Job Description
Job Title: Honorary Consul
Type: Fixed Term Contract for three years, with a probation period of one year
Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
Department: DFAT
Job Description
About the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to advance the interests of Australia and Australians internationally. This involves strengthening Australia’s security, enhancing Australia’s prosperity, delivering an effective and high-quality overseas aid program and helping Australian travellers and Australians overseas.
The department provides foreign, trade and development policy advice to the Australian Government. DFAT also works with other Australian government agencies to drive coordination of Australia’s pursuit of global, regional and bilateral interests.
About the Position
The Honorary Consul is appointed by the Australian Government to provide consular services to Australian citizens in Malawi and reports to the Australian Embassy in Zimbabwe. The Honorary Consul also makes a contribution to aspects of the bilateral relationships between Australia and Malawi. This position is a non-salaried position for which a small honorarium is paid each year.
The key responsibilities of the position include:
- providing consular assistance on behalf of the supervising mission, the Australian Embassy in Zimbabwe;
- conducting passport interviews on behalf of the supervising mission; forwarding completed documentation and, when necessary, returning passports to applicants;
- managing other types of travel documents under instruction of the Embassy in Zimbabwe;
- maintaining contact with the Australian community in Malawi.
Other responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- maintaining a good working relationship with the Malawi government and local authorities, in particular branches relevant to Australia's consular interests;
- general representation duties with local authorities and the host government, including acting as a communication channel for the supervising mission when requested;
- promoting Australian trade, economic, commercial, cultural, educational, scientific and technological interests;
- assisting with supervising mission’s visits or high level visits, for example securing appointments for visiting Australian officials
- assisting in building general public awareness of Australia in Malawi;
- engaging in ceremonial and public affairs activities as a representative of Australia as requested/authorised by the supervising mission
- directing enquirers wanting information on migrating or traveling to Australia or about importing or taking goods to Australia to the Home Affairs website.
Qualifications/Experience:
- may be an Australian citizen, although non-Australians with a personal connection to Australia who meet all other selection criteria will be considered;
- should be long-term residents of Malawi and intend to remain there for at least five years;
- should have good standing in, access to and influence with the political, bureaucratic, commercial and media community in Malawi;
- must be of good character and be prepared to sign a declaration that you do not have a criminal record and do not have any criminal charges/investigations pending;
- should possess office accommodation in Lilongwe of an appropriate professional standard (in terms of quality, security, facilities and location), suitable for use as a consulate for the representation of Australia's interests;
- should be fluent in English and, if utilising support staff, have English speaking support staff;
- should be of independent means so they are not financially dependent on the honorarium provided by the Australian Government;
- should have sufficient time to perform the functions listed in this job description, including meeting the reasonable expectations of Australians who might seek assistance. It is expected that the honorary consul will generally be available to the public (mostly by appointment) during business hours;
- should not normally hold a consular commission from another country or any government or official position in their country of residence or citizenship, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
Application Process:
Submit a resume (with passport photo) and cover letter describing how you meet the requirements of this role, no later than the closing date to Friday 27 June 2025. If you progress through the selection process, the Australian Embassy in Zimbabwe will invite you for an interview and to undergo probity checks. Apply by emailing [email protected].