View Vacancy – Accommodation Support Team Manager – Washington DC

The British Defence Staff in the United States is part of the British Embassy located in Washington DC and is responsible for defence and security engagement with the United States government and Department of Defence.  Our purpose is to defend United Kingdom interests by strengthening the trans-Atlantic defence and security relationship.

We are recruiting a new team manager to join the United States Support Group, who provide critical support services to British Defence Staff working across the US across human resource administration, welfare, medical, education and accommodation services. This role will lead the Accommodation Support Team, supporting British Defence Staff to identify permanent and temporary accommodation, furniture, logistics and routine support across the US. This is an opportunity to make a real impact supporting 900+ personnel plus their families living across 30 States, by developing a high performing team and innovating process improvements to enhance the experience for personnel and deliver improved value for the organization.

We are looking for highly motivated individuals who have a real passion for service delivery and team management. Applicants should be able to operate comfortably in a high paced environment, have good communication skills and be able to think innovatively and creatively.  Whilst experience in a housing management sector would be advantageous, it is not essential; applications from candidates with proven people management experience are welcomed.  A positive attitude and strong work ethic will be paramount.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of all British Defence Staff (BDS) accommodation support services across the US.
• Management and development of the United States Support Group Accommodation Support Team of 6 housing operations staff, ensuring the delivery of timely, appropriate, and good value accommodation needs.
• Responsible for the delivery of all accommodation support services for the 2400+ personnel and families assigned to the United States, including search advice, approval of leases, setting price limits, furniture provision and issue resolution.
• Authorisation of up to $32M expenditure for rent, furniture, maintenance and logistics within limits defined by policy.
• Delivery of staff training and monitoring of team performance including the introduction of delivery and customer service targets.
• Maintenance and improvement of BDS accommodation policies, instructions and guidance, including appropriate communication and use of information channels to reach customer base.
• Management of key contracts for furniture supply, monitoring performance and value for money.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• Nine staff (split in two sites).
• Oversight of $32M expenditure, direct management of $10M within tasked authorisation limits.

• Previous substantive experience in a fast paced, customer focused environment.
• Experience of leading a team and people management.
• Financial management skills with experience of change management and implementation.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of programs, specifically MS Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Applicants for this position must be a national of one of the following countries: UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

Must have the legal status to live and work in the US at the time of applying unless sponsorship is clearly stated in the advert. 

Under 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. The UK Government does not routinely sponsor work visas; the job advertisement will state clearly whether sponsorship is available. 

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.