View Vacancy - Executive Assistant and Team Support Officer

View Vacancy - Executive Assistant and Team Support 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. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

Job Category

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

Job Subcategory

MOD (Ministry of Defence)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

The British Government's Embassy in Washington DC is offering an exciting opportunity to join British Defence Staff United States as an Executive Assistant and Team Support Officer in either Defence Policy and Nuclear or Defence Acquisition and Trade. These are two meaningful roles which support and further develop the special relationship between the UK and the US - contributing to work shaping international diplomacy to make a real difference globally.

These two roles sit at the centre of two busy, collaborative teams, providing high-quality executive support to the Minister Counsellors for Defence Policy and Nuclear, and Defence Acquisition and Technology. The role holders will exercise judgement in managing competing priorities, anticipate requirements, maintain oversight of team systems and deadlines, and coordinate the timely delivery of meetings, visits, events and urgent requests.

The roles are part of a dynamic international environment spanning the British Government's extensive network across the United States and the United Kingdom, which includes the Embassy in Washington, the UK Mission to the United Nations, multiple Consulates, and other Government Offices-comprising over 900 staff and supporting the work of approximately 30 UK government departments and agencies. There is likely to be opportunities to attend and contribute to the delivery of selected events and diplomatic functions.

The roles coordinate team inputs, deadlines and clearance processes for ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests, briefings and reporting tasks. It also provides effective secretariat support to internal Embassy meetings by preparing papers, recording decisions and driving timely follow-up of agreed actions.

We are looking for proactive, organised and service-focused professionals who exercise sound judgement, work confidently with colleagues at all levels and take personal responsibility for accurate, timely delivery. The successful candidates will be comfortable working with limited supervision, identifying risks and priorities, improving team processes and following issues through to resolution. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants responsibility for how a busy team operates while gaining exposure to international defence and diplomacy; prior diplomatic experience is not required.

Roles and responsibilities

Executive assistance to the Minister Counsellor (about 50%)

• Take day-to-day ownership of the Minister Counsellor's diary, exercising judgement to prioritise competing demands, resolve clashes, anticipate preparation and travel requirements, and adapt quickly to short-notice changes so that their time is used effectively.
• Manage end-to-end arrangements for internal and international travel, transport and accommodation, applying local procedures, identifying and resolving logistical issues, securing value for money and maintaining accurate, coherent itineraries.
• Coordinate meeting delivery from planning through to completion, ensuring rooms, visitor access, information technology, papers and other materials are in place, resolving practical issues and escorting visitors where required.
• Take responsibility for the accurate and timely processing of expenses and administration of the Government Procurement Card in accordance with corporate controls, and actively manage the flow of priority submissions and briefings requiring the Minister Counsellor's clearance.
• Produce a weekly overview of engagements and maintain a forward look of upcoming activity, highlighting emerging pressures, dependencies and decisions required.

Team coordination, secretariat and policy administration (about 25%)

• Coordinate the team's contribution to the bilateral secretariat function led from London, maintaining oversight of inputs, deadlines and clearances for ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests, judicial engagement, briefings and reporting tasks; escalate risks to delivery where necessary.
• Provide structured secretariat support for internal Embassy meetings by planning agendas, coordinating papers, producing accurate minutes and decision records, and driving action owners to complete agreed follow-up.
• Manage the shared mailbox, triaging correspondence, judging priority and ownership, directing work to the appropriate colleague and ensuring urgent or important matters are followed through.
• Own and maintain the team's core management information, including the task tracker, annual leave tracker, duty rota, distribution lists and shared information; monitor completeness and deadlines, prompt colleagues for updates and escalate gaps where appropriate.
• Coordinate and quality-assure the team's inputs to pan-BDSUS outputs, including the week-ahead and fortnightly returns, ensuring contributions are complete, accurate and submitted to deadline.
• Maintain the integrity of contact lists, stakeholder records, CVs and databases, identifying and correcting gaps or inconsistencies, and coordinate the administrative induction and onboarding of new starters.
• Develop and maintain a strong working knowledge of routine finance processes, monitor the team budget record, reconcile transactions and submissions, and flag discrepancies or emerging issues to the appropriate colleague.

