Senior Liaison Officer to National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Saint Louis (Deputy Head National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence – United States)

Everything happens somewhere. NCGI produces intelligence that is referenced in time and space to help decision makers to understand, plan, navigate, and target; to understand what is going on.  

We are the primary provider of Geo-spatial intelligence advice and expertise, comprising imagery intelligence, Geo-spatial analysis, Geo-spatial services, foundation data, military mapping and, in partnership with the UK Hydro-graphic Office (UKHO) and the Meteorological Office, assured data for safety of navigation. We are a national capability, recognisably operating alongside other national intelligence agencies and is the primary interface between the UK and international Geo-spatial intelligence partners.  

You may think you need to be an analyst or have an intelligence background to work for NCGI; this is not true. There is a wide range of exciting roles available. Without our highly dedicated teams of enabling staff, such as IT support, finance, security, and facilities management, our critical outputs would just not be possible. We employ many Civil Servants who play a pivotal role in Defence, nationally and internationally, and we are proud to be part of a diverse, forward thinking, broad organisation 

In Defence Intelligence (DI) our people solve problems, create understanding and give perspective to the diverse and complex Defence threats and challenges in a rapidly changing world. Together our civilians and military personnel inform decision making in Defence, manage complex finance programmes and develop new technology.  

In DI we believe your unique experiences, view and understanding of the world could provide a vital perspective and contribution to our work. We recognise that great minds do not think alike and are striving to increase our diversity representation at all levels. As an equal opportunities employer we hire, train and promote people based on merit and inspire to create an inclusive workplace free of discrimination.

As an important part of the Ministry of Defence, Defence Intelligence (DI) provides intelligence analysis, specialist outputs and advice that supports decision making across government. At the heart of DI is the National Centre for Geo-spatial Intelligence (NCGI).

Based in the USA, the National Centre for GEOINT– United States (NCGI-US) team leads the UK’s GEOINT engagement with key regional partners as part of the broader Defence Intelligence Liaison Staff – United States (DI-USA).

This is an exciting opportunity for an effective, motivated and engaging individual to take on the role of Deputy Head of NCGI-US.

All jobs advertised in DI are subject to fair and open competition.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

The tour length is 3 years.

U.S. visa law does not recognise common-law relationships.

Where only a tourist Visa is given by USA immigration, we are unable to accept the partner as ‘officially recognised’ and the employee is classed as unaccompanied for the overseas tour.

This is in line with the current policy which states that whilst we might recognise SOWER status, we are still bound by the host countries VISA requirements, and we can only support the partner if a full VISA is provided not a tourist VISA.

The Deputy Head’s primary roles are to be the senior UK GEOINT representative at NGA St Louis and lead responsibility for the team’s Foundation and policy strategy. The role involves significant engagement with Senior US decision makers, the sphere of influence being both internal and external to the agency. 

The successful applicant will be the lead the UK’s Foundation GEOINT engagement portfolio across the US and be responsible for developing the UK’s reputation within NGA St. Louis and the wider Foundation GEOINT community. This involves sensing and reporting to UK customers on GEOINT issues to ensure UK-US polices, capabilities and priorities are understood, and where feasible aligned, to achieve operational interoperability. You will work with FVEY (Australia, Canada, UK, USA, New Zealand) intelligence and GEOINT partnership partners as UK’s members of the secretariat which supports Foundation GEOINT multinational forums.  

The key responsibilities of this post include, but are not limited to:  

