British Embassy
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View Vacancy – JPN (Tokyo) – Personal Assistant to Defence Attaché, AO
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Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)
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MOD (Ministry of Defence)
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Main Purpose of Job:
- Provide logistical and diary support to the Defence Attaché.
- Working with a wide range of stakeholders both internally and externally but specifically liaising with many parts of the Japanese Ministry of Defence as well as other Defence Attachés based in Japan.
- Programme planner and events specialist to work as an integral part of the Defence team leading and supporting on Defence activity and programmes.
What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:
- Provide logistic support duties to the UK Defence Attaché (diary management, arranging appointments).
- Lead and support on a diverse range of programmes for MOD UK visitors. The work will support Defence Section, assisting all the Defence team to deliver their outputs and including facilitating and assisting visits from the UK, events, and conferences.
- Develop strong relationships with partners who will help to deliver activities in Japan and the UK – Japan Ministry of Defence, academic institutes, Defence industry and wider Japanese ministries and government.
- Collaborate with departments across the Embassy and UK MOD and FCDO in support of Defence Section activities.
Resources Managed (staff and expenditure): Line manage the Section Driver
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- Excellent business communication skills in English (orally and in writing)
- Strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc)
- Strong communications skills and ability to work within a close-knit team. Ability to develop relationships and a network is also vital
- Knowledge of Japanese government systems; cultural awareness; knowledge of Japanese business etiquette
Language Requirements:
This role requires written and spoken proficiency in both English and Japanese. Fluency (minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework*) in Japanese and business level (minimum of high B2) in English.
*Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages sets the following mastery or proficiency levels:
- C1: Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
- B2: Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
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- Interest in Defence and Security issues
- Motivation to gain understanding of defence activities in Japan
- Pre-existing experience in the Defence and Security sector and/or Government or Defence ministry experience
- Assistant, or Project Management experience
- Experience in facilitating VIP visits from overseas (within a wider team)
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Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together
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17 April 2025
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Administrative Officer (AO)
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Full-time, Permanent
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37.5
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Asia Pacific
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Japan
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Tokyo
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British Embassy
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1
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JPY
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JPY 435,700 per month
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monthly
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2 June 2025
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- 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)
- 25 days paid annual leave (calculated pro rata)
- Health Insurance and Employee pension (kenko hoken/kosei nenkin)
- Employment Insurance (koyou hoken)
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, working remotely for one day a week, and the possibility of a job share arrangement, subject to agreement with management.
This role will be offered pending successful reference and security checks and is subject to the appropriate permissions to work. If the successful candidate requires a visa to work in Japan, the Embassy will support that application.
Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Tokyo is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Japan employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.
Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.
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 5 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.
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Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
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.
Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours, including through your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which provides detailed guidance on how the behaviours are defined.
Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to prepare specific examples of when they have demonstrated these behaviours in their application. Using the STAR format to provide evidence of your skills and experience in your application and at interview helps to give a structure. You briefly describe the situation in which you showed the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.
For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender and nationality.
The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.
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Tokyo
To apply please copy and paste this link: https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/candidate/jobboard/vacancy/1/adv/
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