View Vacancy - Human Resources Officer, Compensation

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

Main purpose of job:

The British Government’s Embassy in Washington has an exciting opportunity for a self-motivated person to join the US Network Human Resources team as a Human Resources Officer specialising in compensation. This is a rewarding role which supports and further develops the special relationship between the UK and the US, by supporting work at the forefront of international diplomacy in order to make a real difference globally.

The US Network is committed to supporting its staff through a variety of benefits (including generous leave, insurance packages and a highly competitive 401k) and by promoting a culture of flexibility which enables people to maintain an excellent work/life balance through hybrid-working (including working from home and flexible hours where possible). 

In this role you would be working to support UK diplomats, armed forces personal and other country based staff operating across the British Government’s network of Consulates and Government Offices in the United States. This network provides a platform for approximately 30 Government departments and agencies to conduct their work in the United States and is made up of over 900 staff with a rich and diverse background, skill sets, and experiences.

The ideal candidate will be analytical and detail oriented with the ability to explain financial concepts and spreadsheets clearly and simply.  The role is a key contributor to the success of small, highly motivated human resources team.  As such they should be able to effectively manage time and work to time-sensitive deadlines. 

Roles and responsibilities:

  • Independently resolve and manage complex compensation issues (including maintaining pay structures, calculating pay increases and maintaining the pay budget) across the US Network.
  • Manage annual performance pay awards to include setting benchmarking targets, reporting on statistics, notifications to staff and calculating compensation.
  • Act as the liaison between US Network HR team and the payroll department located in the Americas Regional HUB. 
  • Oversee and implement all pay uplifts for the US Network (ensuring annual, temporary and ad-hoc uplifts have legally compliant supporting paperwork and have followed internal processes).
  • Bi-weekly, check payroll preview to ensure accuracy prior to processing.
  • Administer the 401(k) plan by calculating and submitting 401(k) contributions, amending plan documents, coordinating trainings and overseeing the annual audit.
  • Coordinate with the wider benefits team on any changes to benefits that result in a change to compensation, oversee the HR team submission of all pay changes to the payroll team.
  • Supervise the HR Coordinator position and act as that role’s point of escalation for employee enquiries.
  • Carry out regular reporting on local staff including leave balances, payroll census, etc.
  • Conduct annual Workers Compensation audit.
  • Provide support to managers when creating new positions by assisting with job descriptions ensuring they properly align to the current framework.
  • Administer the Corporate Commercial Insurance programme (including processing invoices).
  • All other duties as assigned.

    Essential on arrival:                                   

    • 2 to 5 years’ experience in human resources, finance or accounting with a specialisation in compensation or retirement plans
    • A background in accounting. Payroll administration or related relevant certifications preferred, not essential
    • Excellent MS Office skills
    • Able to communicate effectively orally and in writing (eg email) and explain concepts, ideas and data in simple clear terms to various Embassy audiences encompassing line manager and more senior department management
    • Experienced user of MS Office standard suite of software, especially MS Excel.  Knowledge and experience of using payroll software preferred
    • In most cases educational achievements are unlikely to be relevant (eg. this should not stipulate degrees for example).
    • Conversational English language skills required

    Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US may only employ, as non-diplomatic staff, persons who are US citizens, US Permanent Residents or A visa holders with EAD cards*. If you hold a visa other than an A visa you are not currently eligible to work at our office.  Please refer to our website for information on exceptions to this policy at www.gov.uk/government/world/usa.  All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work. 
    *A visas are acceptable at the Embassy and Consulates. The UK Mission to the UN (UKMIS) accepts G visas, and British Defense Staff (BDS) outposts accept A or NATO visas.  

    Desirable qualifications:

    • Understanding of payroll and payroll systems, and compensation and benefits processing including 401(k) programmes
    • Bullets detailing additionally helpful knowledge – experience of working with/for HMG for example.
    27 March 2022
    Executive Officer (EO)
    Full-time, Permanent
    40
    Americas, Caribbean & Overseas Territories
    United States
    Washington
    British Embassy
    1
    USD
    $62,721.00
    16 May 2022

    The UK Government operating in the US offers a substantial benefits package including generous leave, a choice of medical insurance, 401(k) matching up to 7%, extensive learning opportunities and a great work/life balance. 
    Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, eg some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.
    Internal candidates must inform their supervisor before they apply to a different position.

    The British Embassy and its US Network is committed to all employee’s ongoing learning and development needs. We offer a comprehensive platform for personalised learning for anything from soft skill development (communciating with impact, handling difficult conversations, time management) to more technical or professional skills necessary to complete your job (software training, formal qualifications etc.).

    The British Embassy and its US Network embraces hybrid working, allowing its staff to typically work from home 2 or 3 times a week. We are an organisation which embraces collaboration and team working, and all staff are expected to attend the office regularly.

    Only successful candidates will be contacted.  Please no phone calls.  Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we cannot guarantee consideration of your application if the submission instructions are not properly followed.
    The British Embassy is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and to creating a diverse working environment, free from discrimination, where everyone is included and treated fairly, based on merit alone.  We are an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions without regard to race, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any other criterion protected by law.

    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.

    This opportunity is closed to applications.