Our daily work relies on the input of dedicated individuals who engage in many different topics and activities. We seek to employ a diverse range of candidates who bring their own talents and perspectives to the role. We have a strong corporate agenda that ensures we create a positive and inclusive working environment where everyone is valued for their contribution.

Who are we? 

The UK Mission to the European Union (UKMis) is part of a world-wide network of 270 Diplomatic Posts, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. The UK Mission to the EU (UKMis Brussels) aims to ensure the UK’s interests are promoted and explained to EU member states and the EU institutions, as well as monitoring and reporting on key developments in the EU. UKMis Brussels is one of the UK’s busiest diplomatic posts, with a varied team working on a wide range of issues across UK government business.

 We are now looking for a Policy and Business Support Officer to assist in the delivery of its corporate and policy work.

Main purpose of job:

As support officer to the British Defence Section (BDS(EU)), the jobholder will support the team’s policy outputs and related administrative tasks. This includes provision of administrative support to facilitate routine office function of the BDS(EU) team. The role will require the development and maintenance of UK and EU policy awareness in the Defence and Security domains. There will also be the opportunity to be involved in other corporate work strands in UKMis.

The job holder must be highly organised, forward thinking and able to work to a high degree of accuracy  and detail under time pressure. A team player is essential, as is flexibility. This may include assisting other sections in UKMis on an ad-hoc basis, as well as contributing to UKMis wider corporate life.

Roles and responsibilities:

The job holder will be expected to support, and lead on tasks that help your team and the organisation function, making sure everyone is supported and organised to do their job effectively. This will involve being flexible, willing and able to help out with a wide variety of tasks which will include, but are not limited to:

• Team Based Administration – organisation of internal team meetings, office management, organisation of internal team building sessions / away days, diary management to head of section. Represent the team at UKMis-wide business management matters.
  
• Visits and Events – coordinate programmes and logistical support for senior London visitors and Brussels based events, such as receptions and panel events. Represent colleagues at (virtual) seminars, conferences and meetings with the confidence to speak up when needed.
  
• Budget Management – monitoring and forecasting of local budget allocation. Reconcile expenses and general purchasing card of Defence Advisor.
  
• Internal Communications – supporting smooth internal communications by proactively signposting colleagues to relevant content and ensuring content is up to date. Develop and maintain a close working relationship with colleagues in the Foreign, Security, Policy and Development Policy (FSPD) Team and other Teams in UKMis EU, the UK Delegation to NATO and the UK Embassy to Belgium.
  
• Stakeholder Management, and Event Attendance – providing targeted read-outs of stakeholder and EU institution events for Desk Officers. Keep the Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) data base up to date with key stakeholders in line with data protection rules. Where appropriate, deputise for Desk Officers, including representing the UK at external events.
  
• Human Resources / Induction – Ensuring HR information is kept up to date. Ensure all team members are aware of and follow UKMis induction procedures both as staff and line managers.
  
• Corporate compliance – this will include regular reviews of completion rates of mandatory FCDO training and accurate record keeping of compliance databases – including for FCDO crisis preparedness.
  
• IT – Ensuring distribution lists and MS Team storage are reviewed regularly. Ensuring all colleagues in their sections have updated Outlook/MS Teams/UKMis intranet profiles. Enable all team members to run effective meetings, including in hybrid format – supporting use of technology.
  
• Defence Policy –Maintain briefings, factsheets and scene-setters on defence issues by monitoring developments through open-source information.

Our Ideal Candidate shows: 

• Full professional proficiency in English (written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework*);
• Previous experience in a business support role (diary management, administrative assistant, visits management);
• Previous experience in International organisation, government, NGO’s , think tanks or similar;
• Experience in visits/events organisation;
• Excellent reporting/drafting skills;
• Excellent planning and organisational skills with proven ability to manage, plan and prioritise tasks and workload;
• Flexible approach to tasks, eye for detail, discretion, good judgement and a team player;
• Good IT skills: Microsoft Office suite (word, Excel, MS Teams, PowerPoint etc.) plus Office 365 (outlook) and Webex.