View Vacancy - Communications and Engagement Manager, Indo Pacific Regional Department (IPRD), Grade - SEO, New Delhi

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment and educational details, experience segment and the behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only for all the required details. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Background for role: 

India and wider Indo Pacific region are highly vulnerable to climate change, with the pace and severity of climate impacts increasing. Increased likelihood of floods, droughts, heat stress and storms affect everyone, but particularly the poorest and most vulnerable in society. We have a critical window of opportunity in the coming years to help communities and economies to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and also to foster the systems transformations required at a regional and global level to adapt to a changing climate effectively.

Climate change remains one of the UK’s top priorities. In the Indo Pacific, our flagship programme on adaptation and resilience is Climate Action for a Resilient Asia, or CARA. One of the top ways to achieve great impact for the programme is through strong communications and engagement, which will help the programme and our teams engage effectively with governments, communities, businesses and other partners to foster the transformational change required and demonstrate UK leadership on climate change. 

In addition, a smaller part of this role will support communication efforts for the wider team, FCDO’s Indo-Pacific Regional Department (IPRD), helping to drive engagement, internally and externally, on the amazing work the department does – from supporting children, women and girls and tackling forced labour, to responding to humanitarian disasters across the region, or unlocking regional economic development and trade.

Main purpose of job:

• We are looking for a dynamic communications professional to work within IPRD team in Delhi on a range of internal and external communications, focusing on the large UK-led climate change adaptation and resilience programme, Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA).
• The post holder will work with colleagues from many UK government teams, based in the UK, Delhi and the Indo Pacific region; with the main Implementing Partners of the CARA programme, and with the CARA programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Partner, to lead and implement the communications strategy for CARA, and bring coherence and structure to our communications.
• The role will also involve support and coordination for both internal and external engagements, and some events, with a range of different stakeholders.
• The post holder will also work on communications and engagement for other IPRD work as a smaller part of the role (around 15%).
• The role will be based in the IPRD team at the British High Commission in New Delhi, but occasional travel within India and the region, or to the UK, is likely.

About the Indo Pacific Regional Team (IPRD)

The role sits within the Indo-Pacific Regional Department (IPRD), a friendly and busy regional team, with colleagues based mainly in New Delhi, but also at offices in the UK, Indonesia, Nepal and Fiji. IPRD is a regional programme department mandated to support the delivery of HMG’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. We drive work on key UK priorities including climate change, economic development/trade, women and girls, global health security, countering modern slavery, open societies and humanitarian response and preparedness. IPRD supports these priorities by delivering several high-profile, transboundary programmes across the region, providing expert technical advice and high-quality programme management support to the UK’s posts across the Indo Pacific.

About the CARA Programme (Climate Action for a Resilient Asia)

Announced at COP26, Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) is a 9-year programme, worth up to £274 million, designed to deliver projects in areas that strengthen climate adaptation and resilience. This includes funding projects that mobilise climate finance, strengthen water security, improve resilience in urban areas, conserve ecosystems and biodiversity, and help vulnerable communities lead local adaptation efforts. CARA will work across the region, in South Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific Countries, with individual countries and on transboundary issues.

The CARA programme has seven main components:

• World Bank – Resilient Asia Programme (RAP) – to strengthen climate resilience through better climate change policy, planning, and investment.
• ICIMOD – Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) – to support conservation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity across the Hindu-Kush-Himalayan region.
• UNDP – Climate Finance Network (CFN) - to provide technical assistance to governments on innovative climate finance approaches and mainstreaming climate change into governance and public financial management.
• The UK Met Office – Weather and Climate Information and Services (WISER), Asia Pacific – to improve peoples’ resilience to weather extremes and climate change with enhanced weather and climate information.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) – Community Resilience Partnership Programme (CRPP) – to scale up investments in climate adaptation at the community level, that explicitly address the nexus between climate, poverty, and gender.
• ADB – Urban Resilience Trust Fund (URTF) – to build the capacity of cities and urban agencies, communities, and private sector entities to integrate climate resilience into their policies and planning.
• Flexible Fund – a demand-responsive fund managed by FCDO to support emerging priorities and address gaps in the existing HMG offering at the national level. The Flexible Fund includes the first round of the Pacific Partnerships Facility (PPF), fostering small, locally led adaptation projects in the Pacific nations.

About the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

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. 

We reserve the right to review, revise or amend the roles and responsibilities from time to time reflecting the changing needs of business.

Roles and responsibilities:

The job holder will sit in a multi-site, and close-knit team, and will be expected to be able to take initiative, set their own agenda, and be motivated by working for the benefit and profile of CARA and improving climate change action in the Indo Pacific region. They will report to the Climate and Environment Adviser based in IPRD in New Delhi. 

