Main purpose of job:

This is a senior, fast-paced, high impact role within the Singapore-based Regional Climate, Energy & Nature Hub – providing expert leadership and technical support to British Embassy and High Commission teams across the Southeast Asia region to drive forward UK priorities on energy and industrial decarbonisation.   This is an exciting opportunity to champion the UK’s energy transition agenda in a region that is key for delivering UK and global climate, growth & security objectives. 

The UK is partnering with Southeast Asia to drive a just energy transition that delivers for growth and energy security – bringing opportunities for the region, but also for UK growth and security. This role is key in bringing these interests together effectively and coherently, recognising interests from different UK government departments (particularly the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)), and working across very different country contexts. This will require flexibility, strong leadership, and subject matter expertise as well as the ability to work through others from a range of backgrounds, professional groups, and seniority. 

The ideal candidate will thrive in a busy environment, confidently managing significant responsibility and accountability while being keen and willing to travel across the region. You’ll need strong technical skills combined with strong economic diplomacy and policy leadership abilities.   You will need to be able to work at a fast pace to respond to rapidly developing opportunities across concurrent workstreams, while maintaining a long-term perspective.  We are looking for a proven leader who can inspire, support, and develop teams made up of people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and working styles.

You will be based in the British High Commission (BHC) Singapore, reporting to the Regional Director for Climate, Energy and Nature (also Singapore-based).  You will be a key part of a team of experts, providing advice and support to British Embassies (BEs) and High Commissions (BHCs) across the region and acting as a key link between stakeholders in the region and UK policy, regulatory, finance, engineering expertise.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

In this role you will be responsible for: 

Policy Leadership (30%)

• Lead delivery of the energy pillar of the Southeast Asia Climate, Energy & Nature strategy, ensuring our regional work is aligned with HQ priorities.
• Provide thought leadership on emerging policy areas (e.g. coal phase out business models, critical minerals) and lead on issues where a regional approach is critical (e.g. ASEAN energy interconnectivity).
• Maintain strong links back to UK policy teams, particularly in DESNZ and FCDO (including attending the cross-Whitehall energy working group and ensuring Southeast Asian countries engage with UK-led initiatives such as the Global Clean Power Alliance (GCPA)), ensuring that perspectives from the region are fed into HQ policy making and programme design.
• Provide expert policy analysis, advice, and timely reporting to senior UK stakeholders on regional energy and industrial decarbonisation issues, incorporating whole of UK government perspectives. Escalate risks/amplify issues to HQ seniors as needed.
• Work with the regional energy champion (the UK Ambassador to ASEAN) to amplify high-profile energy issues at a senior level and ensure a single ‘Southeast Asia voice’ on key topics (e.g. response to the Middle East conflict, ASEAN Power Grid, Southeast Asia Energy Security Review)
• Commission deeper analysis on key topics, drawing on your networks and bidding into x-HMG funds as needed.   

Technical support to BE/BHC teams (30%)

• Provide technical advice and support to 10 BE/BHC teams across Southeast Asia the UK Mission to ASEAN (UKMIS ASEAN) on clean energy and industrial decarbonisation.  Including:
  • Supporting teams’ engagement with key stakeholders e.g. meeting with energy ministries/regulators; speaking at external events; shaping energy dialogues; facilitating connections to specific expertise within your wider network.
  • Facilitating access to UK public and private sector expertise – working closely with UK energy regulators and system operators (e.g. NESO, National Grid, Ofgem) and private sector partners to facilitate peer exchanges, learning and collaboration.
  •  Providing technical inputs to programme/policy development and implementation (e.g. supporting Business Case design, engagement with delivery partners, Annual Reviews)
  • helping refine research questions to address evidence gap
• Help shape new centrally-managed ODA programmes to ensure the UK’s ‘toolkit’ is targeted at the most high-impact opportunities and that the region can continue to access UK tools and resources to deliver energy priorities.  
• Collaborate with BE/BHC teams and partners to host/support relevant events that contribute to delivery of the UK’s objectives, including:
  • Supporting UKMIS ASEAN to deliver a planned visit of senior ASEAN officials to the UK and France to learn from our experience of interconnectors/electricity trading (Oct tbc)
  • Shaping side-events in the margins of the ASEAN Energy Business Forum, Singapore International Energy Week and others to further UK energy priorities. 
• Raise capability and capacity of energy leads at BEs/BHCs across the region, through sharing expertise, informal mentoring and arranging learning sessions on key topics.  

Strategic relationship management (25%) 

• Maintain strong relationships and influence with key regional players, particularly International Energy Agency (IEA), ASEAN Centre for Energy (working closely with UKMIS ASEAN), UN ESCAP, ADB and World Bank.
• Oversee UK funding of IEA’s regional Energy Security Review
• Maintain strong links to key players in the UK energy system including Ofgem, NESO and private sector stakeholders, drawing on their expertise and experience to influence policy and build relationships in the region.
• Work closely with the UK’s Department for Business & Trade, spotting opportunities to join-up our work and maximise impact.
• Engage with key partners within the UK’s development finance toolkit (including BII, PIDG) to explore how we can use our different finance instruments to progress energy priorities. 

Supporting visits, high-level meetings and events (10%)

• Support Ministerial/Special Representative/Senior Official visits to the region; helping shape and deliver programmes, provide excellent briefing and reporting.
• Ensuring UK visibility at key regional fora/events such as Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF), Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW), ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) – organising set-piece side-events where these can help further UK priorities. 

Communications (5%)

• Work closely with comms teams and relevant teams across UK Government to make full use of comms as a tool for delivering UK energy objectives in the region. 

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

No line management envisaged, but role will require strong technical leadership and engagement across different BE/BHCs and Whitehall Departments to support effective day-to-day work.

Oversight of project, programme, and administrative budgets of up to around SGD500k/yr.

Learning and development opportunities (if any):

We offer time and financial support for the successful candidate to take advantage of professional learning and development opportunities inside and outside of the organisation.

The BHC has an active Learning & Development Committee which works hard to provide a comprehensive L&D offer. There is a wide range of options available for personal development including training courses, coaching and mentoring, job-shadowing, presentations and learning sets. Staff have access to a wide variety of online resources through the International Academy and Civil Service Learning. Staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of all available opportunities.

All new hires undertake a workplace induction and there are several mandatory e-learning courses that must be completed to pass probation.

This role is a Nature, Infrastructure, Climate and Energy (NICE) Expert role. The successful candidate will have a demonstrable track record of delivering NICE outcomes at Expert level through strong capability in the NICE technical competencies. Further details can be found in the FCDO CEIE Technical Competency Framework. If you are successful and not already accredited to the NICE cadre, you will have the option to work towards accreditation and will be supported to do so. 

Essential skills/experience
•    Leadership skills, in delivering on high-profile policy objectives;  
•    Substantial energy sector expertise  
•    Experience in international roles
•    An understanding of development finance and private investment;   
•    Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
•    Strong partnership building skills engaging with external stakeholders, including governmental, civil society, MDBs and private sector;  
•    Ability to work at pace and respond to quickly evolving events.