The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Office of the Australian Consulate-General Shanghai is seeking applicants to fill the following locally engaged position:
- Functions Coordinator (LE4)
The successful applicant will be offered an initial fixed term contract of 12 months with the possibility for extension and are subject to a probationary period.
The annual basic salary for this position is CNY 188,041.36 plus the employer’s social security contributions.
Your application, written in English, addressed in the title ‘Application for Functions Coordinator + your name’ must include:
- A pitch of no more than 800 words outlining how your skills, experience and qualifications make you the best person for the job
- Curriculum vitae of no more than 2 pages including your nationality and country of residency. If you are an Australian citizen in China, please advise your Chinese visa category.
- Contact details for two work-related referees (at least one should be your current or recent supervisor)
Applications and inquiries should be emailed to [email protected]. Closing date for applications is 5pm, 18 September 2025. Please consider your application unsuccessful if you have not received any contact within four weeks from the closing date.
What should I include in my pitch?
- Your pitch is a chance to tell us why you are the right person for the job. We want to know why you want to work at the Australian Consulate General, why you are interested in the role, what you can offer us, and how your skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications are applicable to the role. In a nutshell – why should we hire you?
- Try not to duplicate information that can already be found in your resume, but do highlight any specific examples or achievements that will demonstrate your ability to perform the role.
About The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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
Reporting to the Public Diplomacy Manager in the Research, Visits and Public Diplomacy (RVPD) team, this position in responsible for delivering major representational events and frequent promotional functions for the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, for internal and external audiences. The position also negotiates with and supports external clients, sponsors and partner organisations, manages event booking requests and provides advice and coordination.
Key responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:
- Under the guidance of the Public Diplomacy Manager, coordinate and deliver external events and functions, including managing the delivery of multiple concurrent events, coordinating with stakeholders and speakers, managing the wine inventory, managing official gifts, handling financial estimates and other logistical arrangements such as venue management, guest lists, catering, entertainment and technical support.
- Coordinate internal events and functions, working closely with the Consul-General’s Executive Assistant and the Consulate’s Consular and Administration teams.
- Undertake preparations for and manage potential risks (such as wet weather, security/safety concerns, high-profile guests) and develop and implement contingency plans, as well as ensuring staff and contractors involved in events adhere to the Consulate’s Work Health and Safety requirements and DFAT’s departmental guidelines.
- Develop, maintain, and strengthen relationships with external vendors, negotiating contracts for catering, venues and the like.
- Liaise with a range of stakeholders including across the government, education, business and arts sectors, as well as internal staff across the Consulate, ensuring the successful delivery of events and functions.
- Collect and analyse participant feedback on Consulate events and, in response, develop recommendations to improve future functions.
- Provide logistical support during ministerial and other high-level visits, including making accommodation and transport arrangements, arranging airport facilitation and managing meeting requests.
- Serve as the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Secretariat, arranging regular meetings with stakeholders and ensuring the Consulate’s WHS risk register is updated.
- Performing other duties and back-up support as required.
Qualifications/Experience
- Organisational skills or experience in event logistics are required.
- The ability to coordinate multiple events at once, and to prioritise effectively, is essential.
- sound judgment, proven risk management ability, strong attention to detail, and the ability to adapt quickly to change.
- Ability to pre-empt, identify and proactively take appropriate action to address issues as they arise.
- well-developed interpersonal and contract negotiation skills, including the ability to build strong relationships with key stakeholders.
- Ability to develop productive team relationships and facilitate open communication with colleagues.
- Experience in delivering excellent participant experiences