View Vacancy - JPN (Tokyo) - Head of Events and Visits Team, EO

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)
Protocol, Visits and Events

Main purpose of job:


Head a new team that will lead on the delivery of impactful events and visits to Japan that enable the Japan Network to deliver on UK Government priorities in a way that is efficient, collaborative and provides good value for money, as well as strengthening Network consistency and capacity in visits and events.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

This is an exciting opportunity to take on a central role in the busy Japan Network (which includes the British Embassy in Tokyo and the Consulate General in Osaka). Delivering smooth visits by VIPs, ministers and senior officials and impactful events is a core part of our work and crucial in enabling the Network to deliver on UK Government priorities. 

We are a busy Network and have a wide variety of high-level visitors and dynamic events. In the last two years, visits have been scarcer due to COVID but during the course of 2019 we had visits from by the Prime Minister, HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Duke of Sussex and the Foreign Secretary, amongst others. As Japan’s borders ease further, we can expect a return to that kind of level and pace. The Network also hosts a wide variety of dynamic events, from annual Queen’s Birthday Parties to one-offs like a reception for the Earthshot Prize. 

The successful candidate will lead a team based in the Political Section in Tokyo, but work with all sections within the Network and a wide range of external contacts. This is a new team so you will have an opportunity to help shape how it works to ensure effective delivery underpinned by strong team morale and wellbeing. 

In the role, you will be expected to:

  • Help to establish the team; ensuring that the (existing) visits and (new) events officers understand their roles and how they fit with others in the Network (e.g. the Corporate Entertainment Team that work on events on the Embassy’s premises) and that the work of the team is well understood across the Network. Manage the process by which the team prioritises which visits and events it can support and how, liaising across the Network.
  • Oversee the planning and delivery by the team of impactful, cost-effective events and (all logistical elements of) smooth visits that deliver against UK objectives. You will also get the chance to step in and lead on various elements where necessary. Provide guidance as needed to the team as they advise to other teams working on other events and visits throughout the Network. 
  • Work closely with colleagues throughout the Network, particularly visit policy leads, the transport team, Corporate Services Team, Private Office and the Corporate Entertainment Team. Strengthen visits and events organisation capability across the Network, including: building a network of visits and events champions, leading the team to develop a consistent set of tools (e.g. on invitations and contact management) and coherent, streamlined guidance on holding events and visits and ensure the team hold regular sessions to deliver training and share lessons learned. With the team, build productive relationships with key external contacts in Japan (including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and in London (including ministerial private offices).
  • Take a strategic view across the Network’s visits and events to spot opportunities for better join up or clashes that need to be resolved. This includes working with the events officer and policy leads to proactively identify opportunities to seek sponsorship for events across the year.  
  • Actively contribute to the Embassy’s corporate work, including taking responsibility for a specific role as part of the Embassy’s crisis response team.

The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic and organised self-starter, calm under pressure, a good leader and team player with flexibility, strong communications skills and enthusiasm for the international working environment of the Network.

They will also need to be prepared to work long hours and potentially at weekends close to some visits or events, receiving time off in lieu for extra hours worked.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

1x A2(L) Visits Officer
1x A2(L) Events Officer

  • Experience of project management or logistical planning
  • IT skills, including experience with Microsoft Excel

Language requirements: 

Language: Japanese, English

Level of language required: Fluency in English and business level Japanese 

  • Management experience
  • Experience of work in an Embassy or similar
  • Experience of working in an English and Japanese speaking environment
  • Experience of working with Ministerial or similar private offices
  • Administrative and budget management experience
  • Experience living in the UK. And/or Knowledge of or strong interest in British business, culture, sports and lifestyle.
Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace, Leadership, Working Together
13 October 2022
Executive Officer (EO)
Fixed Term, Full-time
37.5
12 months
Asia Pacific
Japan
Tokyo
British Embassy
1
JPY
JPY 462,344
9 January 2023
  • 1 month salary bonus equivalents payable in June and December
  • (Note: Salary may be reduced due to tax status)
  • Commuting allowance of up to JPY35,000 per month (paid on an actual cost basis)
  • 24 days paid annual leave (calculated pro rata)
  • Health Insurance and Employee pension (kenko hoken/kosei nenkin)
  • Employment Insurance (koyou hoken)

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):


The British Embassy offers comprehensive learning and development opportunities that will be fully available to the jobholder. We regularly run both work area specific training, as well as more general skills development in project management, finance, and leadership. Each year the job holder will be encouraged to use five development days to pursue job related and personal development goals.

All staff are required to take a role in the embassy’s crisis preparation and response. Full training will be provided for this and regular opportunities will be available to test and develop your skills. 

Working patterns:

The British Embassy Tokyo supports and promotes flexible working as a crucial part of our inclusive offering. This particular role allows for flexibility in start and end times, working compressed hours, remote working (for agreed periods), and the possibility of a job share arrangement, subject to agreement with management.

However, any successful candidate would need to be willing to flex to work for longer hours and potentially at weekends in the run up to a visit. The Embassy operates a TOIL (Time off in lieu) system to compensate for additional hours worked during busy periods. 

Occasional out of hours working is required to support Embassy events or visits.

Applicants must be able to secure a local work permit.

Please note 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.