View Vacancy – Political Officer B3 (01/20 GM)

Main purpose of job:

To support the work of the UK Head of Goma Office and Development Representative and the British Embassy political team in Kinshasa, through oral and written reports. This is an important and influential role, which requires excellent knowledge of and contacts throughout Eastern DRC, especially North and South Kivu, a proactive and confident approach and fluent French and Swahili, and well as good working English. Candidates should be able to build strong working relationships with political contacts, provide up-to-date impartial political reporting and analysis to the UK Embassy office in Goma and the British Embassy in Kinshasa.

Roles and responsibilities:

The political officer is at the forefront of political engagement for the British Embassy office in Goma. The role involves a combination of political contact-making, reporting, advice, project management and representational duties. The jobholder should therefore have (and continuously develop) a wide and detailed knowledge of Eastern DRC politics, the ongoing conflict, development and humanitarian issues. The jobholder will be involved in developing analysis for UK policy making in relation to Eastern DRC, and provide cover for corporate management issues when required. They will development a good understanding of and commitment to UK priorities on gender equality, anti-corruption and safeguarding. As part of their duties, the jobholder will:

• Produce regular, targeted reporting and briefing for a range of audiences on developments relating to politics, security, economic and humanitarian issues in Eastern DRC, especially North and South Kivu but also Ituri, Tanganyika and Maniema (30%);
• Build relationships and networks with provincial-level ministers and parliamentarians, civil society, human rights defenders and others (25%);
• Provide support to eastern DRC development representative, in particular through (i) building relationships with key individuals within relevant provincial level ministries and advising programme teams and seniors on political engagement to address implementation challenges or opportunities; and (ii) supporting programme teams to monitor project implementation, risk management and compliance issues, particularly safeguarding and fraud risks (20%)
• Attend and represent the Embassy in external political and development meetings, and write timely meeting records (15%).
• Provide cover for a range of other functions relating to the running of the office, including field-visit driving, corporate issues and visit coordination when required (10%).

This list is not exhaustive and responsibilities may change in response to business need, but staff will always be consulted beforehand. The job holder will work in a dynamic and friendly environment as part of a small Embassy office in Goma. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a deep knowledge of Eastern DRC issues, who has good communication skills, can build rapport with a wide range of people, and who wants to develop their ability to provide timely, impartial political reporting to an international mission and strengthen project management skills. The role provides an opportunity to inform and shape the UK’s political and project work in DRC, supporting our objectives to promote improved stability and prosperity in Eastern DRC.

• In-depth knowledge of the political and security situation in Eastern DRC, especially North and South Kivu, including a wide network of contacts.
• IT skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Excellent communication, judgement and problem solving skills.
• A reliable and flexible team player, who works collaboratively with others and can contribute to the wider Embassy’s effectiveness and wellbeing.
• Able to prioritise and manage their own workload effectively in order to deliver before deadlines.
• Fluency in French and Swahili and working proficiency in spoken English.