NBN Projects and Policy Officer

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
The British Embassy in Sweden is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas.
We are seeking to recruit a NBN Projects and Policy Officer (B3).
This is a new position created to help deliver joined up project activity and coordinated political engagement across the eight Nordic and Baltic Posts. That new project and political activity will aim to help support a smooth exit for the UK from the EU, while helping create and / or protect the links that bind our Governments and people across the region so as to foster strong Government to Government, and people to people links after the UK's exit from the EU.
The job will focus on designing, monitoring, and coordinating major project activity across the Nordic and Baltic network. The job holder will engage externally to generate areas for possible new projects, then design and help deliver activity in concert with colleagues in other Posts. The job will involve regular interaction with colleagues across eight Posts, setting objectives for future activity, and encouraging a focus on the key priority issues.
Working in close support to the Deputy Director of the Nordic and Baltic Network in their regular interactions with Heads of Mission, and Deputy Heads of Mission the job will aim to identify synergies across Posts and priority areas of new work. The job holder will therefore need to engage with confidence with very senior stakeholders, challenging them to work and think differently.
Further, there will be some regional political and economic reporting, tasking colleagues in the region to provide background and analysis. There will be significant engagement and consultation with key Whitehall Departments to assess their areas of interest, and encourage them to increase their engagement with the region.
In addition there is a coordination and administration element to the role. Regular engagement with colleagues means there is a requirement to set up and lead multiple VTCs and teleconferences. And there are regular meetings across the network bringing together colleagues from the various posts in person, and the job holder would have a role in set up and organisation of those.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
. Assisting the Deputy Director to design, monitor, and coordinate projects across the network. Associated external engagement to identify and secure collaboration with experts and other contacts (40%);
. Work with DHMs, Prosperity counterparts to identify areas of work that can be done regionally. Deliver that work, in partnership with the Deputy Director. Help manage the regular NBN regional interaction through meetings in person and virtually. (40%);
. Investigate and report on regional political and economic issues. Engage Whitehall stakeholders so as to assess areas of interest, and encourage more joint working with regional counterparts (20%).
Essential Skills
. Fluent English and excellent communication skills;
. Strong networking and influencing skills, ability to liaise with stakeholders at all levels;
. Intermediate skills of Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
. Ability to grasp complex issues quickly and communicate these simply and effectively;
. Good research and analysis skills;
. Experience of project work and delivering events.
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
. Experience of government, embassy or NGO work;
. Policy (academic or practitioner) background in one or more of the areas specified in the job description;
. Proficiency in Swedish or any of the languages of the other seven Nordic and Baltic countries would be useful, but is not essential.
Required competencies
Seeing the Big Picture, Leading and Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering, Delivering at Pace

Applications

Deadline for applications is 11 October 2018. For further details on this vacancy and information on how to apply, please follow the link on the new FCO Local Staff Vacancies Homepage- here.
This is a Full-time, fixed-term position for 1 year, with the possibility of renewal for another 12 months. 40 working hours per week.
Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Sweden and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract. The British Embassy does not sponsor work permits applications.
According to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, locally employed staff should either be Swedish citizens, EU citizens or permanent residents of any nationality registered in the population register when beginning their employment. Registration in the population register is not possible once employment has begun. For more information please consult:
https://www.government.se/government-of-sweden/ministry-for-foreign-affairs/diplomatic-portal/diplomatic-guide/8.-employment/8.1-locally-employed-staff/
The successful candidate will be subject to confirmation of a background check and security clearance.
Additional information
If you are interested in another, similar vacancy in Stockholm, please click on this link:
https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/brand-2/candidate/so/pm/4/pl/1/opp/7231-Communications-Officer-Stockholm-SWE18-595/en-GB
If you are interested in both vacancies, you need to apply for each role separately in order to be considered for each position you are interested in.
FCO does not pay for travel related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.