View Vacancy - Prosperity Fund Programme and Policy Officer

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy in Mexico City is looking for a Locally-Engaged B3 (L) Programme and Policy Officer- Anticorruption and Rule of Law to support the UK Government’s (HMG) work on Prosperity through the coordination of strategic projects supporting key policy work streams in order to assure efficient use of budgets and timely delivery of expected results while managing associated risks to deliver critical impacts in the UK-Mexico bilateral relationship. 

Prosperity is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s three Foreign Policy Priorities under which we actively seek to  create the conditions for global growth.  The Prosperity Fund is the British Government’s dedicated fund supporting prosperity work overseas. Through targeted programmes, it aims to support the conditions for global and UK growth particularly in the following areas: Financial Services, Anti-corruption and Rule of Law, Energy and Future Cities.

The Anticorrution and Rule of Law Prosperity Fund programme, worth up to £8.4m to 2023, will support the consolidation of the anticorruption and justice systems in Mexico by strengthening the capacities, capabilities and coordination of the public servants and agencies involved in detecting and investigating crime and acts of corruption. Joining efforts to provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.

Working with an external delivery partner, the programme has three work streams:

• Strengthening the development of standards, policies and/or processes to improve the detection and investigation of homicide, embezzlement and cyber fraud.
• Strengthening technical capabilities of public servants working on the detection and investigation of embezzlement, homicide and cyber fraud.
• Inter-institutional cooperation to support the coordination between anticorruption and justice institutions responsible for combating corruption and investigating homicides and cyber fraud.
  
  

The successful candidate will work with a network of stakeholders across Mexico and the UK to deliver these objectives. The successful candidate will contribute to ensuring that the programme complies with the International Development Act, including the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014; meets the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC)’s criteria; is untied; meets UK government transparency commitments on ODA spend; and complies with HMG audit requirements.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

The successful jobholder will support the implementation of the Anticorruption and Rule of Law through both administration of the programme and through implementation of programme activities:

Administration (50%)

• Programme development: Contribute to programme and project pipeline development ensuring on-going contacts with relevant stakeholders in Mexico and the UK. Give input, context and feedback to contribute to design of proposals and work plans (as applicable), and evaluate received proposals from suppliers, as required, to ensure transparent, fair and consistent project delivery and processes.  Ensure that project implementation contributes to UK’s policy strategies in Mexico.
• Contract management: Elaborate and facilitate amendments to contracts and corresponding work plans and launch the projects with implementers at the beginning of each year. 
• Financial management: Manage project execution to ensure compliance with planned expenditure, based on completion of activities, targets and financial and narrative reporting under FCO Programme Management Procedures guidelines. 
• Programme management: Monitor progress tracking through active follow up, periodic meetings with implementers, wider embassy teams and external stakeholders. Monitor project risks and review project deliverables. Lead on programme/ project closure to guarantee the execution of project signing off, financial conclusion and all end-of-project documentation.

Implementation (50%)

• Delivery of programme activities: Contribute to planning and implementing activity with the Mexican government that aims to achieve programme outcomes or to collaborate on development of the Mexican government’s approach in the anticorruption and rule of law sector in Mexico. Communicate programme and project achievements and strategies. Coordinate and deliver projects events e.g. logistics for programme events. Lead on project planning to ensure project deliverables are delivered to time, budget and strategy.
• Stakeholder management: Contribute to the programme’s stakeholder relationships under the relevant work stream with (including but not limited to) key government stakeholders both in the UK and Mexico, as well as civil society, academia and business. Supports partnerships between local stakeholders and between them and the international community to drive the development of the financial services sector in the host country
• Provide supporting research: Monitor and report on relevant policy developments in Mexico related to the Prosperity Fund work under the relevant work stream, in order to shape programme delivery. 

The successful candidate must:

• Hold, or have the enthusiasm to develop, a sound understanding of the anticorruption and rule of law sector in Mexico, and its potential to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable and inclusive economic growth;
• Be resilient and resourceful, the aim of the job is to deliver a meaningful and successful range of activities which support both HMG’s objectives more widely as well as the Embassy’s business objectives.
• Create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the British Embassy to help get business done. At all levels, it requires working collaboratively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions. 
• Take responsibility and be accountable for quality outcomes, including by delivering on a timely performance with energy. Work to agreed goals and activities and deal with challenges in a responsive and constructive way. Build a performance culture to deliver outcomes with a firm focus on prioritisation and address performance issues resolutely, fairly and promptly. 
  

The successful candidate will be expected to embody the Embassy’s core values of Respect, Professionalism, Inclusion and Honesty.

Language requirements:

Language: Excellent working levels of English and Spanish, both written and spoken. This will be tested before and during interviews for candidates reaching that stage of the recruitment process.

Level of language required: Business

We are looking for a creative self-starter with an attention to detail who is able to operate in a fast-paced environment, largely unsupervised, whilst delivering to deadlines. They will need excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build strong relations within the Embassy; in Mexico; and with stakeholders in the UK.

Essential on arrival:

• Bachelor or undergraduate level degree in a related field;
• At least three years of relevant work experience;
• Have a good understanding and interest in the Anticorruption and Rule of Law sectors in Mexico, and its potential to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable and inclusive economic growth;
• Demonstrable programme, project and financial management skills;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (in English and Spanish);
• Computer literate, working with Microsoft Windows;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build a strong network of contacts.