Staying true to the intended role of a butler (the word is derived from an Old French term for “bottle bearer”), good knowledge of “fine wines” and food service is listed as a minimum requirement for the job, since the butlers must also take care of the government’s wine cellar.

Malcolm Rifkind, the British foreign secretary from 1995 to 1997, said that having a staff to supervise the government’s hospitality program was nothing out of the ordinary.

“There is not a single country in the world that would not offer that type of hospitality,” Mr. Rifkind said. He added that most national governments would employ someone to oversee events held for foreign dignitaries — though not all would officially be called butlers.

“It is perfectly normal to have a luncheon or dinner for visiting foreign minister or heads of state,” he said.

He explained that for such a formal occasion, wine would be served by hospitality workers. “You do not use diplomats to do that; it is not in their training,” Mr. Rifkind said. “It would be a waste of diplomats’ skills.”

Nestled among the business-jargon-filled job titles on the Civil Service website, the ad for “government butlers” is distinctive. The role is not new, and there are currently three government butlers on payroll.

Applicants are required to work odd hours and complete physically demanding tasks, but the maximum salary offered is only marginally better than the median annual income for a full-time worker in Britain: £29,574.