Corporate Services Intern

Einführung

The British Embassy in Berne is part of a world-wide network representing British political, economic and consular interests. We are recruiting a Corporate Services Intern.

Über den Job

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.

Main purpose of job:

The Corporate Services Intern at the British Embassy in Berne provides hands-on office management and administrative support to the Corporate Services team, with a particular focus on invoice processing, financial administration systems, and general office administration. The role is central to processing supplier invoices and payments, maintaining ERP and financial systems and trackers, and supporting procurement-to-pay processes, HR administration, logistics for arrivals and departures, and inventory management. The internship offers a practical grounding in business administration and office management, and is best suited to candidates with a genuine interest in finance, systems and administrative processes. 

Roles and responsibilities:

• Process supplier and contractor invoices end-to-end, including checking accuracy against purchase orders/contracts, entering and tracking payments on internal finance systems, resolving queries, ensuring payments are made accurately and on time, and resolving issues with payment processes or records. 
• Act as first point of contact for office administration, HR and finance queries; log and redirect requests using internal tracking systems; signpost to guidance and escalate where needed.
• Information management for Corporate Services, including internal management systems and online guidance, sharing and maintaining information on local Sharepoint pages.
• Stock management of IT/facilities items; support periodic stock checks and flag discrepancies; provide first line IT support where required.
• Support budget administration by maintaining finance system records, and helping compile routine inputs for invoice reconciliation, charging instructions, and cash accounting and reporting.
• Support contract/supplier administration and procurement by maintaining registers, tracking renewal dates, collating quotes and preparing simple summaries.
• Undertake other reasonable duties as required in line with the FCDO’s agile workforce approach. 

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Full professional proficiency in English (written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR*);
• Strong interest in business administration, office management, human resources or finance operations, and enthusiasm for developing invoice-processing and systems administration skills.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail; ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines.
• Strong IT and numeracy skills (e.g. Sharepoint, Outlook, Excel) and willingness to learn new systems quickly.
• Confidence handling invoices, figures, administrative/financial systems, and supplier relationships.
• Professional communication skills, with a helpful, customer-focused approach.
• Problem-solving mentality with a readiness to take ownership of end-to-end processes.
• Ability to handle information sensitively and maintain confidentiality.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Additional language skills (German and/or French);
• Any prior exposure to invoice processing, bookkeeping, finance administration, or office management environments (paid, unpaid, academic or placement-based).
• Degree or Certified qualification in Office Management, Business Administration, Finance, HR or related field.

Other benefits and conditions of employment:

This is a full-time, 6 months internship contract of 40 hours per week inclusive of four compulsory 45-minute lunch breaks.

Embassy opening hours are 0730 – 1830 hrs (Monday – Thursday) and 0730 – 1330 hrs (Friday).

The annual leave entitlement is 25 days per year, and the Embassy also enjoys 13 Swiss/ UK public holidays per year. These are prorated.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background and security clearances before a contract is offered.

FCDO is committed to continual learning and development. The Embassy will provide funding in line with L&D requirements, and a variety of learning and development is provided throughout the year both directly at post and virtually through the FCDO International Academy. There will be opportunities to attend training, lectures etc. On the job.

Visa/work permit requirements: The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation for Switzerland in order to apply. All applicants should have the right to live and work in Switzerland.

Equal employment: 

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. We particularly encourage applications from candidates with protected characteristics. FCDO want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, regardless of their background. 

Additional information:

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

The British Diplomatic Missions will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

*Please note for more information regarding the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, please click on the following link

CEFR