View Vacancy - SIN - Head - ASEAN Economic Reform Prosperity Fund Programme, C5(L)

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

The UK Government’s £1.2bn Prosperity Fund aims to promote inclusive economic growth and reduce poverty across the globe, while also creating opportunities for international business, including for UK companies. The Prosperity Fund Programme Office in Singapore leads an ASEAN wide programme under the Prosperity Fund that promotes Economic Reform by improving the business environment and financial markets in ASEAN. We are recruiting a new Head of the ASEAN Economic Reform Prosperity Fund Programme

This role will be the lead of the programme, reporting into the overall programme director (Head of SE Asia Economic & Trade Policy Network) and ultimately to the Senior Responsible Owner (HM High Commissioner, Singapore) and directing a network of programme managers across UK diplomatic missions in the region to ensure effective and impactful delivery of the programme. The successful candidate will be required to effectively deliver a total of £19m of official development assistance (ODA) until 2021, particularly targeted at six SE Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) as well as some work with the ASEAN secretariat. The programme has recently moved from planning to delivery and a number of implementing partners have been appointed to the programme, including multilateral agencies (UNDP on fairer business environment and OECD on competition), UK agencies (on regulation and intellectual property) and a large contract with a development consultancy (on capital markets, fintech and intellectual property). The jobholder will build strong working relationships and provide leadership with these delivery partners, colleagues in the Embassies and High Commissions in the region, international organisations (e.g. IFIs) and UK businesses and their sector bodies.

This is a challenging and exciting opportunity to play an influential role in a high-profile and strategic development initiative in South East Asia on behalf of the UK Government, which aims to have a positive impact on socially inclusive economic development and trade, as well as strengthening the relationship between the UK and South East Asia.

We are looking for a pro-active, engaged individual to apply their technical expertise in driving delivery of these programmes, provide effective contract management and undertake stakeholder engagement.

Implementation/Delivery (50%)

  • Strategy and Policy Implementation - Using technical expertise and operational leadership to amend programme delivery. Provide expertise alongside implementing partners to maximise high-quality implementation and outcomes of the programme.
  • Policy Leadership and Expertise – The job holder will provide policy expertise on business environment and financial market reform. This includes a lead role in the delivery of expertise for regional work relating to transparency, working with the lead implementing partner UNDP. Build and maintain networks with regional governments to ensure they, as main beneficiaries of the programme, are provided with the technical expertise they need to drive economic reform in their countries. Provide your own analysis and expertise to shape programme delivery e.g. on technical requirements in programme design and delivery.
  • Technical Expertise in Delivery – Use expertise during the provision of technical assistance to partner governments and wider beneficiaries, for example at capacity building events, local workshops, training events etc and align provision so it is in line with UK policy and regulatory practice, where required.
  • Stakeholder Engagement - Build wide stakeholder networks with relevant parties across ASEAN and in the UK to enable programme implementation. Support partnerships between key country stakeholders and our implementing partners to drive the development of business environment and financial markets reforms in SE Asia.

Programme Management (50%)
Deploy excellent programme management skills by proactively managing implementing partners to ensure they deliver on their contractual and key performance indicators commitments. This will include:

  • Programme Oversight - Providing strong oversight and managing complexity of a programme with a number of external partners and across different countries and to ensure programme coherence with wider regional UK policy objectives. This will include for example assessing the effectiveness of delivery, advising on how to amend delivery to improve the programmes’ impacts and ensuring the programme is implemented effectively
  • Network Leadership - The successful candidate will lead, advise and coordinate with Programme Managers in the six key posts who are responsible for in-country delivery. They will drive consistency, deliver efficiencies and ensure impact.
  • Contract Management - Managing successful roll out of externally procured contract with international consultancy. Ensure good value for money and monitor implementer compliance (e.g. SLAs). The role will provide strong management of implementing partners ensuring they are performing well, finances are correctly administered and the programme’s benefits are realised. This will include ensuring the programme continues to offer value for money and are well managed.
  • Programme governance - Managing the Secretariat functions for the programme, including ensuring the Working Group plays an active part in programme oversight, enabling the Senior Responsible Owner to complete his/her responsibilities and ensuring issues that require senior decisions are identified and escalated to the senior Steering Board.
  • Impact - Ensuring programmes meet central requirements of the Prosperity Fund including on monitoring, reporting, evaluation and learning; compliance with OECD rules for ODA; and Gender Equality Act compliance and support PF ambitions on women’s economic opportunities, inclusive growth and poverty reduction; provide management and leadership to B3 officer to ensure regional communications in relation to the programme and share best practice with implementers and other Diplomatic missions.
  • Experience of International development programming, including delivering complex programmes and managing implementing partners.
  • Strong leadership skills and able to work within a varied team environment.
  • Excellent communication and influencing skills including in ability to speak at events involving external audiences.
  • Knowledge of relevant policy areas and/or additional technical qualifications relating to business environment and financial market reform.
  • At least 5 years experience in programme management ideally in a development context.
  • Experience working with international delivery partners.
  • Experience/knowledge of UK ODA programmes.
23 June 2019
Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
37.5
Asia Pacific
Singapore
Singapore
British High Commission
1
SGD
8,023
29 July 2019

Successful candidates will be offered an annual contract, renewable on a yearly basis depending on staff performance and availability of programme funds.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to developing its staff. There will be opportunities for formal training alongside collaborating with a wide range of colleagues delivering on-the-job learning.

  • Working in a diplomatic mission;
  • Understanding how UK international development assistance is managed / implemented;
  • Understanding effective programme management; and
  • Application of gender priorities to infrastructure projects.

The Prosperity Fund places a strong emphasis on learning and development.  You will be encouraged to undertake developmental training and get involved in corporate activities. This role provides an excellent opportunity to build up programme knowledge and expertise and gain exposure to working across UK government.  You will have access to existing and new Project & Programme Management L&D as well as wider job-relevant L&D and support for your own personal development.

Normal working hours are 37.5 per week: 8.30am to 5.00pm from Monday to Friday.  BHC Singapore supports and promotes flexible working as a crucial part of our inclusive offering. This particular role allows for flexibility in start and end times, working compressed hours, working remotely on one or a couple of days in a week, and the possibility of a job share arrangement, subject to agreement with management.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. This is a locally engaged position subject to local laws and terms. Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks.

Should the successful candidate require a permit to work in Singapore, the British High Commission will apply and sponsor the appropriate pass on their behalf.


All applications must be received before 11:55PM (Singapore Time) on 23 June 2019.

Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted regarding the next phase of the selection process. 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.