Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
Climate Diplomacy
Main purpose of job:
Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing our world, and DRC & the Republic of Congo (RoC) are both vulnerable countries but contain the majority of the globally significant Congo Basin, essential for combating greenhouse emissions. The British Embassy is strengthening its ability locally to work with partners across government, civil society and business on climate change issues including resilience and the sustainable economic development.
As part of the British Government’s global response to the climate challenge and its commitment to help deliver the aims of the Paris Agreement (UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2016), the International Climate Finance (ICF) team in UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is responsible for £2bn of UK International Climate Finance.
The post holder will be a part of the Green Growth, Climate and Trade team, with primary responsibilities to work on the climate and environment agenda leading up and after COP 26 in November. The post holder will contribute to the development of a vision for how to grow the UK-DRC & RoC climate relationship and will provide direct oversight and advice to London’s centrally managed programmes in the region. This role will report to the Second Secretary leading on Climate and the job holder will be expected to develop strong links with other colleagues working on these issues across the Embassy and London. They will also work closely with team members and provide management and administrative support to the team.
Roles and responsibilities:
The post holder will be a strong administrator with excellent organisational skills and the ability to juggle multiple tasks and deadlines. With strong planning skills the post holder will manage and monitor the team priorities and activities and ensure delivery on time. The job requires flexibility to step in to take on tasks at short notice and deliver. They must be able to work independently and be confident in dealing with partners, government officials and development partners. They will be a strong communicator, with a good track record of working in multi-disciplinary teams and building relationships.
1. DRC, RoC & UK Stakeholder management (40%)
- Proactively develop, manage and strengthen the Embassy’s network of UK – DRC & RoC climate contacts at all levels of seniority and in all sectors, to identify policy influencing opportunities.
- Support the Climate Team to scope and develop deeper climate collaboration with DRC & RoC, at national, provincial and local level, fostering relationships across both Governments.
- Prompt strategic and regular communications with key stakeholders in the UK, DRC, RoC and other target countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate best practice sharing where appropriate.
- Publicly represent the Embassy and UK Government as a credible interlocutor in climate related engagements as necessary.
- Ensure coordination between UK climate programmes and initiatives supported by other donor agencies, identifying opportunities for multilateral cooperation where possible.
- Proactively seek cross-section collaboration opportunities amongst Embassy teams to continue supporting a mainstreamed approach to climate change in bilateral programmes.
2. Administration & Project Management (40%)
- Project management of climate funding activities, such as events and initiatives
- Lead on the preparation and coordination of high-level Climate missions to DRC & RoC, identifying opportunities for relevant dialogues to support the development and delivery of programmes, as well as supporting the planning and delivery of potential skill-sharing missions between the UK and DRC & RoC.
- Develop engaging communications around Climate in coordination with the Embassy’s Communications team.
- Develop, send and ensure receipt and engagement on relevant documentation, Note Verbal’s, reporting to London etc.
- The job holder will be expected to manage his or her own administrative tasks and support the wider team on administrative tasks as and when required.
3. Strategy Development (10%)
- Working within the green growth team, develop clear understanding of the climate change landscape in DRC & RoC including previously funded activities by the UK and other donors, political economy and country demands.
- Identify, analyse and flag policy and political developments and risks that could influence the delivery of UK-DRC climate collaboration.
- Identify key areas of demand where UK expertise can be aligned
- Lead on briefings, presentations and other reporting to the Embassy and to London to inform the development of relevant climate opportunities.
4. Corporate (10%)
- Play an active part in the corporate life of the Embassy (including if necessary as a member of any Embassy committees) to maximise the overall well-being of staff.
Resources managed (staff and expenditure):
Resources: potential management of small-scale projects (in the £10-£100s of thousands) to build momentum with the new government, minister and ministry, coordinating discussions between UK stakeholders (BEIS regional leads, UK programme management team and UK Delivery Partners) and DRC & RoC partners.
- University degree, preferably in Environmental Science, Climate, Public Policy or related course;
- Minimum 5 years of work experience, ideally with Policy and/or Project management experience, preferably with international stakeholders;
- The ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication and relationship skills;
- Be a flexible and creative problem-solver, able to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems, and coordinate coherent and compelling programmes and projects;
- Fluency in written and spoken French and English;
- Experience providing administrative and logistical support;
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and ability to adjust to different audiences;
- Excellent presentation skills;
- Team player, driven by values;
- Microsoft Office literate.
- Relevant post-graduate course;
- Solid knowledge of DRC’s and/or RoC’s climate change policy, its international commitments and institutional framework;
- Sound network of contacts in political arena, government, private sector and civil societies;
- Candidates with prior work experience in International or multilateral programmes will be considered as a plus;
- Knowledge of financial sector;
- Knowledge of low carbon/green sector;
- Knowledge of infrastructure sector;
- Knowledge of UK climate and energy policy, technology and commercial capabilities, and its global leadership in the subject matter.
Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Collaborating and Partnering, Delivering at Pace
19 July 2021
C4 (L)
Fixed Term
36
12 months
Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kinshasa
British Embassy
1
Gross USD 3,054.60 paid 13 times per year, plus additional 30% of Monthly (Basic) Housing allowance paid 12 times per year & USD 189.95 Transport allowance paid 12 times per year
2 August 2021
- Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
- Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
- The British Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
- Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy in Kinshasa are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Democratic Republic of Congo.
- All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
- The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
- The British Embassy do not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
- 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
- Information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Competency Framework can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework Please note: AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
- Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
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