View Vacancy - Assistant to the Defence Equipment Attaché (FRA22.430)

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 core role is to provide administrative support to the Defence Equipment Attaché and Deputy Defence Equipment Attaché within the British Defence Staff (BDS), British Embassy Paris.

The British Embassy in Paris is part of a worldwide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas.  BDS – France plays a key role in developing, maintaining and promoting the UK-French defence and security relationship and the Defence Equipment Team works on the capability development part of this, under the UK-France Lancaster House Treaty.  Our mission is to build enduring strategic relationships with a wide range of French partners in order to further the interests of the objectives outlined in the UK Defence Strategy for France.

The BDS team consists of 17 people.  You will be working in a fast paced, varied and professional office supporting the Defence Equipment Attaché and their Deputy. 

Roles and responsibilities:

Professional Office support (30%)

Taking source material from DEA/DDEA leads and setting up: presentations, charts, spreadsheets and tables. Compiling high-quality briefing packs. Secretariat for meetings, including arrangements for video and teleconferences. Travel arrangements.  Assessing and assigning correspondence and managing diaries. Maintaining stationery supplies.

Personal Assistant (25%)

Professional support: diary management; travel arrangements; visit planning; expenses; managing mail traffic and phone calls; risk assessment and fire fighting.

Policy (15%)

Support for the Equipment Attaché team including requesting and collating briefing material on defence related topics and producing basic research on defined topics on the UK/FR defence relationship.

Project Management support (10%)

Monitoring progress against defined Equipment Attaché team objectives; conducting basic defined research for the team; maintaining accurate records as directed. Assisting the Equipment Attaché team in managing travel arrangements for Senior visitors to France.

Knowledge and information management (5%)

Maintaining databases, retaining records (electronic and paper) for the Equipment Attaché team.

Budget Management (5%)

Requisitioner, raising invoices and purchase orders for the Equipment Attaché team; understanding FCDO/MOD commercial/procurement policies.

Communications (5%)

Publishing on internal media as directed by the Equipment Attaché team leads (FCONet , Bulletin, Newsletters, Country Profiles).  Digital support as required. 

Corporate(5%)

Health & safety; first aid; fire warden, participate in wider embassy corporate activities as requested.

 

  • Strong organisational and time management skills – ability to manage competing priorities;
  • Good working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and ideally SharePoint applications and OneNote;
  • Attention to detail;
  • Ability to use initiative and manage administrative projects to meet deadlines;
  • Excellent English and French – both spoken and the ability to draft clear communications;
  • Good interpersonal and influencing skills to be able to develop and maintain a network of FR and UK contacts.
  • Experience as a Personal Assistant;
  • Knowledge of French and UK political structures and policies;
  • Some experience of the defence and security sector.
Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
20 September 2022
Administrative Assistant (AA)
Full-time, Permanent
35 hours/per week
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
France
Paris
British Embassy
1
EUR
€2,711
15 October 2022

This is a full-time, permanent position, 35 hours per week contract.

This is an interesting and varied job in an open, modern management culture;

We offer an excellent working environment in a central location.

The successful candidate will be subject to a professional background check and security clearance.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Paris are subject to local Terms and Conditions of Service.

All applicants must have the right to live and work in France. The British Embassy does not sponsor applications for work permits.

Please note, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C1 as Mastery or proficiency Level which means that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview that your languages skills are going to be assessed.

Please be advised that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

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.