View Vacancy - LAO - Climate Change Policy Officer B3(L) (Part-time)

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 identity, 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.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
Political

Main purpose of job:

To coordinate UK Government work in Laos to combat Climate Change, including diplomatic action to support delivery of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in November 2020.  This position will focus on engagement in Laos within a regional context, with support from colleagues in other SE Asian countries. 

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

The UK Government champions diplomatic efforts to prevent global climate change. In 2019  the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report concluded that ‘limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities. Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050.’ 

As the Co-Presidency of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), the UK is committed to working with the UN and our Presidency partners, Italy, to prevent catastrophic climate change. We hope that all the parties to the 2015 Paris Agreement will commit to more ambitious greenhouse gas reductions before or at COP26. This is critical to safeguard our future.

The jobholder will work to promote more ambitious commitments on climate change by Laos, in the context of COP26. The role will involve lobbying senior officials in the Lao government and raising broader awareness on the risks of climate change among the public and wider stakeholders. 

We are looking for a pro-active, engaged individual with a passion for making a difference, and an understanding of the importance of this issue.

Full responsibilities of the jobholder would be as follows:

  • To coordinate implementation of the UK’s COP26 strategy in Laos working closely with political, projects and communications colleagues.
  • To promote more effective action to reduce GHG emissions in Laos, including through effective energy and forestry policies, to encourage Laos to increase its overall resilience through improved adaptation policies, and to support other aspects of a transition to a low carbon economy (e.g. green finance).  
  • To report to the Regional Climate Change Policy Officer in Bangkok on engagement with Laos, advising on local sensitivities and priorities, and providing briefing for UK ministers and senior officials.
  • Raising awareness about the risks of climate change and importance of the COP26 negotiations among the Lao population and key decision-makers.
  • Liaising with senior officials in Laos on policy and operational elements of delivering COP26. This will include advising and supporting engagement between senior officials (including the Heads of Mission) and Ministers with some translation/interpretation if required.
  • Planning and implementing engagement with non-Government actors. This will include building relationships with working level contacts in sub-national authorities (cities, states, provinces), representatives of businesses, and civil society actors
  • Managing visits and climate events. This could include planning and advising on visit agendas, coordinating with media colleagues, and supporting in events as required.
  • Ad hoc administration support for projects team

This is a challenging and exciting opportunity to play an influential role on what may be the most important issue of our lives. The British Embassy in Vientiane is a small friendly mission committed to diversity and staff development. 

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

  • Budget for events and other interventions in support of our COP26 climate strategy – size to be confirmed.
  • Fluent written and spoken English essential
  • Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field, for instance, Public Policy, Public Administration, International Relations, Climate and Environment Science, etc.
  • A minimum of 2+ years of experience working for an organisation in a relevant field, for example, working for/with national or regional government, international organizations or agencies, preferably in climate change.
  • Good understanding of international climate change policy.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Experience of managing diverse and senior level relationships.
  • Fluent written and spoken Lao preferred
  • Knowledge of financial / budget management principles or previous financial management experience.
  • Knowledge or experience of project management and relevant skills.
  • Knowledge and understanding of the Lao government – in particular the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment or the Ministry of Energy.
1 April 2020
Executive Officer (EO)
Fixed Term, Part-Time
18
24 months
Asia Pacific
Laos
Vientiane
British Embassy
1
USD
740
11 May 2020

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the British Embassy, Vientiane is an excellent place to work to enhance your L&D and your skill set, with a varied array of training courses (online and classroom-based) available, as well as the opportunity to bid for job-shadowing and participate in overseas workshops and courses.  You will receive good training to become familiar with this role and also be expected to ‘buddy’ any new starts in the office.

The British Embassy, located close to the Patuxay Monument, is a small and vibrant place to work.  There will be great opportunities for you to not only develop and build on your existing knowledge, but to understand what makes a diplomatic mission work, and to see how and why what we do here is important for the UK – Laos relationship. 

The British Embassy Vientiane encourages all staff to develop their capabilities, through both formal training (courses) and informal opportunities (job-shadowing, coaching, on-the-job training etc). The majority of our formal learning and development opportunities are drawn from FCO resources. All staff are encouraged to share their skills and experience with colleagues, through informal training or coaching/mentoring.


We are strongly committed and support officers in their own L&D, learning from their colleagues here and in the region and there will be local and overseas training opportunities.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. You must have or be able to obtain work authorisation for Laos in order to apply.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Vientiane are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Lao employment law.

Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks. Only short-listed applications will be called for personal interviews.

The British Embassy is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

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.

Embassy Vision and Values:

VISION: What do we want to build?

A better, safer, more prosperous world for Britons and Lao alike.

MISSION: How will we achieve this?

By championing UK values and delivering tangible benefits to individuals, businesses and society: through quality service, effective partnerships and local expertise.

VALUES: that underpin our work

Creativity – Respect – Growth - Flexibility


Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

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.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.