View Vacancy - British Defence Staff Regional Support Officer - Norfolk, VA
Main purpose of job:
The British Defence Staff in the United States has an exciting opportunity for a dynamic person to join the United States Support Group as a Regional Support Officer located in the Tidewater area of Virginia. This opportunity is a rewarding role which supports and further develops the special relationship between the UK and the US.
The US Network offers a unique career enhancing opportunity and is committed to supporting its staff through a variety of benefits including generous leave and insurance packages. In this role you would be working in a diverse international environment to support UK armed forces personnel and their civilian counterparts across the United States. This is made up of staff with a rich and diverse background, skill sets, and experiences.
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, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law.
The USSG Personnel Support Team delivers support across the USA network for British Defence Staff civilian and military personnel (ca 800+ people posted across the USA). We are looking for a highly motivated individual who has a real passion for service delivery to provide in place support to the personnel based in the Norfolk/Tidewater area. The successful applicant should be able to operate comfortably in a high paced environment, have good communications skills and be able to manage a diverse portfolio of tasks. Whilst experience in an associated HR sector would be advantageous, it is not essential; applications from candidates with broader experience are also welcomed. A positive attitude and strong work ethic will be paramount.
Roles and responsibilities:
• Act as a first point of contact to military customer enquiries by evaluating, prioritising and answering telephone, voicemail, email and in-person requests for assistance or referring to the relevant SME.
• Provide general administration support for the USSG Pers Delivery Team, including mail handling, processing administrative and allowances queries, and assisting with arrivals and departures for all Service Personnel at HQ SACT, JFC Norfolk, and the broader Tidewater area (defined as the “7 cities” from Hampton to Suffolk).
• Action casualty and compassionate signals and tasks where directed for HQ SACT and Tidewater personnel only.
• Provide cover for other USSG Pers Delivery desks when required.
• Manage internal HR records through filing and keeping internal databases up to date.
• Ensure relevant information on the USSG SharePoint site and BDSUS Info Portal is kept up to date.
• Contribute to the development of a continuous improvement culture in the section recommending ways to improve service delivery where appropriate.
• Schedule, participate and collaborate with the USSG arrivals brief provided to all service personnel newly arrived in country.
• Any other tasks designated by the Line Management within the skills and experience of the post holder.
Working patterns:
Able to accommodate a varied working pattern within certain core hours.
This role is 40 a week.
The role is customer facing and needs face to face contact so core hours will need to be met.
Essential on arrival:
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Strong commitment to customer service.
• Strong proficiency in MS Office Suite, including Access database, MS Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Access to the Military Base
Language requirements:
Language: English
Level of language required: Fluent written and spoken English. Desirable an understanding of military specific terms and usage.
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:
• Experience dealing with Military Personnel Administration
• Valid driving licence
Learning and Development:
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 everything 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.).
Other Benefits:
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. Only successful candidates will be contacted. Please no phone calls.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
