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Careers in Logistics

Delivering globally. 
Dispatching each shipment with care.
Seeing your impact go further. 
It all matters.

The success of a government project can depend on secure, timely shipments and our Logistics team always deliver the goods. From dedicated drivers to King’s Messengers, they’ve delivered to over 250 destinations worldwide, moving over a million kilograms of freight annually across land, air, and sea. Our Logistics colleagues make sure the resources for every project reach their destination on time – and with absolute security.

Not the career you wanted?

If this isn’t what you had in mind, answer a few questions and we’ll find where you fit.

Key roles in the area

  • Warehouse Operatives
  • Drivers
  • Logistics Officers
  • Logistics Planners
  • Logistics Managers
  • King’s Messengers
  • Garage Operatives

Hear from one of our Drivers

You get to grips with the laws of the road around the world, all the languages and road signs. Then, you recognise when your vehicle might be too tall or too heavy, when the warnings are written in a language – and even an alphabet – other than your own.

Logistics colleague

Most of our Logistics team are based in Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes. Some teams, like our London Drivers, are based at King Charles Street. Find out more here.

Our King’s Messenger service dates back to the reign of King John, in 1199AD.

Case study

The Logistics team were central to Project Tartarus; a  project with the RAF, delivering vital parts for a new air defence radar site all the way from Spain to northern Shetland. Find out more in our case study.

 

Radome project in Cyprus in winter with snow on teh ground.

Working overseas

Some of the Logistics team will travel regularly to government sites worldwide, whether it’s the Drivers delivering shipments, or the King’s Messengers accompanying air freight. With regular travel a key part of these jobs, here’s how it works:

Within the Logistics team, the Drivers, Logistics Officers, Logistics Planners, and King’s Messengers will all travel regularly. The Warehouse team, as well as most Logistics Managers, Garage Operatives and London Drivers, tend to be based solely in the UK. 

We also have some Logistics Co-Ordinators and Logistics Planners, and occasionally Project Managers, based permanently  overseas . If you’ll be based overseas though, this will be well-advertised in advance. If you’re going to be based permanently overseas, take a look at our Overseas career page

When you’re not travelling abroad, you could be based in either Hanslope Park in Milton Keynes, or King Charles Street in London, if you’re applying to be a London Driver. To find out more about both, see Life at FCDO Services.

We work in 168 countries, and you could well be travelling to any one of them. Your safety is our most important concern though: we’ll never send you anywhere you aren’t comfortable with. 

We’ll organise both your travel and your accommodation while you’re overseas, and support you financially.

As much as possible, we’ll aim to spread out your trips so that you get breaks from overseas travel. It means you can balance your home life with your travel abroad, and it also gives you time to properly prepare for each project you take on.

As a general rule, it’s not practical for families to travel with this team, since you’ll be overseas for regular short bursts. If you do have a longer posting overseas – if you’ll be stationed abroad for two years, say – then we can support your family to move overseas with you, if the role allows for that. This will be well-advertised upfront though, and we won’t ask you to take on a long-term posting if you aren’t happy to.

You’ll be able to stay in touch with your team throughout your time abroad, through our FCDO Services intranet, as well as having a manager who’ll check in on your progress. Plus, if you need someone’s advice on a project, there are always experts on call, no matter the time difference. You’ll also be able to take advantage of our overseas network activity: we offer all sorts of support to our colleagues both at home and abroad, whether it’s wellbeing events like yoga sessions, or chances to socialise with the teams stationed in your location. 

Did you know?

We introduced a custom-made trailer with fully retractable sides to make loading large equipment safer and more efficient
It’s introduction means we’re capable of transporting loads over 2,000kg. Its first delivery? A full-size airport x-ray machine. We’d previously have needed to dismantle it completely, or transport it by plane. The new trailer now allows for easier, safer, more efficient loading and unloading.
airplane taking off from runway

What’s life like working in our Warehouse team?

If you’re imagining the usual sorting, picking and packing, then you’re in for a surprise. But don’t just take our word for it. Why not read our interview with one of our Logistic Load Schedulers?

In its history, the Logistics team have served and delivered to over 250 posts around the world.

Thanks to the hard work of the Logistics team, we save our government customers – and the taxpayer – £4 million a year in customs duties.

Tips for your application

1. Tell us what you’ve done

You might not be used to applying for a government role. To assess your skills, we need to know what you’ve done. So, don’t just say ‘I’ve been a driver for ten years’ or ‘I worked as a warehouse operative for x company’. Tell us the specific skills you have, and the kinds of projects you’ve worked on.

2. Fill in every stage of the form

Unfortunately, we can’t accept a CV in place of our application steps, so please make sure you fill in every section, and again, be as thorough as you can about your experience – we don’t want your skills to slip through the net.

3. Get someone to proof-read

If you’re not used to this kind of application, that’s fine. We aren’t assessing you on whether it’s beautifully written; only on whether you can tell us clearly what you’ve done. So, get someone else to check your work if you need to and make sure it makes sense to them.

The team move over a million kilograms of freight per year in Diplomatic Bags – secure packaging that’s protected by the Vienna Convention.

Our Warehouse Operatives are UK-based and work the same hours you’d find in any warehouse – but their packing skills see secure goods delivered safely to governments.

Explore our virtual embassy

Ready to see the work you might do as part of our Logistics team? Just enter our virtual embassy and select ‘Working in our warehouse, garage and UK & Overseas secure logistics supply chain’ to get started.

Grand looking embassy with Union Jack flag and solar panels on it's roof. Illustration.

What do I need to thrive here?

From our Drivers to our Warehouse team, we need self-motivated hard workers.

What you do protects the UK’s interests, so you care about providing high-quality service.

You get your head down and get on, no matter what comes your way.

Unless you’re a Warehouse Operative, you’re ready to travel all over the world.

Apprenticeships

Interested in a career in Logistics, but don’t have any experience? Check out our Logistics Apprenticeship. Whatever your age, whatever your background, our in-house training and paid qualifications could be just what you need.

a female air conditioning technician with her supervisor on a roof top of an office block . They are performing routine servicing of the air conditioning units , and are wearing safety equipment .

Latest roles

Want to join FCDO Services but can’t see a live role to suit you? Sign up for job alerts or add your CV to our talent pool and we’ll be in touch when something comes up.

Interior Designer

London KCS
£43,200 plus £5000 location allowance and excellent benefits including Civil Service Pension

Locksmith

London KCS
£31,657.00-plus location allowance of £5000 for London. Excellent benefits, overtime and expenses cover, and the opportunity to earn extra on 22 week overseas deployments

QA Test Manager

Hanslope Park
£45,608 – £47,527 plus £1750 Location Allowance and excellent benefits

Technical Security Countermeasures Officer

Hanslope Park
£38,351 Plus £1750 Location Allowance

Service Transition Manager

Hanslope Park
£35,824 – £37,138 plus £1750 location allowance and excellent benefits