant experience

Role Specific Skills

  • Teamworking
  • Ability to comfortably use British Council systems like MyHR etc.
  • General IT skills
  • Skilled in using MS office experience and experience in calendar management

Benefits:

  • Attractive salary and benefits will be offered to the deserving candidate
  • An inclusive and engaging work environment encouraging cross-team collaboration and building connections with colleagues from different disciplines around the world
  • Flexible working opportunities to support employee aspirations, personal activities and pursuits
  • A learning environment with plenty of opportunities to develop skills and knowledge
  • Experience of working in an international organisation which fosters work-life balance and commitment to smart working

Additional Information:

  • Applicants should be Bangladeshi passport holder or legally entitled to work in Bangladesh
  • All necessary background checks as per the British Council Pre-Appointment Screening policy along with medical check-up will need to be completed successfully prior to signing the final employment contract

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and called for interview. We will only shortlist applications submitted on a British Council application form submitted electronically through our careers portal. Any hard copies of the application and incomplete application in the portal will not be accepted.

To apply, please click on the following link that will take you to the careers portal of British Council - Apply here

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality Statement

The British Council is committed to a policy of equality and to valuing diversity and is keen to reflect the diversity of the societies in which we work at every level within the organisation. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We aim to abide by and promote equality legislation by following both the letter and the spirit of it to avoid unjustified discrimination, recognising discrimination as a barrier to equality of opportunity, inclusion and human rights. All staff worldwide are required to ensure their behaviour is consistent with our policies.

The British Council has Disability Confident Employer Status. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. Applicants are encouraged to highlight any specific requirements or adjustments needed to enable participation in the recruitment process.

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.