Main purpose of job:

The British Government’s Consulate in Boston has an exciting opportunity for a multi-skilled person to join the Press, Politics and Public Affairs team as a Marshall Scholarship Administrative Assistant. This opportunity is a rewarding role which supports and further develops the special relationship between the UK and the US, helping to deliver the British Government’s flagship scholarship programme and to make a real difference.

The Marshall Scholarship Assistant is a unique opportunity to work inside the UK government and will expose the job holder to the UK-US diplomatic relationship and other matters relating to global affairs. The job holder will report to the Politics, Press & Public Affairs Officer and also work closely with the Consul General’s Executive Assistant. In this role you would be working in a diverse international environment to support UK diplomats, armed forces personnel and other country based staff operating across the British Government’s network of Consulates and Government Offices in the United States. This network provides a platform for approximately 30 Government departments and agencies to conduct their work in the United States and is made up of over 900 staff with a rich and diverse background, skill sets, and experiences.

This is a chance to directly contribute to the way in which both Governments collaborate and negotiate on the selection process for the Marshall Scholarship, the British Government’s flagship scholarship programme enabling high achieving American undergraduates to pursue graduate study in the UK. This person will serve as the main contact point for the consulate’s selection process, handling online applications, processing applications and disseminating them to the New England Marshall Scholarship Reading & Selection Committee. Working with the Politics, Press & Public Affairs Officer as well as the Consul General, this role will help organise meetings of the reading & selection committee (including the two to three day interview rounds) and advise interviewees on travel and accommodation policies. They will also participate in the for promotion of the consulate’s winners, drawing up media contact lists and drafting press releases in addition to preparing required documentation for the winners.

The ideal candidate will be someone who is a team player, a clear and effective communicator, with strong attention to detail and organisation and an ability to handle multiple tasks at once. Previous experience working on scholarship applications is a plus. Applicants will be motivated, organized, a team player as well as be able to think on their feet and demonstrate an interest in international relations.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Serve as the main contact point for enquiries about the Marshall Scholarships.
• Handle online applications received for scholarships through the Embark online system, which includes organising and processing applications and then disseminating them to the New England Marshall Scholarship Reading & Selection Committee (this work can include chasing documentation, verifying eligibility requirements.
• Liaise with members of Reading & Selection Committee on administrative details, providing administrative support when required.
• Attend the two shortlisting Committee meetings in October that draws up the list of candidates selected for moving forward in the process.
• Contact the selected interviewees, schedule interviews, and draw up and distribute the interview schedule.
• Advise interviewees on travel and accommodation policy and process expense claims for interviewees and Committee members.
• Participate in the two to three days of the interviews in November - welcome interviewees, respond to enquiries, process expenses claims, medical documentation, etc.
• Attend (if required) the Committee’s meeting to determine the selected winners and reserves.
• Prepare required documentation to announce the winners including letters of congratulation and notification.
• Draw up a media contact list for the winners and draft press releases.
• Ensure proper post-selection completion of annual process (destroying application forms of unsuccessful candidates, updating procedures where necessary, updating and organising hardcopy and computer files and Marshall databases for the following year).
• Any other duties as assigned.

Essential on arrival:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word.
• Highly Organised and Detail-Oriented
• Ability to adjust to rapidly-changing environment

Language requirements:

Language: English

Level of language required: Proficient

Desirable:

• Previous experience managing a budget
• Time management skills
• Creative problem solving

Working patterns:

This role 20 hours a week but does not require set working hours each day.

The British Embassy and its US Network embraces hybrid working, allowing its staff to typically work from home 2 or 3 times a week. We are an organization that also recognises the critical value of team work and we embrace and endorse collaboration by ensuring that all staff attend the office flexibly yet regularly.

We are a flexible organisation and are open to a hybrid pattern of in office/working from home but do expect the job holder to spend a set number of hours per week