• Lead the DI-USA Foundation GEOINT portfolio within the USA GEOINT community acting as a liaison between the UK-US Foundation GEOINT communities.  
• Collaborate closely with the NGA St Louis Executive and senior NGA management as UK’s focal point in St Louis across the GEOINT business spectrum. Also represent wider UK DI UK government in the Mid-West region. 
• Being secretariat of the multinational Allied System for GEOINT Foundation Working Group which is the direction setting body for FVEY Foundation GEOINT.  
• Attend and participate in the NGA St Louis Senior Executives regular meeting and briefing programme. Act as the UK representative seeking and exploiting opportunities to promote UK Defence. 
• Be the senior Subject Matter Expert for foundation GEOINT issues across NGA and US Intelligence Community support the enhancing of relationships to improve intergovernmental procurement, exchange, co-production, collaborative working agreements, tradecraft, standards, training, and technical capability. 
• Improve burden sharing through the exchange of GEOINT data, products, and services between the UK, US and other FVEY partners to meet crisis response, current operations, and contingency readiness, developing and maintaining policy and MOUs to meet these needs. 
• Advise and influence the development of UK foundation GEOINT capabilities through the monitoring and assessment of US initiatives and capabilities. 
• Find opportunities to improve foundation and analytic GEOINT collaboration, partnership, and burden sharing. Identify foundation production opportunities and inefficiencies and alert and support the ASG Operations Forum. 
• Lead on Aeronautical Information policy/ Flight Safety Navigation and be the focal point for liaison between NGA and NCGI’s Aeronautical Information capability. 
• Lead on the developing UK’s interaction with the St. Louis Area Geospatial Ecosystem. 
• Lead UK engagement with the Next NGA Campus West (N2W) project, which will replace the current NGA St Louis facility in 2026. This will involve handling the move of the UK office to N2W, growing the Liaison team footprint, and developing a strategy to improve the opportunities afforded by the new location. Feeding back lessons learned to inform similar UK-based projects. 
• Lead on developing the NCGI-US engagement strategy. 
• Handle relationships between US and UK offices, facilitating introductions, Video conferences and visits up to ministerial level as the need arises.  
• Deputise for and represent Head NCGI-US as the lead GEOINT representative for the UK in all aspects of US and FVEY engagement.  
• This position has direct line management of one civil servant and oversight of one RAF Flight Sergeant.

If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

We are seeking candidates with the following skills, knowledge and experience: 

• A good working knowledge, or the ability to rapidly acquire one, of the broader GEOINT capability and how it operates within the wider Defence Intelligence capability. Alongside the ability to apply that knowledge at both the operational and strategic levels. 
• Leadership and management skills including the ability to develop and mentor both staff you directly manage and others within your wider team. You will have ability to drive development of longer-term plans to meet NCGI-US designated objectives, as the policy and strategy lead. 
• The capability to work remotely from your management and team with autonomy and confidence within your delegated authority. Being effective at establishing and maintaining constructive working relationships at a distance and keeping yourself and others well informed.  

• Being capable of adaptive and creative thought and problem solving, underpinned by an in depth understanding of risk management.  
• Being embedded as the UKs representative into a foreign government’s intelligence agency, capable of operating autonomously with tact and diplomacy.  
• Develop and maintain the UK’s status as a capable and credible ally.  
• Have good judgement without the requirement to refer upward with, able to distil high level direction into actions which provide direct and tangible advantage to UK defence. 

Having the following experience would be beneficial to the applicant but training can/will be provided: 

• An understanding of the Foundation Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) environment as defined in the UK Defence Policy for GEOINT. 
• Working in an international setting with partners and allies. 
• Working in wider Defence Intelligence 

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

We offer a range of excellent benefits including but not limited to the following:   

• This post offers full relocation allowances subject to availability. Cost of Living Overseas Allowances is payable based on personal circumstances and marital status. 
• All successful candidates will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme with an average employer contribution of 27%. 
• Leave entitlement – 25-day annual leave allowance per year increasing by 1 day per year (maximum 30 days per year). In addition, 8 statutory Bank Holidays and 1 privilege day per year.  The US Network observes additional US Public Holiday’s as set by the British Embassy Washington on a yearly basis.  

• Complementing our generous annual leave allowance, we also have a flexible working scheme.   
• Additional working pattern options – we have a strong culture of flexible working and encourage all employees to have a healthy work/life balance. We offer a wide range of potential working patterns, including part time, job share and compressed hours. These need to be balanced with business needs so they will vary from job to job. If you would like to know more, please speak to the Recruiting Line Manager.   
• Professional Development – We are committed to your continued professional and personal development with learning as one of our core values.   
• Health and Wellbeing – an onsite gymnasium is available. 
• We also offer an excellent range of family-friendly benefits, for example, enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.  

• Special Paid Leave to volunteer up to 6 days a year.

This post offers full relocation allowances subject to availability. Cost of Living Overseas Allowances is payable based on personal circumstances and marital status. 

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts. 

Discover My Benefits 

Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits 

and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD. 

https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/civilian/ 

Job contact :

• Name : Nicky Bell
• Email : nicky.bell173@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam1@mod.gov.uk