JOB DESCRIPTION

View Vacancy – Visits Protocol 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

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Residence and Support Staff)

Job Subcategory

Protocol, Visits and Events

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

The British Government’s Embassy in Washington is offering an exciting opportunity to join the Visits and Events Team as a Visits Protocol Officer. This is a meaningful role which supports and further develops the special relationship between the UK and the US – contributing to work shaping international diplomacy to make a real difference globally.

The US Network offers a unique, career-enhancing opportunity and is committed to supporting its staff through a comprehensive benefits package- including generous leave, competitive insurance options, a top-tier 401(k) programme, and access to world-class learning and development resources.

We are committed to fostering a healthy work-life balance and supporting employee wellbeing through a structured hybrid working model that includes opportunities for remote work and flexible hours, where operational needs allow.

In this role, you will be 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.

As a Visits Protocol Officer in the Visits and Events Team you will contribute to strengthening UK-US relationship by enabling critical visits to take place. You will report to the Director of Visits and work closely with internal stakeholders such as policy teams and senior leadership and external partners including US State Department and US Security Agencies. This role is an enabler for the UK’s broader strategic objectives and offers valuable experience in international engagement and cross-government collaboration.

We’re looking for an exceptionally organised, detail-oriented, personable and proactive professional with a minimum of 2 years” relevant experience in a busy office environment. A previous role in meeting and event planning, logistics and/or executive assistance is preferred, and previous experience dealing with VIPs is highly desirable. The ideal candidate would have some knowledge of the British civil service, British culture and protocol, and US Administration. You’ll bring strong communication and prioritisation skills and a commitment to delivering high-quality work.

Roles and responsibilities:

1. Lead on all aspects of the organisation of individual senior visits (80%), including arranging transportation and accommodation, coordinating security clearances and building accesses, drafting a written programme, arranging for diplomatic clearances and more. You will work collaboratively and effectively with others across the embassy to deliver on this planning. In most cases, this includes accompanying senior visitors for a part of their trip; meeting them on arrival and/or on departure at local airports (this involves occasional work in the evenings or weekends), and in some cases accompanying them during their programme. You will also complete all required admin post-visit, such as invoicing.
2. Build and maintain relationships with useful contacts (5%); US government agencies, hotels, airlines, transport companies and other vendors.
3. Provide administrative support to the wider team and Director of Visits (5%), including filing electronic and paper visits documents and maintaining the Visits Section databases (e.g., statistical reports, clearance details). You may also need to cover for the Director of Visits and other team members during their vacation leave.
4. Actively contribute to the culture of British Embassy Washington (5%) by working as part of a committee or corporate group.
5. Perform other duties as assigned (5%)

*These percentages are indicative and may shift over time depending on team priorities and organizational needs.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• A minimum of 2 years” relevant experience in a busy office environment is required.
• The successful candidate must be very organised, detail-oriented, personable, and able to work under their own initiative. They must be a strong team player with excellent problem solving and judgement.
• Applicants for this position must be a national of one of the following countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and have the independent right to live and work in the USA.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• A previous role in meeting and event planning, logistics and/or executive assistance is preferred.
• Previous experience dealing with VIPs is highly desirable.
• The ideal candidate would have some knowledge of the British civil service, British culture and protocol, and US Administration.

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline

7 December 2025

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

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

$26.56

Type of Salary

hourly

Start Date

2 February 2026

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.

Core Hours/Hybrid Working

This role is 40 hours a week, Monday-Friday, usually 9:00AM to 5:00PM. However, flexibility is required by the post-holder as some senior visitor programmes require evening and/or weekend work. 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.

Employees will be expected to work from office full-time during the first 90 days of employment. After this time employees may work from home no more than 40% of the working week, subject to operational needs. You will be expected to work in the office as per the requirements of senior visitors.

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

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 7th December 2025

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 6 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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements