View Vacancy - CPK - Prosperity Programme Manager, Infrastructure C4(L)

This is an exciting and challenging new role at the centre of a newly launched multi-million pound Prosperity Programme in support of the UK-China Infrastructure Alliance that featured in the Joint Statement between the Prime Minister and President Xi during President Xi’s State Visit to the UK; and in the policy outcomes paper to the Chancellor and Vice Premier Ma Kai’s Economic and Financial Dialogue. The Infrastructure Alliance is at the heart of the UK Government’s new £1.2bn Prosperity Fund, created to support economic growth in developing countries.

There is a significant need for infrastructure investment round the world, in developing countries (including China) and also in developed countries (including the UK). Chinese initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) are designed to contribute to meeting this need.  The BRI spans Asia, Africa, and Europe, and will promote Chinese growth as well as supporting economic growth in the countries/ regions in which investment is made.  It is widely recognised that in order to meet the scale of the investment challenge, there will have to be significant mobilisation of financial resources from the private sector.

The UK-China Infrastructure Alliance aims to increase commercial and development collaboration between the UK and China on infrastructure in each other’s markets and in third countries. The Programme consists of three mutually-reinforcing pillars:

• An Infrastructure Hub to facilitate UK-China partnerships to deliver infrastructure projects in third markets;
• An Infrastructure Academy in the UK to train Chinese investors looking to enter and invest in the UK infrastructure and regeneration market;
• A PPP (public-private partnerships) capacity building programme in China to support the development of a robust and mature PPP market.

The job holder will be expected to be a self starter, who can quickly come up to speed in supporting the design and delivery of the Infrastructure Alliance programme to match our ambitious objectives. These objectives include delivering on policy objectives and ensuring commercial outcomes. A key part of the role will involve supporting the team in the management of external project implementers and contracts to ensure delivery performance and value for money.

The job holder will:

• Support the Programme Director with policy, sector, and strategic input, including leading on certain policy areas, to ensure the programme is aligned with UK Ministerial and recipient country development priorities;
• Lead on strategic engagement and management of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and beneficiaries key to the success of the objectives of the programme;
• Support on programme development and delivery, including procurement and management of suppliers and contracts.

This will be a busy role but also an interesting one coming at a particularly interesting time at the start of a golden era in the UK-China relationship.  The successful candidate will be expected to help shape the role as it develops and make a real impact in this key area of the Prosperity Programme.

The role will involve working across UK and Chinese government; and supporting engagement in third countries.  You will be comfortable developing relationships with senior level contacts in both UK and Chinese organisations.  Strong communication and representational skills are therefore essential.

This position is advertised on a fixed-term basis until 31 March 2019.

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

• Policy support for the UK-China Infrastructure Alliance programme: The job holder will be expected to provide policy, sector, and strategic advice, direction, and input into the design and development of the overall programme to ensure programme coherence, alignment with key priorities, and achievement of substantive outcomes. This will include autonomously leading and developing expertise on specific policy areas to support the team and programme director. The job holder will also support the delivery of high profile Ministerial and VVIP visits and activities in support of the programme.
• Strategic stakeholder engagement and management: The job holder will be expected to lead on engaging, developing relationships with, and managing a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including at senior level, to advance the aims of the programme. These will include UK government departments, British Embassy teams in China and in third countries, Chinese government ministries, as well as UK, Chinese, and international businesses, financial institutions, consultancies, research organisations, industry groups, etc.
• Support on programme delivery and the management of suppliers and contracts: The job holder will help manage the successful day-to-day implementation of Prosperity Fund projects under the Infrastructure Alliance programme. This will include supporting the team in designing and implementing quality projects which deliver impact and value for money against prosperity criteria. This will also involve supporting the procurement of external suppliers to implement various strands of the programme, and management of external suppliers and contracts, liaising with the Prosperity Fund Central Team to ensure that budgets are managed, performance is maintained, and projects are monitored and evaluated over the lifetime of the programme.

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a relevant government, industry, or programme management role;
• Experience working with senior external stakeholders in both commercial sectors and government institutions;
• Strong interpersonal skills and representational abilityExcellent budget and project management skills;
• Sound working knowledge of basic software, including Word and Excel;
• University degree in a relevant field;
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken.