Information Officer (German), Europe Service Centre

Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Full-time: 36.75 hours per week
Position number: TBC
Starting Salary: £23,761
Classification: LE2

Applications are sought from persons interested in employment at the Australian High Commission in London as Locally-Engaged Staff.

 

It is an essential requirement of this role that applicants are fluent to a professional standard in English and German. 

The ESC offers services in a number of other languages (Croatian, French, Greek, Italian, Serbian, Russian, Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian).  Please indicate on your application form if you are fluent to a professional level in any other language.

 

About the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP)

The role of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) is to protect Australia’s border and manage the movement of people and goods across it. DIBP contributes to achieving three principal government outcomes of strong national security, a strong economy; and a prosperous and cohesive society. Our diverse portfolio includes managing migration, humanitarian and citizenship policy and programmes and keeping Australia secure through border management and facilitating travellers and goods crossing the border.

The DIBP office in London plays a critical role in achieving the department’s broader strategic goals. Primary functions of the DIBP London office are:

• Processing Australian permanent migration, visitor and temporary residence visas for clients located in the UK and Ireland.
• Processing Australian citizenship by descent applications for clients across Europe.
• Providing both pre and post lodgement information and assistance to clients across Europe through the Europe Service Centre.

 

About the Europe Service Centre

The Europe Service Centre (ESC) provides specialist, multi-lingual information and assistance across the full range of visa and citizenship programmes of the Department in a service centre environment. The ESC offers services in 10 languages: English, Croatian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Serbian, Russian, Polish, Spanish and Ukrainian.

The ESC provides information on all visa and citizenship options, eligibility and requirements, as well as be an initial contact point for clients requiring technical support and assistance. In addition, the ESC provides dedicated post-lodgement enquiry management for six processing sites across the Europe region, and maintains a number of Helpdesks for urgent travel requests from clients.

 

About the Position

Information Officers are typically the first point of contact for a wide range of external stakeholders with the Department, including clients, migration agents, businesses and foreign governments. Information Officers provide quality information, advice and service to clients who are culturally and linguistically diverse over the telephone and in writing. It is therefore essential that Information Officers are fluent to a professional standard in English and one or more of the offered languages.

It is expected that Information Officers will be flexible and enthusiastic to learn about the Department and perform the full range of tasks in order to deliver high quality client services in a fast paced and high-volume service centre environment.

 

Information Officers will undertake the following duties:

• Provide accurate, consistent and timely information and assistance to clients on a wide range of routine and difficult enquiries in accordance with the Department’s legal framework.
• Provide first tier trouble shooting and technical support to clients with the Department’s client application system, ImmiAccount.
• Provide effective first level complaint handling in relation to processes and outcomes regarding visa and citizenship applications.
• Schedule appointments for clients to attend one of six processing sites in Europe and send confirmation emails to clients in a timely manner.
• Refer specific client enquiries to processing officers across the Europe region and in Australia in accordance with established protocols.
• Report to Manager or Support and Development Officers on regional trends and issues to support continual business improvement.
• Record information about client contact, escalating and/or referring if necessary.
• Adhere to rosters and schedules to deliver outcomes in line with service centre key performance indicators such as Average Talk Time, Average Handle Time and overall output and quality.
• Capture data on each client interaction to provide qualitative information that informs decisions on ESC operations.
• Process applications for Electronic Travel Authorities (ETAs) and multiple administrative functions within service standards and with a high level of attention to detail and accuracy.
• Provide additional services based on language skills as required.
• Actively participate in coaching activities, including providing peer mentoring and participate in, and deliver, training as required.
• Other duties as directed.

 

Selection Criteria

A. High level written and oral communication skills in English and one or more of the listed languages to a professional standard.

B. Effective proficiency in identifying and applying relevant legislation and policy as it relates to the provision of information and advice.

C. Strong customer service and interpersonal skills to facilitate and promote effective interactions with clients, peers and stakeholders.

D. The ability to exercise good judgement when providing assistance to clients.

E. The ability to work cooperatively within a team and be a supportive, mature team member.

F. The ability to be flexible, adaptable and resilient, whilst maintaining a collegiate and professional attitude.

 

 

How to apply

Applications close at 17:00 pm (BST) on Wednesday 12 August 2015.  Please note that applications will be assessed as they are submitted, and candidates may be interviewed before the closing date.

Late, incomplete and/or ineligible applications, including those that have not adequately addressed each selection criteria, will not be considered for engagement.

Candidates interested in this position must submit a complete application, including the following documents as separate attachments:

1. UK-Based Application Form (including an address to the each of the selection criteria);
2. Your current CV.
3. The Diversity and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Questionnaire.

Please include all attachements as electronic documents - do not print and scan the application form.

Applications are to be submitted to: [email protected]

 

 

Please note: the Diversity and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Questionnaire will not be passed to the selection committee for this role. It will be held confidentially by the Human Resources Department for statistical monitoring purposes only. You may submit this attachment in a separate email if you wish, to [email protected].

 

Note: Please submit the application form as an electronic document and check that your application form has been completed in full upon submission. In some circumstances application forms can come through blank and require resending.