View Vacancy - Estates Officer - British Embassy Panama

View Vacancy - Estates Officer - British Embassy Panama

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

Job Category

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)

Job Subcategory

Estates

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job

Run the day-to-day operational delivery and administration of the British Embassy Panama City residential estate, under the direction of the Corporate Services Manager. The role is the first operational point of contact for rented residential properties and coordinates property searches, lease administration, property handovers, works, contractors, access, furniture, inventories, records and follow-up.

Working with property occupants, landlords, agents, contractors, the Health and Safety lead, the Maintenance Officer and relevant specialists, the jobholder ensures that routine property requirements are progressed efficiently, records are accurate and properties are ready for occupation and maintained in line with agreed requirements.

The jobholder exercises independent operational judgement within agreed priorities, procedures, budgets and delegated authority. Routine matters are managed directly, while significant safety, cost, procurement, policy or reputational issues are escalated to the Corporate Services Manager.

Roles and responsibilities

1. Residential property and lease coordination (25%): Act as the first operational point of contact for rented residential property requirements. Coordinate searches for suitable properties based on approved requirements, liaising with property agents, landlords, occupants and internal stakeholders. Arrange property viewings, maintain clear comparison records and provide information to support recommendations and decisions by the Corporate Services Manager and relevant stakeholders. Coordinate lease documentation, renewals, property handovers, inventories, move-in and departure requirements, monitor key dates and maintain complete and accurate property and lease records.
2. Contractor and works coordination (25%): Coordinate contractors, property access, schedules, quotations, scopes of work, completion evidence and follow-up. Monitor delivery against agreed requirements, raise routine performance or specification concerns and escalate significant safety, cost, procurement, contractual or policy exceptions to the Corporate Services Manager.
3. Housing, furniture, appliances and inventory (20%): Support housing administration and property readiness. Coordinate furniture, furnishings and domestic appliances, maintain accurate inventories, identify replacement or identify inventories, support purchases within approved budgets and arrange disposal or internal auctions in line with policy.
4. Property inspections, maintenance and compliance follow-up (15%): Support inspections of the rented properties, including new-property readiness and follow-up of remedial actions. Coordinate with the Health and Safety lead and Maintenance officer, track agreed actions and escalate material risks to the Corporate Services Manager.
5. Records, utilities and assurance evidence (10%): Maintain complete and accessible Estates records, including property and lease files, inventories, manuals, plans, quotations, contractor documentation, procurement evidence, completion records and utility-monitoring information to support audit, compliance, service continuity and management oversight.
6. Corporate resilience and wider support (5%): Provide cross-cover for wider Estates administration and support official visits, incidents, urgent residential property needs, crisis response and business continuity activity as required.

Resources managed

• Expenditure: Monitor assigned furniture, appliance, inventory and routine property expenditure within agreed budgets and controls. Obtain and review quotations, confirm scope and completion evidence, and make value-for-money recommendations. Formal financial approval remains subject to delegated authority.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience coordinating property, facilities, maintenance, construction, logistics, procurement, projects or comparable operational services.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple requests, service providers, appointments and deadlines.
• Experience coordinating contractors, suppliers or service providers and following work through from initial request to satisfactory completion.
• Strong record-keeping and administrative skills, including maintaining trackers, inventories, quotations, contracts, asset information or other operational documentation.
• Ability to review quotations and scopes of work, confirm delivery or completion evidence, and support value-for-money decisions.
• Sound judgement and confidence to resolve routine operational issues and promptly escalate safety, financial, procurement, policy or service risks.
• Strong customer-service and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with occupants, colleagues, landlords, suppliers and contractors.
• Professional working proficiency in Spanish and English, competence using Microsoft 365, and the ability to learn FCDO property, finance, procurement and records systems.
• Legal status to live and work in Panama in your own right, from time of application.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Practical knowledge of one or more of the following: property inspections, contractor coordination, residential accommodation, property handovers, health and safety, fire safety, procurement, disposal, inventory or asset management.
• Experience coordinating property searches, leases, moves, residential handovers, furniture, equipment, appliances or related services.
• Relevant training or qualification in facilities management, property administration, engineering, construction, business administration, logistics, project coordination, procurement, occupational health and safety or a related field.
• Experience working in an embassy, international organisation, corporate estate or other regulated service environment or another operational setting where strong coordination, confidentiality, record keeping and compliance with established procedures were required.
• Familiarity with workflow-management systems.
• A valid driving licence.

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline

14 October 2026

Grade

Administrative Officer (AO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week

37

Region

Latin America and Spanish speaking Caribbean

Country/Territory

Panama

Location (City)

Panama City

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

USD $1,894.62 per month

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

14 December 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment

The successful candidate must have the right to work in Panama at the time of application.

Please note: As part of the recruitment process for roles in Panama, shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide evidence of their right to work in Panama. Please note that Country Based Staff employed by the British Embassy in Panama City must be Panamanian nationals, legal permanent residents, or hold a valid work permit to work in Panama. The British Embassy in Panama City does not sponsor work permits. If requested, candidates must be able to provide evidence of their current eligibility to work in Panama.

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, e.g. some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a 'reserve list. If during the reserve period of 12 months the same or largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second of subsequent candidate.

The British Embassy Network offers a strong benefits package. This package includes generous vacation and leave time, flexible working patterns, and enriching learning and development opportunities.

Learning and development

On-the-job support from the Corporate Services Manager and relevant regional/UK Estates, Accommodation, Procurement and Health and Safety specialists. Access to role-relevant FCDO learning in Estates operations, contract and supplier management, procurement, H&S, systems and customer service, subject to availability and approval.

Additional information

Working patterns

This role is full-time and requires flexibility to respond to urgent incidents, support official visits and coordinate access outside normal hours when operationally necessary.

Office hours in the embassy are 8am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 8am-1pm on Fridays.

This is primarily an office-based role; however, occasional remote working may be available on an ad hoc basis, subject to business needs and line manager approval.

The deadline for applications is 23:55 (Panama time) on 14 October 2026.

All applicants must fully complete the online application form, including the sections for employment and educational details, experience, and behaviour-based questions. Only those applications that contain all required information will be considered. To ensure the sift process remains anonymous, please do not include any personally identifiable information in your application form.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.