The Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi represents Sweden in Kenya, Somalia, Seychelles and Comoros. The Embassy also represents Sweden in UNEP and UN-HABITAT. The Embassy represents and advances Swedish policies, interests and values in political and economic relations, development cooperation, trade and investment promotion and cultural and information matters. It provides consular services to Swedish nationals and migration services to non-nationals.
The Embassy is experiencing a significant increase in consular cases and the demand to handle inquires and requests from Swedish citizens keeps raising. Hence the Embassy is looking to expand the consular team and improve our ability to respond to inquiries in the most common languages spoken by our consular clients and applicants.
The Embassy seeks to recruit an experienced Consular assistant and receptionist who will also be the general public’s and business visitors first contact with the Embassy by manning the reception and answering all incoming calls.
Main duties
Respond to and give general advice in consular cases by phone and e-mail;
Manage bookings for the consular section i.e. passports, citizenship cases, registration etc;
Assist with oral and written translations from Somali to English;
Man the embassy front desk which includes greeting visitors, respond to incoming calls, handle general queries and complaints, pass on messages and transfer calls as necessary etc;
Management of the embassy’s meeting rooms;
Receiving and dispatching deliveries;
Assisting with mail handling and pouch shipments;
Perform ad-hoc administrative duties;
Reporting
The consular assistant/receptionist will be part of the Embassy’s Administrative and Consular Section and he/she will report to the Head of Administration.
The workplace will mainly be at the Embassy in Nairobi.
Education and experience
A relevant bachelor level university degree or similar from a recognized institution in a field relevant to the position;
A minimum of two years of relevant work experience. Having experience from handling people under distress is going to be considered a great advantage;
Knowledge of Somali language Knowledge of a Swedish or another Scandinavian language is added advantage.
Experience of work in the consular field or for a diplomatic mission or another international organization is preferred.
Other essential qualifications
Excellent command of oral and written English and Somali is a must
Have an excellent sense for good, polite and correct service
Ability to handle and respond to people in distress
Ability to take initiatives and adjust to changing priorities
Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
Strong written and oral communications skills
Being an effective team player
Being discreet, reliable and have a high level of integrity
Showing punctuality
Proficiency in basic MS Office programs: Word, Outlook, Excel etc.
Quick to adapt, able to handle the balance between understanding service and still say no.
