View Vacancy - Corporate Services Manager (DEN26-014151)

Corporate Services Manager (DEN26-014151) - FCDO

View Vacancy - Corporate Services Manager (DEN26-014151)

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 (Operations and Corporate Services)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Lead. Influence. Deliver. Make a Difference.

Who We Are

The British Embassy in Copenhagen is at the heart of the UK's diplomatic presence in Denmark, supporting political, economic, security and consular objectives while delivering vital services to colleagues across the UK Government.

We are looking for an experienced, strategic and people-focused Corporate Services Manager to join our Senior Leadership Team. This is a high-profile leadership opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced international environment and is passionate about driving operational excellence, organisational performance and positive change.

As Corporate Services Manager, you will lead a diverse team of 10 professionals and play a key role in ensuring the Embassy operates effectively, efficiently and sustainably. You will work closely with the Ambassador, Deputy Ambassador and senior stakeholders across the Embassy platform, providing expert advice on corporate services, finance, HR, estates, risk management and business planning.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of corporate delivery at one of the UK's most dynamic overseas missions.

Strategic Leadership and Corporate Excellence

As a member of the Embassy's Senior Leadership Team, you will help shape strategic priorities and drive the corporate agenda, ensuring resources, services and operational support align with business objectives.

You will:

Provide strategic advice to the Ambassador, Deputy Ambassador and senior stakeholders on corporate, financial and people matters;

Lead corporate planning, risk management and delivery of the Country Business Plan;

Influence and collaborate across a multi-department UK Government platform to strengthen partnership working and inclusivity;

Build strong relationships with regional and global FCDO networks, suppliers, diplomatic missions and government partners;

Lead change initiatives and continuous improvement projects to enhance efficiency and service delivery.

Leading Corporate Services Delivery

You will oversee the full range of corporate services functions, ensuring high-quality support across the Embassy platform.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading delivery across finance, HR, estates, protocol and corporate operations;

Managing the Embassy estate and ensuring compliance with UK and local regulations, including health and safety requirements;

Overseeing local budgets and ensuring effective financial management and value for money;

Acting as the intelligent client for outsourced services and supplier contracts, establishing clear performance measures and service standards;

Monitoring and improving service delivery through corporate governance, reporting and performance management.

People Leadership

People are at the heart of everything we do. You will lead, support and develop a team of 10 staff while fostering a positive, inclusive and high-performing culture.

You will:

Champion employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion;

Lead on the Embassy's employer proposition for Country Based Staff, including pay, benefits and terms and conditions;

Provide guidance on complex employee relations and people management issues;

Coach, mentor and develop team members to achieve their full potential.

Resilience and Operational Readiness

The Embassy must be prepared to respond effectively during periods of change or crisis.

You will:

Lead the corporate response during operational incidents and crisis situations;

Drive business continuity and crisis preparedness planning;

Ensure robust resilience through cross-training, succession planning and capability development;

Maintain strong levels of team engagement and operational readiness.

Local Engagement

You will represent the Embassy externally on corporate matters and maintain strong partnerships within Copenhagen's diplomatic community.

This includes:

Oversight of outsourced payroll provision;

Engagement with Heads of Administration across diplomatic missions in Copenhagen;

Supporting local corporate networks and fostering best practice sharing.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Our ideal candidate shows:

Fluency in English at a C1 level, according to CEFR*;

Minimum 3 years of middle management experience working for a governmental or international organisation, preferably with direct involvement in HR and/or finance policy and implementation;

Experience in managing: cross functional teams; budgets; suppliers and outsourced service delivery;

Strong problem solving and analytical skills with a resilient, flexible and solution-based approach;

High levels of discretion but with an ability to challenge and influence senior stakeholders;

Ability to use IT systems and adapt to AI to create efficient systems.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Nice to have:

Proficiency in Danish at a C1 level, according to CEFR*.

Required behaviours

Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Developing Self and Others, Seeing the Big Picture

Application deadline

31 August 2026

Grade

Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Type of Position

Permanent

Working hours per week

37.5

Region

Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Country/Territory

Denmark

Location (City)

Copenhagen

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

DKK

Salary

63,480.00

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

1 November 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment

What we offer:

This is a full time, permanent contract subject to a 3-month probation period;

37.5-hours working week with a focus on work-life balance, this role is primarily office-based. Flexible working of 1-2 days may be possible, subject to line manager agreement.

British Embassy Copenhagen offers a wide range of training and development opportunities, and we strongly encourage a culture of learning and development. You will be able to develop your communications skills, and access wider in-house training and funding for L+D courses, in agreement with your line manager;

You will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the Embassy, contributing to wider objectives and supporting a positive working environment;

Private health insurance;

A mix of Danish & British Public holidays.

Equal employment - We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. We particularly encourage applications from candidates with protected characteristics. DBT Europe Network want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, regardless of their background.

Oversight of Embassy admin and CBS pay budgets. Management of a team of 10 corporate staff.

The British Embassy Copenhagen offers a wide range of training and development opportunities and we strongly encourage a culture of learning and development.

Interested?
Apply below. Please notice that this is the only way we accept applications. Uploads are not possible.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Additional information

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance.

The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation for Denmark to apply.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Copenhagen are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Danish employment law.

Visa/work permit requirements: candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Denmark and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

The start date for the position is subject to the availability of the candidate and the length of the recruitment process.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline".

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.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

FCDO does not pay for travel related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCDO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment levels please click on the following link CEFR.

Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skills are going to be assessed.

Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

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.

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