Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
Political
Main purpose of job:
This role is a unique opportunity to work with the UK Government, with a focus on COP26 and climate policy. This is a fantastic opportunity for a dynamic and enthusiastic climate specialist to gain international experience and exposure, with the incoming COP Presidency.
COP26 in Glasgow will represent a defining international moment for addressing climate change, five years on from the Paris Agreement. Climate change is not a distant threat – we must act together to accelerate action to reduce emissions, protect our environment and adapt to the consequences that we are seeing all over the world.
We are looking for a motivated COP26 Climate Change Regional Officer to support the UK in Pacific preparations for COP26 in November 2021, working with UK teams across the Pacific as part of a virtual Pacific hub and a highly ambitious, active, global climate network.
Working to the Head of Regional Engagement and Climate, this role is at the heart of climate policy within our regional team. This role will be central to ensuring strong collaboration and partnership with Pacific Island States to raise global ambition and action at COP26. Creative thinking in order to promote the UK’s objectives in these spaces, in collaboration with our communications team, is essential.
The job holder will be responsible for a broad range of activity, including delivering climate projects across the region and supporting effective UK engagement with Pacific partners ahead of COP26. The successful applicant will work closely with British diplomatic posts across the region and teams in London to provide briefing and reporting on regional priorities ahead of COP26 and timely and accurate responses to requests from London (primarily FCDO and the COP 26 Unit in the UK Cabinet Office). The job holder will work closely with seniors within the UK network, supporting our Regional COP26 Ambassador’s outreach to Pacific interlocutors.
This is a great job for a climate change expert passionate about delivering a successful COP, spotting and maximising opportunities across the region. The role will suit someone who can work collaboratively as part of a virtual team to deliver high quality work, aiming high to meet long-term goals whilst responding promptly to diverse commissions. Strong communication skills and an ability to build relationships while working remotely will be essential. The successful candidate should be willing to be adaptable and to provide surge capacity to other areas of the mission as required.
Roles and responsibilities:
Policy support and regional reporting (75%)
- Drive COP26 comms (Fiji and regional) – working closely with British High Commission Wellington and BHC Suva Comms team
- Coordinate UK involvement in regional events/activities in lead up to COP26 (eg climate weeks)
- Coordinate and manage projects under the Climate Diplomacy Fund (a £100,000 fund for acitivites in support of COP 26 goals)
- Respond to COP26 Unit/ FCDO Climate and Environment Directorate requests (eg surveys, briefing requests)
- Provide support to regional COP26 ambassador – Ken O’Flaherty – to ensure ongoing engagement across the region
- To support High Commission-related events, visits and public diplomacy activities
Post resilience (15%)
- Provide resilience and surge capacity to other areas of the post as required.
- Strong reporting and analytic skills (including accuracy and attention to detail)
- Be able to use strong forward planning to prioritise work and meet deadlines
- Ability to think creatively and take a proactive role in supporting team objectives
- Fluency in English, both written and oral.
- Strong team working skills.
- Previous experience in climate policy (3-5 years)
Seeing the Big Picture, Collaborating and Partnering, Delivering at Pace, Engaging Internationally
1 July 2021
B3 (L)
Fixed Term, Full-time
38
7 months
Asia Pacific
Fiji
Suva
British High Commission
1
2,887.92
9 August 2021
This is a fixed-term role until 31 March 2022.
Open to Fiji citizens, permanent residents. Interstate applicants will be required to meet their own travel and relocation expenses.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.
Staff recruited locally by the High Commission are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Fiji employment law.
Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
Please note that your application must be submitted before 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.
To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer.
The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.
To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate on the application form /in your cover letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.