British Army Staff Team Support Officer - BDSUS, British Embassy Washington

Main purpose of job

The British Government’s Embassy in DC has an exciting opportunity for a methodical and enthusiastic person to join the British Army Staff Team as the Team Support Officer. This opportunity is a rewarding role which supports the cooperation of the British and US Armies, working towards the strategic partnership of the two nations.

Your daily duties will be varied and will include providing executive assistance to the Military Attaché, liaising with internal and external stakeholders, carrying out general administrative duties (including Salesforce for events), and providing logistical support to enable the smooth running of the team.

The ideal candidate will be a team player, proactive and methodical with exceptional organisational skills.

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. In this role you would be working in a diverse international environment alongside, armed forces personnel, UK Diplomats 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.

Roles and responsibilities

Team effectiveness

• Managing diaries for the principal and central team, anticipating requirements as well as identifying and seeking to resolve conflicts in advance.
• Liaising with other defence departments within the embassy for coordination and deconfliction, assisting with project coordination when required.
• Booking rooms, arranging IT facilities, and setting-up presentations or other media for meetings as required, ensuring the relevant data protection and security protocols are followed.
• Assisting in the organisation of the team’s official functions, including large scale annual defence engagement events. This will include assisting in preparing business cases, arranging suitable venues and catering, maintaining guest data, managing invitations, and meeting/greeting guests.
• Maintaining historic records of events, speakers and gifts.
• Acting as a point of contact for external visitors into the Embassy, including arranging access and providing an escort if required.
• Researching and arranging accommodation, travel and transport for the principal and team members in support of team activities, adhering to spending guidelines and limits.

Administrative Support

• Supporting the team in a variety of administration duties, which includes the controlling, filling, and recording of information (emails, electronic documents, paper documents) onto the MOD computer systems.
• Attending meetings, producing agendas and recording information to produce draft minutes of meetings or records of decisions.
• Managing the FCDO event management system (Salesforce) for events as required.
• Being prepared to provide administrative support to wider defence projects / teams as capacity allows.
• Maintaining competence in data protection policies and acting as the focal point for data protection issues in regard to team output.
• Supporting the Washington Association of Military Attachés for events, meetings and other events as required, on behalf of the AMA.

Relationship Management

• Maintaining desk-level contacts in key Government Departments, Congress, the Department of Defence, the Washington Association of Military Attachés executive committee and foreign embassy offices in support of the team’s objectives.

Budget Management

• Controlling and tracking authorised expenditure on behalf of the team principals to ensure timely completion of annual budget requests and quarterly returns. Assisting with yearly financial planning, in year financial tracking, and raising business cases throughout the year as required.
• Keeping up to date with monthly Electronic Procurement Card (ePC) form submissions, as well as assisting with reclaiming processes.

Resources managed

May be required to hold and run a Government Procurement card.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Demonstrated relevant working experience.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications including Microsoft Outlook.
• Strong interpersonal skills; including the ability to be professional, confident, and to work with interlocutors at a senior level.
• Strong independent judgement with a proven ability to problem solve.
• An ability to multi-task and use judgement to prioritise effectively.
• An ability to be discreet with the ability to handle sensitive material appropriately. Accordingly, the job holder must be able to attain the required security clearance.
• Ability to carry out administrative tasks.
• Excellent organisational skills and adaptability.
• Applicants for this position must be a national of one of the following countries: UK, US, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
• Legal status to live and work in the US in your own right, from time of application.

Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US has restrictions on the type of visas our non-diplomatic staff may hold. If you are not a US Citizen or a US Permanent Resident, or the dependent of a diplomat (with an EAD card), you may not be eligible for employment with the UK government. We cannot accept student Visas (J1, F or M) nor other forms of work Visas (I, H, P). If you hold a work visa it is best to check on your eligibility to work for a foreign government before applying for a position.

You may refer to our website for additional information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-the-usa.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience with budget management/budget management skills.
• Understanding of UK defence and UK government.
• Previous history of working in a support role.
• Experience supporting visits and events.

Other benefits and conditions of employment

All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work.

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.).

The successful applicant will need to complete a number of Defence mandated training online modules.

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.

Please note that the tax arrangements imposed by the US on staff working for foreign governments, as well as those imposed by the UK Treasury on British and dual nationals working for the UK Government overseas, are atypical. The UK Government cannot withhold taxes (including FICA) on behalf of a US taxpayer. Instead, a US taxpayer is required to file taxes as if they are self-employed, and a FICA allowance is granted for those required to pay the employer contribution. Certain categories of staff (for example dual UK-US nationals and some visa holders) who work at Consulates General are not subject to US taxes. For those not subject to US taxes the UK Government reduces gross pay to a level broadly equivalent to taxed net pay. There are also social security implications for dual UK-US nationals. Please keep all this in mind when looking at the salary and the benefits package. If you are offered a job with the UK’s US Network, you will be given further tax and social security information relevant to your personal circumstances and place of work; you are advised to consider this information and its impact on your circumstances carefully – potentially with the advice of a tax professional - before accepting a job.

Working patterns

This role is 40 hours a week but does not require set working hours each day, albeit working patterns will need to work with the wider team.

The role is primarily office-based due to the nature of the role requiring regular engagement and close working with the wider team, often at pace. However, some home working can be supported subject to discussion and agreement. Occasional out-of-hours work may be required (ex. supporting evening events).

Additional information

The deadline for applications is 31 March 2025 at 23:55 EDT.

Job Category

Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)

Job Subcategory

MOD (Ministry of Defence)

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together

Grade

Administrative Officer (AO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week

40

Region

Americas, Caribbean & Overseas Territories

Country/Territory

United States

Location (City)

Washington

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Hourly salary

USD $25.79 per hour

Start Date

19 May 2025