View Vacancy - Economic Attaché (ESP20.269)
The British Embassy in Spain is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is now recruiting for the position of Economic Attaché to lead on reporting and bilateral engagement on economic, labour and financial services issues.
You will lead a high-performing branch within the Economics and Public Policy Team.
The jobholder will work in the Embassy’s Political and Economics Section, reporting to the Embassy’s Head of Economics and Public Policy and will have regular contact with the Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador. This is an opportunity to lead a busy and high performing economic team and keep senior management and London stakeholders fully up to date with developments and trends in the Spanish economy and labour market.
You will also:
- Lead on expert analysis on trends and developments in the Spanish banking and financial sector, real economy and labour market;
- Drive the bilateral relationship on financial services between the main stakeholders in the City of London and their opposite numbers in Spain;
- Effectively articulate UK policy positions and interact in a credible way with senior contacts in the Spanish Government, the Bank of Spain, the financial sector, academia / think-tanks, and the media with the objective of influencing both official policy positions and wider Spanish public opinion on the UK;
- Lead Embassy work on engaging Spain on topical international economic and financial issues, including G20 discussions;
- Drive bilateral cooperation with Spain on economic/financial policy (e.g- the productivity challenge, the future of work, blue skies thinking on common economic challenges)
- Lead on all Embassy work related to labour markets and employment law;
- Manage relationships with senior London stakeholders in HMT and the Bank of England.
Roles and responsibilities:
The post offers the opportunity to work in a senior role in one of the UK’s key European Embassies. The incumbent will be responsible for conveying UK policy positions to a wide-range of senior Spanish stakeholders, as well as delivering reporting on a range of financial and economic issues which are fundamental to the UK’s national interest and its wider role in Europe. Central themes will be the new economic and trading relationship between the UK and Spain (EU) and the economic impact and policy response to Covid-19.
The role requires a deep understanding of the economic and policy context in both the UK and in Spain and an ability to identify and assess long-term political economy trends. It will demand rapid, insightful, succinct reporting and analysis of the positions of key Spanish players. The ability to assimilate, understand and convey UK policy positions on often highly technical financial and economic dossiers will be key.
The role will involve leading a small team to tight deadlines and will demand flexibility, initiative, and adaptability to changing priorities.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Develop and maintain contacts at a senior level in the Spanish government, the Bank of Spain and in the economic ministries of the main regional authorities as well as with private economists in consultancies, think-tanks and private banks;
- Develop strong working relationships with Spanish employers´ associations and the trade unions and managing all aspects of the future bilateral relationship with Spain on mobility of workers;
- Develop close personal and working relationship with the Spanish banks with a presence in the UK, proving guidance to London on how to maximise their influence on the Spanish government in a way that maximises UK interests;
- Ad-hoc reporting on economic developments, providing insights on risks to the Spanish economy and implications for the UK, tailored as required to suit the demands of both a senior generalist audience as well as a more technical one;
- Analyse the performance and stability of the Spanish financial sector, with a particular focus on banks with strong UK connections;
- Provide senior management and the Spain network with regular up-dates on the UK economy, and present HMG views across the economic/financial policy spectrum to public and private sector contacts, including by taking part in public speaking events, often with significant media coverage;
- Represent the Embassy in cross- Whitehall economic policy working groups;
- Manage relationships with senior London stakeholders in HMT and the Bank of England;
- Analysis of Spanish positions in Brussels on Eurozone governance and key EU dossiers;
- Ensure that Madrid continues to be one of the FCO´s top performing posts globally on economic and financial analyses and reporting.
Given the jobholder will be in regular contact with the Spanish authorities and private sector, he/she will be well placed to help Prosperity and DIT colleagues identify future business opportunities for UK companies.
The jobholder will have excellent interpersonal skills, and will be able to work effectively and collaboratively with London colleagues and be comfortable in the Embassy’s bilingual and bicultural environment. Excellent English and Spanish language communication skills, both orally and written, will be essential. The jobholder will ideally have a knowledge of the workings of the EU.
- Fluent written and spoken English and Spanish;
- Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field, for instance, Economics, Business Studies, Public Policy, Public Administration, International Relations, etc;
- A minimum of 3+ 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 on jobs with a strong economics focus;
- Deep understanding of the structure and workings of the Spanish economy;
- Strong understanding of EU and international economic context, with relevant experience including from university or previous professional work experience;
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
- An ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines given the complex and constantly evolving nature of the work.
- Knowledge of the structure and workings of the UK economy;
- Knowledge or experience of working in financial services;
- A knowledge of the way that UK businesses work with HMG;
- Master’s Degree in a relevant field.
This is a permanent full-time contract of 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 4:00).
The successful candidate is subject to a confirmation of a background check, security clearance and the successful completion of 6 months probationary period.
The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Spanish Social Security Scheme and will therefore not be entitled to any gratuity from the Embassy / Consulate based on gross annual salary.
The British Embassy is a Diplomatic Mission with tax exempt status and does not collect taxes for other States. Employees are fully responsible for payment of Spanish income tax at the legally required rate. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Spain are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Spanish employment law.
Visa / passport requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Spain and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract. Additional requirements may become necessary after 31st December 2020.
Additional Information (due to Covid 19):
You may experience some delay in the progress of this recruitment campaign and we are working hard to minimise any disruption;
Interviews will be done remotely if the existing situation determines this to be the right course of action;
Starting date may be delayed depending on circumstances at the time and it will be agreed with the selected candidate.
Please note: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C2 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.
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.
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.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