The job holder will be expected to shape the communications strategy for CARA, and push for sensible and proportionate implementation, which will be delivered by the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Provider, the component Implementing Partners, the communications teams in Headquarters and in Delhi, and also by the job holder themselves. There will be scope for the job holder to develop the role in line with their experience and ideas. They will need to spot opportunities and think creatively about how to improve our communications, within the budget resources available.

The role will include the following duties: 

- Developing good relationships with the IPRD Team in Delhi, London and the region, the MEL Provider, the Implementing Partners. Develop a relationship with the India-focused communications team in Delhi, to understand their work and ensure good coordination and consistency of messaging.

- Understand and adhere to the best practice required for UK government communicators. Work with partners to ensure communications meet the required standards.

- Lead and provide trusted advice on creating a communications strategy (with input from others) for CARA which can be implemented with current resourcing. This will include:

• Improving internal communications to improve understanding and engagement of CARA within the UK Government’s teams.
• Guiding creation of external communications, and learning events, to ensure the outcomes from CARA are understood by key stakeholders, policy makers and partner country governments.
• Both aspects will require a range of products, tailored to need. The post holder will have oversight of all products and will also be responsible for creating some of these. (For example, these could include: general briefings, internal or Ministerial briefings, policy documents, learning papers, media/press articles, social media content, and the development of knowledge/learning/sharing platforms or events, as appropriate).
• Identifying links and opportunities between different CARA components relevant for communications and engagement, in dialogue with the wider IPRD team. 
• Supporting the MEL provider with the creation of a CARA website and social media guidelines.

- Lead on driving implementation of the communications strategy, which will often mean delivering through others. Monitor progress in tandem with the MEL Provider and the wider IPRD team.

- Work with the MEL Provider, communications teams (in British High Commissions and Embassies across the region) and others to evaluate the impact of our communications and engagement.

- Understand and escalate key communications risks to seniors and the team.

- As the programme develops, support the wider IPRD team with creating an engagement and learning strategy. This will involve working closely with the MEL Provider and Implementing Partners to best decide how to disseminate information, and capture learning. Again, the delivery of this will be in large part through others.

- Supporting the delivery of the wider IPRD Communications Strategy, that aims to build engagement with internal colleagues and external stakeholders in support of our objectives (15% of role). This could involve, for example, helping to both design the strategy, and deliver the products and channels in support of this (e.g. internal info-graphics and intranet articles, or external events or social media, or media launches).

- Maintain flexibility, supporting colleagues working on other themes, and take on additional responsibilities as required (for example during ministerial visits, supporting FCDO communications targeting the UK Public or responding to emerging issues).

- Offer your own ideas about improving communications for CARA, within the IPRD team, or within the central teams.

 Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• No direct line management responsibilities at the outset, although this may evolve over time.
• The job holder will be responsible for managing a modest budget, the exact amount of which is to be determined.

Language requirements:

Language: Excellent written and spoken English, Hindi.

Level of language required: Full professional fluency in written and spoken English. Strong editing skills in English are required.

A written test will be included as part of the recruitment process.

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

• The jobholder will be able to access a range of Learning and Development opportunities, and occasional travel.
• Most learning is on the job, however, there is a range of online and face-to-face training available. There are also opportunities for work shadowing across the organisation. The job holder will develop their own learning plan with their line manager.
• Specialist training for government communicators is delivered through internal courses, the majority of which are online. etc (nearly all online)

Working patterns:

• Full-time (40 hours per week). At present, all staff working in the British High Commission are expected to attend the office for at least four days per week, subject to change. This includes external meetings, field visits or travel, where required.
• The British High Commission network across India is committed to providing flexible work patterns which includes hybrid working arrangements, which provides flexibility for staff to work from home or in the workplace, where business needs and roles allow.
• The High Commission is committed to ensuring employees enjoy a good work-life balance. It is a stimulating place to work where we value diversity and inclusion and care about the development of our people.

Any other information (or specific local Post requirements):

The work of a diplomatic mission can be unusual and unpredictable. The jobholder should be able to learn quickly about a wide range of issues, and be comfortable working at a desk as well as meeting contacts. 

The UK is one of the largest and more active foreign missions in India, and it represents the UK’s largest overseas network. The Press and Communications Group in New Delhi is at the heart of this network, working closely with the High Commissioner and engaging regularly with the various government departments represented in India. As a member of the IPRD team, you will form a link to the main Press and Communications teams.

Essential skills and experience:

• At least 5 years of communications experience in a relevant field.
• For preference, international communications experience. For example, from a communications role which covered multiple countries, or from within an international organisation.
• Previous experience in media, marketing, journalism, public relations, or campaigning in India or the region. This could be as a journalist in traditional or digital media, as a campaign manager or in the wider communications field.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including strong editing skills, the ability to draft press releases and communications materials, and proof-read.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop good working relationships with a range of people.
• Familiarity with different digital/visual platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) and ability to communicate professionally and evaluate digital impact through these.
• Some experience or understanding of research publishing or how to read and understand research, and how to communicate technical information clearly and effectively to different audiences (with support if needed).