British Equestrian is the National Governing Body for horse sports in the UK, affiliated to the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body of equestrian sports and supported by UK Sport and Sport England. It exists to provide leadership, vision and purpose in steering the direction of equestrianism.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to play a pivotal role in the BEF’s Secretariat department, which is responsible for the BEF’s international relations and the administrative functions that it fulfils as the National Federation for Great Britain.

We are  looking to recruit a Secretariat Assistant to join our small and friendly team to help provide that essential support to all areas of our work as a National Federation and Passport Issuing Office. We value team work very highly and so you must be able to work well as a team, respecting others and valuing the contribution different people can make. We will also want to hear your ideas and thoughts so we would love you to be able to be proactive in putting forward ideas for how we can do things better.

Purpose of the Role

The Secretariat Assistant will report to the Head of Secretariat and will provide broad support for the international administration of the National Federation as well as being responsible for the day-to-day administration of the BEF’s passport functions.

What you will be doing

Passport Services

• Process BEF passport functions on the BEF Passport Database and FEI Database whilst adhering to current GDPR policies.

• Prioritise and track passports to ensure Defra’s Minimum Operating Procedures timeframes are met.

• Carry out all administrative functions necessary in relation to FEI passport procedures advising the Head of Secretariat of any problems.

• Undertake national passport compliancy checks in accordance with current regulations and if required FEI rules, liaising with the Head of Secretariat when anomalies are found.

• Run and upload the Central Equine Database system file daily. Monitor and deal with resulting activities.

• Assist with end of month financial passport reporting systems.

• Deal with passport telephone/email queries.

• Identify and escalate passport problems to the Head of Secretariat.

• Chase missing FEI Documents.

 International Duties

• Deal with FEI suggestions.

• Process FEI Permitted Treating Veterinarian applications.

• Process FEI Permitted Equine Therapist applications.

• Process letters of no objections.

• Deal with FEI related telephone /email queries.

• Support the Head of Secretariat with:-

  • FEI competition schedules and invitations for international events in GBR.

  • The management of the FEI calendar.

  • The annual FEI rule revision process.

  • Provide meeting support.

  • Undertake ad hoc duties when required.

 What you need to succeed

• The ability to follow and apply detailed regulations/guidelines, attention to detail and accuracy are essential.

• Excellent computer skills with experience of Excel and general data input.

• Good planning and organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and meet timescales and remain calm under pressure.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• A self-starter with a commitment to excellence and to delivering high quality customer service.

• Collaborative team player with an open and consultative style and optimistic ‘can do’ approach.

• A willingness to entertain new ideas and seize challenges that arise.

• Personal integrity and the ability to invoke trust and respect from others.

As the needs of the business change this role will change accordingly, therefore this document should be viewed as a guideline which may be subject to change.

As an organisation we’re committed to welcoming new people to our team regardless of their background and we therefore welcome applications from anyone irrespective of age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, marital status, religion, or belief. 

For further information regarding the role please contact melissa.kinrade@bef.co.uk