View Vacancy - CSSF Project Officer Baku - Maternity Leave (AZE22.463)

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)
CSSF (Conflict, Stability and Security Fund)

This is an exciting and rare opportunity to manage the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) project portfolio in Azerbaijan as part of a regional Eastern Neighbourhood portfolio, delivering against a regional strategy focused on bolstering the region’s resilience to threats and to in-country objectives. 

The project officer ensures best practice in project management, following CSSF programme management guidance and meeting the requirements and legal obligations of how the UK delivers Official Development Assistance (ODA) as well as non-ODA funding.  This involves delivering exemplary value-for-money through a focus on delivering results and a robust approach to risk including to ensure the highest standards of gender and conflict sensitivity.  

To support effective programming, the jobholder will work as part of the Eastern Neighbourhood Programme’s regional team, a network of project officers based in each country of the region, supported by a Programme “hub” based in Tbilisi.  This team supports the project officer role in day-to-day management, ensuring compliance and quality control, facilitating the sharing experience and lessons learned as well as providing services and support on Monitoring and Evaluation, communications and finance and procurement.  

The jobholder will also collaborate closely with the wider Embassy team in-country, contributing programme expertise to support the achievement of wider Embassy and UK objectives, ensuring that project work is supported by, and harnesses opportunities for, political, trade and defence teams.   The job-holder will contribute actively to the effective operation of the post project board which oversees delivery of all programme activity in-country, providing assurance for the Ambassador in their role as Senior Reporting Officer.   

The job-holder will develop and maintain a network of contacts to support delivery, drive collective approaches and communicate our impact to both internal and external audiences, representing the UK and CSSF as a “force for good” at external events and meetings.   
Gender is a strong focus of the programming approach.  The job-holder will deliver programming that supports the UK’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. 

The role offers the opportunity for the job-holder to develop professional programme management skills, deliver projects in a supportive but challenging environment against agreed strategic priorities, and work across a wider regional, and international network, of CSSF and as part of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

What will you be expected to achieve?

Monitoring and Evaluation – 60%

  • Monitoring and Evaluation is the core focus of the role.  This will involve context monitoring, working closely with colleagues across the Embassy to inform our understanding of the context and operating environment for project delivery, regular meetings with implementers, site visits and meetings with beneficiaries, and supporting activities that help to provide evidence of how a project is delivering effectively, including oversight of risk, gender and conflict sensitivity and value-for-money and financial compliance;  
  • The job-holder will lead on the Country-Level Results Framework and Quarterly Reporting to ensure formal recording of M&E activities, drawing in wider inputs from colleagues across post to demonstrate results, generate lessons learned, and evaluate progress;  
  • A key part of M&E is donor coordination and seeking partnerships to secure a wider collective effort.  The job-holder will make connections with other international partners to support the effective delivery and sustainability of UK programming and ensure UK value-added is targeted where it is best leveraged.  This network will also help to facilitate evidence and analysis that can underpin programming decisions.  

Project Design and Delivery – 10%

Working together with the Regional Hub and the Embassy, develop and manage a portfolio of projects together with local and international partners and multilateral organisations that deliver against the regional strategy and the Embassy’s Country Strategic objectives, ensuring compliance with guidance by using programme management tools such as Results Frameworks and Risk Registers to manage effective delivery.  This will include: 

  • Project design, developing a network of contacts with potential implementers and other international partners and building up in-country analysis and data to provide an evidence base to identify how the UK can deliver transformative change through programmatic inputs, working closely with the Programme Hub in Tbilisi, who will support the project design phase;
  • Day-to-day project management that includes completing due diligence and monitoring safeguarding procedures with implementers, identifying and managing risk;
  • Support effective project management by leading on gender and conflict analysis that supports achievement of sustainable outcomes and by developing thematic expertise e.g. on peace-building;
  • Ensure accurate record-keeping to meet financial audit requirements;
  • Facilitate opportunities to develop the programmatic approach including to update and develop the Theory of Change and support activity that helps grow and develop programme activity, including connections with other programmes.

Regional Team - 10%

  • Be an active member of the regional team, contributing to the design and shaping of regional programming solutions (projects delivered by the Regional Hub but delivering in-country) and sharing best practice and lessons learned;
  • Identify needs and draw in expertise to support implementers to grow capacity and expertise to better deliver against CSSF and UK programming standards e.g. in risk management, gender and conflict sensitivity as well as delivering value-for-money across the portfolio.

Working with Embassy teams – 10%

  • To work with Embassy policy leads to foster a joined-up approach to delivering the UK’s objectives in-country, facilitating programmatic expertise and supporting senior managers to embed development into ways of working and encouraging and supporting the pursuit of Political Access and Influencing activity to support project results;
  • To contribute to wider political reporting (where a programmatic perspective is relevant);
  • Supporting governance and oversight of project delivery through the Post Project Board, ensuring that the Head of Post has the assurance needed and information to make effective decisions.   This involves drafting the agenda, preparing papers and chairing the Embassy’s programme board which will agree objectives and projects to put forward for funding and oversee activity, risk and compliance.

Representation and Communication – 5%

  • Represent the CSSF portfolio to senior leads in London and at external meetings;
  • Work with the regional hub and Embassy communications officer/s, to ensure impact of programming is communicated effectively and sensitively to audiences internally in the FCDO and externally to increase visibility of the Programme and UK objectives;
  • Consider public diplomacy events that can support delivery and enhance impact, as relevant;
  • Provide support to the Ambassador/senior diplomat colleagues including briefing material when they are attending events/conferences related to our programming work.

Corporate Responsibility – 5%

  • To take on a corporate responsibility to add value to Embassy team culture.
  • Fluency in both in English and Azerbaijani (C1 level CEFR*);
  • University degree, ideally in an area applicable to the role (e.g. international relations or similar);
  • At least 3 years of experience of project management;
  • Strong administrative skills and experience of working in a team; 
  • Strong analytical skills;
  • Understanding of gender-based approaches;
  • Experience of the programming on conflict, stability or security issues.
  • Experience of working in an international organisation;
  • Qualifications or formal training in project management.
Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
25 October 2022
Executive Officer (EO)
Full-time, Temporary
40
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Azerbaijan
Baku
British Embassy
1
USD
2,173.86 (gross)
1 December 2022

This is a full-time temporary position for a maternity cover, five working days, 40 hours net per week.

This appointment will last until 30 June 2023, with possibility of extension.

The salary is 2,173.86 USD gross per month and shall be paid in AZN monthly.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Azerbaijan is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service of the FCDO according to local labour legislation.

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Azerbaijan. The British Embassy does not sponsor, nor does it provide assistance for obtaining work & resident permits.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment  levels  please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is 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.

Please be advised that the British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

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.