The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UK’s role in the world.
We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s 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 in Milton Keynes.
The Regional/Country Security Adviser (R/CSA) plays a critical and high‑profile role in safeguarding FCDO staff, assets, and operations.
The successful candidate will provide authoritative security advice to senior leadership across their geographic area of responsibility, shaping and sustaining a strong security culture at the Embassy. This includes ensuring that security risk is effectively balanced against operational delivery and staff welfare.
The role requires the development of robust, locally informed security assessments, drawing on insight from Senior Regional Security Advisers (SRSAs) and Overseas Security Advisers (OSAs) in London, where appropriate. For roles with a regional remit and responsibility for a number of Embassies within the region, this will be supported through regular engagement and on‑the‑ground visits. The R/CSA may also be called upon to provide surge support to other regions during crises or to offer resilience when required.
Roles and Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Act as the senior security lead at the Embassy, serving as the primary point of contact for all FCDO security matters and ensuring its security posture, infrastructure, and regulations remain aligned with assessed threats and Security and Resilience Department (SRD) requirements.
- Provide expert security advice and operational support, acting as the first point of contact for complex security queries, conducting security surveys, supporting VIP visits and major events, completing Travel Risk Assessments, and contributing as a key member of committees and oversight boards.
- Promote and enforce strong security culture, delivering induction briefings, investigating all security incidents and breaches, maintaining incident records, ensuring lessons are learned, and escalating serious issues to Security and Resilience Department (SRD).
- Manage physical and technical security assets, ensuring barriers, alarms, surveillance systems, access controls, and technical security equipment remain serviceable, compliant with SRD guidance, and regularly tested in coordination with Secure Technical Services Officers.
- Maintain robust liaison networks, engaging regularly with host nation authorities, key international partners, UN agencies, diplomatic police, and other relevant internal and external stakeholders to share intelligence, coordinate security efforts, and ensure UK Government personnel receive accurate situational awareness.
- Conduct continuous threat and risk assessments, producing comprehensive threat appreciations and ensuring appropriate site, personnel, and operational security measures across all locations under FCDO duty of care.
- Provide clear security advice for inclusion in contingency and emergency plans, including Security Operating Procedures, evacuation plans, Emergency Closure of Post plans, and Business Continuity Plans (BCPs), while ensuring personnel regularly rehearse emergency procedures.
- Oversee security communications systems, ensuring radios, emergency messaging tools, and related equipment remain fully operational, appropriately issued, and supported by adequate staff training and periodic testing.
- Supervise contracted guard forces and security personnel ensuring their procedures, reporting, and performance meet operational and Post security requirements.
- Where deployed in a regional capacity, ensure that satellite Embassies are visited as appropriate, and that all the security functions are undertaken on a regional basis. Maintaining regular contact with staff in between mandatory visits.
R/CSAs with regional responsibilities are expected to make regular visits to other locations. Travel may include fragile environments, for which Security in Fragile Environments (SAFE+) training will be provided.
Medical clearance is a key part of the FCDO’s duty of care. We can only deploy staff and their families overseas when they are fit for the role and can access appropriate medical support for any existing conditions. Candidates must show they are physically able to serve in any location, or that any health issues can be safely managed. The final decision on overseas suitability rests with the FCDO’s healthcare provider.
Essential Criteria
- Relevant professional qualification, for example SFJ Level 4 Protective Security Adviser or National Protective Security Authority Foundation Course (or equivalent) with active participation in Continuing Professional Development.
- Strong capability in physical security operations, personnel security principles, and threat based risk assessment, including counterterrorism, counterespionage, and crime mitigation.
- Proven experience in planning, testing and delivering effective responses to security incidents in complex environments.
- Established track record of leading, coaching and developing security teams, with effective management of resources and budgets.
- Ability to communicate complex security issues clearly, influence senior stakeholders and build trusted relationships with internal and external partners.
- Substantial operational experience across security related sectors, with strong risk management skills, adaptability to emerging threats, and a full UK manual driving licence (C1 preferred).
Person specification
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 attain Developed 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 Majesty’s Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents’ or partner’s 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.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £38,500, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £11,153 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
See the attached candidate pack.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience.
Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
You will be required to complete the following as part of the online application:
A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). CVs will be assessed against the Essential Criteria outlined in the Person Specification section above.
A Personal Statement of 750 words explaining how you consider your skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with specific reference to the Essential Criteria. These responses will be explored further during the interview process for shortlisted candidates.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Working Together.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Reasonable Adjustments
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to FCDO from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences.
This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems reading the Candidate Pack, such as through screen reader software, please contact our Team via [email protected] and we will share a Word version of this.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected]
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK nationals only.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact
Recruitment team
Further information
The FCDO’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should, in the first instance, contact [email protected].
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the FCDO, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners.
Attachments
Hints and Tips on Behaviour Examples - Opens in new window (pdf, 85kB)
2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) - Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)
Final Candidate Pack - (Reserve List) - Opens in new window (docx, 312kB)
