Executive Assistant to the Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau

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View Vacancy - Executive Assistant to the Director of the Northern Ireland Bureau

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

Northern Ireland Bureau / Northern Ireland Group / Invest Northern Ireland

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

The Northern Ireland Bureau is the diplomatic mission of the Northern Ireland Executive in the United States and Canada. Its main purpose is to cultivate and strengthen links between various political, economic, educational, and cultural interests in Northern Ireland and North America. It also serves as a resource for individuals and organisations wishing to learn and understand more about Northern Ireland, and about its relationship with the United States and Canada.

The Bureau is seeking to recruit an experienced Executive Assistant (EA) to provide administrative, organisational and diary support to the Director of the Bureau. The post holder will be required to work closely with the Deputy Director and other members of the team.

This is a busy and interesting position, working directly with a wide variety of important stakeholders: including the offices of the most senior representatives of the US administration, elected representatives and a wide range of other external contacts; the British and Irish Ambassadors' Executive Offices; colleagues across the US; and a wide range of academic and cultural organisations. The EA will also have close working relationships with colleagues in Northern Ireland Departments, particularly the offices of Ministers, the Head of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretaries.

The ideal candidate for this position will be a reliable self-starter with strong communication, organisational and time management skills and who takes a pro-active and flexible approach. The post holder will be required to use good judgement and initiative in progressing work, particularly when the Director is away from the office on business. As the work of the Bureau is often politically sensitive, the post holder will be required to exercise the utmost discretion at all times. Team working skills are essential to the role within the small Bureau team. The ideal candidate will be a team player, a clear and effective communicator and have a strong attention to detail, ideally with a background in being an Assistant to a Senior post holder.

Roles and responsibilities:

Supporting the Director
Maintaining the Director's email box and Calendar, this includes scheduling appointments and organising diary entries
Liaising with staff and external parties and handling and responding to all correspondence including phone calls, emails, invitations and letters.
Supporting the Director in ensuring that travel and accommodation for official business is booked in good time and all work expenses have been correctly recorded.
Organising logistics and Hospitality for conferences, workshops, seminars and other events
Taking notes at meetings, preparing the minutes and actions and subsequently distributing to all participants

Finance and Governance
Ensuring that all costs of office have sufficient evidence.
Ensure relevant staff members have updated and amended all governance documents.
Ensure all financial and governance returns have been approved by Director and staff members have completed within timeframes.

Communications
Assisting the Office in their communications.

Office operations
Assisting in the operation of the office, this includes organising team meetings, ensuring there is no rubbish or obsolete equipment in the Office and liaising with Building Office Management.

Events and Visits
Supporting the Office to ensure the successful delivery of events and visits.

Resources managed:

Ensure the Directors budget is not over or under spent.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• A proven track record of strong interpersonal skills including the ability to be professional, courteous and discreet and deal directly with key players at senior levels inside and outside the Bureau.
• Excellent organisational skills and a keen eye for detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task, grip complex and evolving situations and think creatively to find solutions, remain task-focussed at all times, demonstrate flexibility when plans change at the last minute, and work as a team player.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite

Language requirements:

Language: English

Level of language required: fluent

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Previous experience in supporting a senior Executive.
• Experience working in the UK Civil Service.

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service

Application deadline

10 February 2025

Grade

Executive Officer (EO)

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 Government Office

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

$66,497

Type of Salary

yearly

Start Date

31 March 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

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.

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 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.

Additional information

Closing date of receiving applications is before 23:55 (Local Time) on 10th February 2025

This role is full time (40hrs a week) in the office.

The Bureau hosts some evening events at which the post holder may be required to provide support the Director on occasions.

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.

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, e.g. some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

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

The British Embassy is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and to creating a diverse working environment, free from discrimination, where everyone is included and treated fairly, based on merit alone. We are an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions without regard to race, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, political affiliation or any other criterion protected by law.

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.