Commercial Group

Working for FCO Services

I work in Business Development as an Account Manager for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), our biggest customer. I am responsible for the account management for all overseas posts, and the British based functional directorates in the FCO, such as HR and Finance and Protocol.

My role is to help ensure that our Embassies and UK departments get the technical support services needed to be able to operate effectively. The job is interesting and varied and involves managing the customer/supplier relationship between FCO Services around the FCO, understanding and interpreting their various requirements and developing business proposals and quotes for them.

FCO Services delivers a very wide range of services and the role is often a bit like being a 'translator', helping clients and our technical staff to communicate with each other so that they are clear on what they can expect from us. Another essential part of looking after our clients in the FCO is to own and resolve their problems. If they feel that someone is looking after their interests, hopefully they will chose to use us again and again.

One of things I find interesting about the job is that the work is commercial and sales related, which isn't something you would expect as a Civil Servant.

My experience and qualifications

I have worked for FCO and FCO Services in a wide variety of technical roles. I joined FCO as a Trainee Engineer in 1980, progressing to work in the engineering drawing office and then the FCO estate drawing office. This gave me a good background in understanding the systems that are installed in our estate around the world, for example CCTV and access controls. Our office then became merged with a wider service department which included document management, printing and design. I was then promoted to a manager in the department (which covered logistics, printing, procurement and the FCO home estate). This broad career background has definitely been a benefit when I moved into Business Development and has given me a good understanding of most of the services we provide and who to contact to get a technical or specialist view.

Working for FCO Services

If you are flexible you have great opportunities to move around, and up the organisation and to do a wider range of different types of jobs. The job of an Account Manager gives you a lot of variation of in your work. One day you might be discussing specialist software systems in the UK and the next secure cabling abroad.

Top tip for someone coming new into a similar job

To work as an Account Manager for our FCO clients, I do think it is an advantage to have experience and knowledge of working in the FCO, for example as a time-served diplomat who has experience of being a customer of FCO Services. However, FCO Services also provides lots of services to Wider Market Clients and I think Account Managers in our wider markets team would find it particularly useful to have experience as an Account Manager for large complex IT or building projects.

My job

I support Project and Programme Managers to deliver our corporate change programme. I have contact with a wide range of people, and help them to develop and update project plans, manage issues and risks and support the reporting of progress to the Executive, and other committees.

Practically my job involves developing and maintaining project documentation, compiling reports, arranging agendas and committee schedules and dealing with enquiries.

Working across programmes delivered by different parts of the organisation has developed my understanding of FCO Services and led to good working relationships.

My experience and qualifications

After my degree in history I spent a year travelling and working abroad. Returning to the UK, I joined a Graduate Development Programme in the public sector. This two-year programme gave me four, six month, project-based placements covering: communications and marketing, process analysis, business development and strategy. Following this, and the completion of a Diploma in Applied Management, I joined FCO Services as a programme support officer and have since become a PRINCE2 Practitioner.

Working for FCO Services

I joined FCO Services to extend my project-based experience in an organisation which is still public sector, but which operates on a commercial basis. I like the international perspective, combined with the range of products and services we offer. The organisation gives you good opportunities to progress.

You also have the opportunity to take on different responsibilities for the wider organisation, for which you are given the relevant training. I help to deliver information and data handling support and advice to Corporate Services. You can also arrange to do job shadowing to broaden your knowledge of the products and services we deliver.

Top tip for someone coming new into a similar job

In your application, make sure you clearly display the specialist skills you possess. I brought an understanding and appreciation of reporting structures and governance which enabled me to quickly get to grips with my role. Good communication skills and a professional manner will stand you in good stead, particularly when liaising with a wide variety of colleagues.