View Vacancy - Visits Officer

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)
MOD (Ministry of Defence)

The British Government’s Embassy in Washington has an exciting opportunity for an organised and attentive person to join the British Defence Staff US Visit and Events Team as a Visits Officer. This opportunity is a rewarding role which supports the special relationship between the UK and the US, supporting work at the forefront of international diplomacy in order to make a real difference globally.   

The US Network offers a unique career enhancing opportunity and is committed to supporting its staff through a variety of benefits including generous leave, insurance packages and a highly competitive 401k programme.  It also promotes a culture of flexibility which enables people to better maintain wellness through an excellent work/life balance approach that encompasses hybrid working, including working from home and flexible hours, where possible.  In this role you would be working in a diverse international environment to support UK diplomats, armed forces personnel 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 Visits Officer is one of two full-time roles supporting the Head of Visits and Events in organising all visits to Washington DC for the Ministry of Defence. This includes UK Government Ministers, Parliamentary Committees, former Prime Ministers, Members of the Royal Family, senior members of the military and senior ranking officials.  The position offers unique exposure to UK and US Government leaders and procedures. The successful candidate should be organised, attentive, flexible and a team player, as these skills are required to arrange and deliver senior visits in the Embassy. 

The work of the Visits Section spans the broad spectrum of the Embassy’s activity. The Visits Section is part of the Ambassador’s Executive Office, and the Ambassador takes a keen interest in the work of the Visits Section.

 

Roles and responsibilities:

  • Deliver on all organisational and logistical aspects of individual visits including: scheduling meetings; arranging transportation and accommodation; coordinating security clearances; and more.
  • Accompany visitors, meet and greet visitors on arrival at airports or otherwise, and accompany their departure (this involves occasional work in the evenings or weekends).
  • Work with external stakeholders such as hotels, airlines, transport companies and other vendors, including arranging payment of invoices.
  • Support on the planning and delivery of Embassy-led events.
  • Provide administrative support to the team, including filing electronic and paper visits documents, and maintaining online documentation.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

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 Defence Staff (BDS) outposts accept A or NATO visas


  • A minimum of 2 years' relevant experience in a busy office environment is required.
  • The successful candidate must be very organized, detail-oriented, personable, and able to work under their own initiative. Additionally, the successful candidate must be a strong team player with excellent problem solving and judgement.
  • Good communication skills, both written and verbal.
  • Strong user of IT and Microsoft Office suite.
  • A previous role in meeting and event planning, logistics and / or executive assistance is preferred.
  • Previous experience dealing with VIPs is highly desirable.
  • Knowledge of the British civil service, British culture and protocol, Congress and US Administration.
Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
7 December 2023
Administrative Officer (AO)
Full-time
40
Americas, Caribbean & Overseas Territories
United States
Washington
British Embassy
1
USD
$24.51
hourly
29 January 2024

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 (communicating with impact, handling difficult conversations, time management) to more technical or professional skills necessary to complete your job (software training, formal qualifications etc.).


This role is 40 hours FTE (full time equivalent) a week, with core working hours between 10am and 4pm.

Flexibility on working hours is necessary for this role, as the position can require overtime, evening, and/or weekend hours (any additional hours worked can be taken as Time Off in Lieu). Vacation and leave must be co-ordinated with others in the section and may not always be possible during busy periods.  

We can accommodate a job share for this role, but applicants will need to apply with a job share arrangement already in place to cover the 40 hours per week. (I.e., you cannot apply for this role to cover only 20 hours without a job share partner referenced who will cover the remaining 20 hours). Both halves of a job share will need to submit an application. Any applications not meeting these criteria will be automatically rejected.   

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.