Customer Services/Examinations Assistant at British Council - Port Harcourt

The British Council is currently looking for a suitably qualified and experienced individual to join us in Lagos as Customer Services/Examinations Assistant.

Job Title: Customer Services/Examinations Assistant

Location: Port Harcourt
Reports To: Centre Manager, Port Harcourt

Purpose of job:
To support the achievement of country plan objectives in Nigeria by delivering examinations administration support and customer services. To maintain them at the highest professional standards as set out in the British Council's EQS (Examination Quality Standards) and by the Examination Board Partners.

Context and environment:
Customers and enquirers engage with the British Council Nigeria for a number of purposes with the majority being for examinations. Nigeria is the largest British Council exams business in the Sub Saharan Africa region. It administers exams in four subject areas: Schools, Professional/Vocational, Educational on behalf of UK institutions and IELTS. In 2012-13 we will delivered roughly 70,000 exams to 25,000 candidates. The Nigeria team comprises 22 people and are based mainly in Lagos with five in Abuja and four in Port Harcourt.

The SSA region delivers exams in over 20 countries from its offices in 16 of these countries. In 2012, we delivered a quarter of a million exams to over 100k candidates. Growth in the region is robust, but our challenges are many. Nevertheless, Exams teams are making solid gains in our 4 strategic priority areas, namely: improving business performance, improving quality, improving financial compliance and increasing impact.

Accountabilities and responsibilities:
(including people management and finance)

• As Examinations/Customer Service Assistant the post holder will be line managed by the Port Harcourt Centre Manager.
• Reliability: to ensure examinations are delivered securely according to board requirements
• Quality: to deliver a high standard of customer service to our customers, schools and exams candidates. Performance is measured by our own Exams Quality Standards and the inspection visits from Cambridge International Exams and other examination boards.
• Finance: all British Council standards for managing finances are met with relation to managing Purchase Orders, reconciling income, managing contracts and procurement.

Main Duties:
To provide services that support British Council examination candidates.

Examinations Administration

• Providing administrative support in the delivery of examinations. This involves supporting colleagues in pre and post test/examination administration duties. This includes exams data entry, post despatch, assisting with session planning/implementation and examination invigilation.
• Supporting Exams Officers in venue staff monitoring and training.
• Conducting venue and school inspections.
• Supporting the wider British Council activities such as workshops, seminars and any other project related services in line with Exams Quality Standards (EQS)

Customer Service

• Complaints, comments and feedback are dealt with in accordance with corporate policy and the Exams Quality Standards.
• All service registration procedures (e.g. Exams, Certification and other programme registration) are fully understood and implemented to agreed standards.

Information Knowledge Management

• Manage information created and received in compliance with the Council’s information management standards, policies, the UK Data Protection Principles and local legislation.

Other Duties

• To assist with market testing of venues and other suppliers.
• Assisting with data collection for marketing purposes.
• To regularly attend staff meetings to both gain and impart knowledge about our customers, products and services
• To assist with any other duty examinations management deem necessary.

Key relationships:
Internal: Port Harcourt Exams Team, Country Exams Manager, Deputy Country Exams Manager
External: Venue Staff, IELTS Examiners, enquirers, examinations candidates, IELTS Examiners, venue suppliers.

Other important features or requirements of the job
(e.g. travel, unsocial/evening hours, restrictions on employment etc)

IELTS tests are usually held on Saturdays and Sundays and some early evenings. Professional and vocational examinations are also occasionally held on Saturdays. Rostered working on Saturdays, Sundays and some evenings is required. Travel to administer/monitor IELTS tests in centres outside of Port Harcourt is required. Test deadlines are absolute; therefore, out of office hours working may be required to meet these deadlines.

Experience

• Dealing with customers and enquiries in a service environment and providing service within quality standards.
• Working quickly and accurately to tight deadlines.
• Experience of administering examinations.
• Experience of managing/supervising a group of people to achieve a specific purpose.

Qualifications

• Completed secondary education to ‘A’ level standard or equivalent.
• University degree in any subject.
• BTEC Examinations Administration Level 1.

Application Closing Date
Friday 18th July, 2014

How to Apply
Please read through the Customer Services/Examinations Assistant  PortHarcourtrole profile. Download and complete the British Council EO&D form and also the British Council external

application form.

To help you understand and complete the application form, please read through the role profile attached. You should apply using the British Council corporate external application form attached. You may find it useful to look at the enclosed guidance notes at BC World HR web pages on the behaviours: http://www.britishcouncil.org/africa-britishcouncil-job-behaviours.pdf and the generic skills dictionary http://www.britishcouncil.org/africa-britishcouncil-generic-skills-dictionary.doc

Filling the EOD monitoring information form is completely voluntary. Once filled, it should be sent to[email protected].

The British Council is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.

Completed application forms should be sent to:  [email protected] no later than Friday 18th July, 2014. Please ensure the subject of your mail is, “Customer Services/Examinations Assistant , Portharcourt”.

Only applications received on the British Council application form will be considered and only short-listed candidates will be contacted.