View Vacancy - BK - Economist, EO

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)
Economic and Prosperity

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy Bangkok is a large diplomatic mission of around 150 staff delivering a dynamic and rapidly expanding programme of activity in support of the UK’s objectives including on economic and sustainable development, trade, security, open societies, consular services and law enforcement. This is an exciting opportunity to join our diverse team.  

The successful candidate will closely monitor the economic situation in Thailand, lead on the economic analysis of Thailand for the UK and provide economic policy support on elements of our bilateral engagement and sustainable development programme portfolio.

The UK and Thailand recently signed a Strategic Partnership which strengthens cooperation in a range of areas including: economic, trade and investment; political, security and defence; climate, energy and sustainable development; science and technology; health; agriculture and people-to-people links. This is an exciting role to support the Embassy’s delivery of our bilateral partnership, as well as the Southeast Asia regional network’s approach economic partnerships.  

The jobholder will be part of the British Embassy’s Economic and Sustainable Development (ESD) team, and interact regularly with other sections of the Embassy as well as a wide range of contacts in government, private sector and academia to inform value-added reporting. You will provide high quality reporting and analysis on economic developments, business environment, green economy, digital economy, and development issues in Thailand, responding to requests for economic input from a wide range of stakeholders. You will also be a member of the Southeast Asia Economic Network and will contribute to the regional work and discussion on economic priorities in Thailand and the region.

We are looking for a proactive, excellent team player with strong analytical skills, a background in economics and an interest in developmental issues. The jobholder will have access to economic (and wider) training and online resources to develop your skills and knowledge and support to be effective in your role.

This is a challenging and exciting opportunity to play an influential role with a goal to help create positive impact and strengthen the relationship between the UK and Thailand.


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

Economic Reporting and Briefing

  • Monitoring, analysing and reporting regularly and proactively on economic situation and developments in Thailand, Thailand’s progression of the SDGs and Thailand’s engagements as a development actor; working closely with Political Section and informing UK government departments in London and British businesses operating in Thailand.
  • Providing weekly economic briefing to the Ambassador, Deputy Head of Mission, and senior members of the Embassy on key economic issues.
  • Contributing economic inputs to briefing pack for UK Government visitors; preparing note and/or presentation slides for senior members of the Embassy to deliver speech or brief UK businesses, development partners and other actors on economic developments in Thailand.
  • Work closely with colleagues across Embassy Teams, providing analytical input on demand across the breadth of the UK-Thailand Strategic Partnership Roadmap. Including: trade and investment and the Joint Economic and Trade Committee; economic resilience and security; global economic risks and trends; international development; international economic rules; international system reform; digital economy; and green economy.
  • Work with Southeast Asia Regional Economic Network and regularly and proactively contribute to regional economic reports, and actively contribute to discussions on our economic priorities in the region; respond to requests from HQ. 

Economic Engagement

  • Building and maintaining an extensive network of contacts in government, academia, and private sector to help inform economic reporting and promote UK policy objectives. 
  • Support ESD Team’s economic engagement in Thailand including engaging with economists to seek view on economic issues and support on project/programme work. 

Other 

In times of peak operation demand, work flexibly within the Section and within the Embassy. 
 
All staff will be expected to make a corporate contribution to the smooth running of the British Embassy, either through a committee membership or another voluntary role.

  • Degree in Economics, or a degree with a strong economic component.
  • Experience of development, high-quality macroeconomic analysis and political-economy reporting.
  • Good knowledge of Thai economy.
  • Ability to build a network of contacts in government, think tanks, academia, and the private sector with a focus on economic development.
  • Self-motivation and the ability to work under light supervision.
  • Team player with a passion to make a difference as part of a collaborative section that values kindness and inclusion.
  • Excellent organisational skills and ability to prioritise own workload.
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Office, including word, excel and Teams.  

Language requirements:

  • Language: English & Thai
  •  Level of Language Required:
        English: Excellent command of spoken and written English, equivalent to IELTS 7 or above.
         Thai: Excellent command of spoken and written Thai  
  • A good understanding of Thailand economic, business and political environment, Thailand’s development trajectory, Thailand’s role in the regional context, and familiarity with the UK. 
  • Experience working in an international organisation or multicultural setting or studying or working abroad.
Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together
23 September 2024
Executive Officer (EO)
Full-time, Permanent
36
Asia Pacific
Thailand
Bangkok
British Embassy
1
THB
THB 72, 147
monthly
18 November 2024

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The British Embassy Bangkok encourages all staff to develop their capabilities, through both formal training (courses) and informal (job-shadowing, coaching, on-the-job training etc.). The majority of our formal L&D opportunities are drawn from FCDO resources. All staff are encouraged to share their skills and experience with colleagues, through informal training (‘lunch & learn’) or coaching/mentoring. All staff are eligible for 5 L&D days a year.

Working patterns:

This is a full time role - 36 hours/week, Monday to Friday.

We are currently operating a hybrid working pattern with staff expected to work from the Embassy for 60% of their working week.

The Embassy has a smarter working policy and is committed to offering flexible working patterns balanced with the operational requirements of the role. In crisis/emergency situations you may need to work as required to support the Embassy response, sometimes on a shift pattern, which may result in unsociable hours and/or weekend working.  
  
As an inclusive employer we are happy to discuss alternative working patterns at interview or at the point of any job offer.

Please note that your application must be submitted before 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.   

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

All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage. 

Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender, and nationality.

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 note that it is likely that any non-Thai national who is successful in securing a role within the Embassy will need to leave the country and re-enter with a specific type of visa if currently living in Thailand or will need to apply for a visa before travelling here if currently based outside of Thailand. Whilst the Embassy can support you with this process, the costs involved will need to be met by the candidate.
  
Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff who are recruited by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law.  

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 offers a competitive compensation package including a guaranteed 13th month pay, 20 days paid annual leave (calculated on a pro-rata basis if you join after 1 January), extensive medical insurance and access to a guaranteed 5 days of learning opportunities a year.  

The British Embassy Bangkok promotes the following values:

  • Expertise - We bring cultural, linguistic, geographic, historical and technical expertise to our work.  We continuously invest in ourselves and share expertise for the benefit of the UK internationally. 
  • Respect - We have respect for each other and the different cultures we come from and work with. We are open, inclusive, fair and courteous and treat others with kindness and compassion. 
  • Resilience - We are ready to work in tough places or on difficult issues. We look after ourselves, support each other and display solidarity with individuals, teams and organisations. 

To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer. 

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.