Events, visits and external meeting support (about 15%)

• Lead the administrative and logistical coordination of internal and external meetings, senior visits and events, translating the objectives set by relationship owners into clear plans, dependencies and delivery actions.
• Manage the practical delivery of senior official visits, coordinating programmes, rooms, transport, visitor access, briefing packs and the relevant visit-record process, and resolving issues across multiple contributors.
• Manage the end-to-end administration of events through Salesforce and other agreed systems, maintaining oversight of venues, guest lists, invitations, responses, catering, on-site arrangements and expenditure records, and ensuring activity remains on track.
• Coordinate and quality-assure the team's contributions to wider British Defence Staff and British Embassy guest lists, maintaining reliable event and visit records and resolving omissions or duplication.
• Attend selected events or diplomatic functions to support delivery, respond to practical issues and develop a broader understanding of the Embassy's defence and diplomatic activity.

Team effectiveness and corporate contribution (about 10%)

• Build effective working relationships across the wider Executive Assistant network, using these to strengthen coordination between offices, resolve cross-cutting administrative issues and share effective practice.
• Proactively identify, recommend and implement proportionate improvements to administrative processes, templates and records, using feedback and evidence to make delivery more efficient, consistent and resilient, with appropriate oversight from the line manager.
• Contribute actively to team planning, feedback and continuous improvement, and take ownership of defined workstreams within cross-team administrative projects that support the UK-US defence relationship.
• Undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the grade and business needs, responding flexibly to changing priorities across the section.
• These percentages are indicative and may shift over time depending on team priorities and organisational needs.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure)

No line management responsibility. The postholder will hold or support use of a Government Procurement Card where required, process authorised expenditure and maintain accurate team budget and event records within delegated procedures.

Language requirement:

Expert in English

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Essential on arrival:

• Demonstrable experience of providing high-quality executive, administrative or operational support in a busy environment.
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing demands, meet deadlines and maintain attention to detail.
• Sound judgement and initiative in proactively resolving routine problems, escalating sensitive or substantive issues appropriately and handling information discreetly.
• Clear and professional written and verbal communication, including confidence working with senior colleagues and a wide range of internal contacts.
• Experience of coordinating meetings, travel, visits or events and maintaining accurate records and follow-up actions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, with confidence learning and maintaining digital team systems and databases.
• A collaborative, customer-focused approach and a commitment to delivering a dependable, high-quality service.
• Ability to work flexibly during periods of high operational demand, including occasional out-of-hours support for visits or events.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Desirable:

• Experience working in government, defence, diplomacy, an international organisation or another complex stakeholder environment.
• Experience supporting senior leaders, ministerial or VIP visits, formal correspondence or secretariat processes.
• Experience using Salesforce, shared mailboxes, task trackers, contact databases, finance systems or event-management tools.
• An interest in UK-US defence relations and a willingness to develop contextual knowledge that improves the quality of administrative support.

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service

Application deadline

22 September 2026

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

2

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

$26.56

Type of Salary

hourly

Start Date

9 November 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment

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

Eligibility

You must have the right to live and work in the US in order to take up this role, whether in your own right or as a dependant, and be able to demonstrate that when required. If you are not a US citizen, dual US citizen or US Permanent Resident, it is your responsibility check your eligibility to work for a foreign government in the United States, and specifically to work in this role at this location, and provide proof of your eligibility via an Employment Authorisation Document or other relevant document when required. The UK Government does not routinely sponsor work visas; the job advertisement will state clearly whether sponsorship is available.

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

Core Hours

While many jobs in the US Network are able to offer flexibility in terms of working hours, core business hours are 09:30 to 15:00 (in the local time zone) Monday through Friday.

All working hours are position specific and subject to change at any time, without notice. If you have any questions, please address them with the hiring manager.

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 (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 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.

Unique Tax Rules

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.

Additional information

Closing date of receiving applications is before 23:55 (Local Time) on 22 September 2026.

All applicants must fully complete the online application form, including the sections for employment and educational details, experience, and behaviour-based questions. Only those applications that contain all required information will be considered. To ensure the sift process remains anonymous, please do not include any personally identifiable information in your application form.

Only successful candidates will be contacted. Please no phone calls. Due to the high volume of resumes we receive, we cannot guarantee consideration of your application if the submission instructions are not properly followed.

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a 'reserve list'. If during the reserve period of 12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

Internal candidates must inform their supervisor before they apply to a different position.

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.