Finance Operations

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UKs role in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UKs security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. We employ more than 17,000 staff in 179 countries and territories, across our diplomatic and development offices worldwide, which consists of 282 officially designated Posts. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street, London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and Hanslope Parkin Milton Keynes.

We are looking to recruit talented and enthusiastic individuals to join the FCDO in our Finance Operations department at Administrative Officer (AO) level. You will have good organisational skills, take responsibility for your own work and be committed to high standards of customer service. You will have strong literacy and numeracy skills and have experience and confidence in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Teams and Word) and Windows 11.

The positions are Home Civil Service roles based at Milton Keynes or East Kilbride, providing administrative support and corporate services to the FCDO in the UK and overseas. We are not recruiting for a specific departmental vacancy, and you will be placed into a role based on business need.

Financial Operations Administrative Officers provide professional office administration and support on transactions processing, projects, budgets, customer service functions and internal and external communications. All roles are customer oriented. These tasks are essential to the ability of the FCDO to deliver its objectives and form the core of all AO job specifications.

We will configure the roles to meet specific business needs, but they will typically include:

• Transactions and Receipts Processing: Checking invoices and identifying mismatches to ensure accuracy and efficiency; using different systems e.g. internet banking and Oracle to process payments promptly in compliance with procedures; reconciling and investigating payments; calculation and payment of member pension benefits; dealing with FCDO credit card issues and issuing invoices for services provided by the organisation.
• Customer Services: Providing guidance to customers, dealing with them professionally and resolving queries within agreed timeframes.
• Knowledge and information Management: Maintaining excel spreadsheets, databases, records and desk notes.
• Professional Office Administration/Support: Creating and maintaining electronic filing systems; databases and distribution lists; dealing with telephone and email enquiries; mail handling; organising meetings/events and taking notes in meetings; maintaining stationery supplies; corporate roles such as first aider, for which training will be provided.
• Project Management Support: Monitoring progress against objectives; ensuring project remains on schedule; anticipating and managing risks; maintaining accurate records.
• Budget Management: Budget monitoring, requisitioning and raising purchase orders; manipulation of data using spreadsheets; assisting with budget forecasting; understanding commercial and procurement policies.

You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport/Driving Licence etc.) with you.

This role requires you to attainDeveloped Vetting (DV) security clearance.

For more information about this process,click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majestys Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents or partners Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.

It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria, the Behaviours and the Technical question as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.

Essential Criteria

• Strong literacy, numeracy and IT skills.
• Competent using IT packages including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Teams), Windows 11 and experience of mailbox management.
• Strong interpersonal, team-working and communication skills (oral and written).
• Good organisational, analytical and planning skills with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment to tight deadlines.
• Ability to make effective decisions, identify problems and propose solutions to maintain a quality service.