View Vacancy - JPN - Political Policy Officer B3

The purpose of the British Embassy in Tokyo is to promote the British Government’s prosperity, security and consular interests in Japan.

The Political Section leads on the UK’s political relationship with Japan. We cover issues as diverse as deepening the UK-Japan bilateral relationship, working more closely on security issues, analysing and influencing Japan’s international relationships, and considering the future of Japanese domestic politics. We are a busy team of ten, comprised of diplomatic and locally-engaged staff with a diverse set of experience.

This role will focus on identifying, researching and analysing current issues and personalities in Japanese domestic politics. The successful candidate will use this analysis and their network of contacts to recommend options for how the Embassy engages with politicians, both now and in future. The officer will also lead on values issues of importance for the UK, such as the death penalty, disability rights and the Paralympics.

Main Duties

• Identify, research and analyse current issues and personalities in Japanese domestic politics, using both primary and secondary sources. This will focus on areas that are important to both current and future UK interests. Activities will include keeping up to date on political issues, researching the backgrounds of potential high-level contacts, and offering recommendations to the Embassy on engagement based on that analysis.

• Lead on values issues of interest to the UK, such as the death penalty, disability rights and the Paralympics. Activities will include working closely with like-minded diplomatic missions and civil society to encourage progress in Japan, supporting engagement with the government, and reporting to London on Japan’s policies.
• Build a network of working-level contacts in MPs’ offices, the Government of Japan, NGOs, academia and other diplomatic missions to broaden the team’s outreach capability and knowledge of various policy areas.
• Support relevant visits by UK ministers and officials to Japan, including through briefing, setting up meetings and putting together programmes. Support MPs’ visits to London as necessary.
• Actively support Embassy corporate work. Take responsibility for a specific role as part of the Embassy’s crisis response team.

Requirements

We would expect the successful candidate to be educated to degree level. They should also be fluent in Japanese and have business English, both written and spoken.

The role is full time, but we would be open to flexible working opportunities, provided these are discussed with the hiring manager ahead of the appointment. Occasional out of hours working are also required for events in the evenings, for which time off in lieu can be taken.

Alongside a number of Embassy-specific courses that will need to be completed on arrival, the Embassy is supportive of learning and development. We offer five development days per year, and regular opportunities for learning and development delivered both within the mission and regionally in Asia. We also focus on using coaching and a buddying system to support new arrivals. However, there is no staff or resource management in this role.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate the following key skills or experience:

• Good understanding of Japanese domestic politics
• Strong IT skills (Microsoft Office)

The successful candidate(s) must also be able to demonstrate that they meet the following competences at interview.

Competence 1: Leading and communicating

Display enthusiasm around goals and activities – adopting a positive approach when interacting with others. Listen to, understand, respect and accept the value of different views, ideas and ways of working. Express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, and with sensitivity and respect for others. Confidently handle challenging conversations or interviews. Confront and deal promptly with inappropriate language or behaviours, including bullying, harassment or discrimination.

Competence 2: Delivering at pace

Create regular reviews of what and who is required to make a project/activity successful and make ongoing improvements. Be interested and positive about what they and the team are trying to achieve. Take ownership of problems in their own areas of responsibility. Remain positive and focused on achieving outcomes despite setbacks. Check own performance against outcomes, make improvement suggestions or take corrective action when problems are identified. Set and achieve challenging goals and monitor quality.

Competence 3: Making effective decisions

Demonstrate accountability and make unbiased decisions. Examine complex information and obtain further information to make accurate decisions. Speak with the relevant people in order to obtain the most accurate information and get advice when unsure of how to proceed. Explain clearly, verbally and in writing, how a decision has been reached. Provide advice and feedback to support others to make accurate decisions. Monitor the storage of critical data and customer information to support decision making and conduct regular reviews to ensure it is stored securely, accurately, confidentially and responsibly.

Competence 4: Collaborating and partnering

Demonstrate interest in others and develop a range of contacts outside own team to help get the job done. Change ways of working to facilitate collaboration for the benefit of the team’s work. Proactively seek information, resources and support from others outside own immediate team in order to help achieve results. Readily identify opportunities to share knowledge, information and learning and make progress by working with colleagues. Listen attentively to others and check their understanding by asking questions. Take responsibility for creating a working environment that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion.