View Vacancy - Political Officer

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)
Political

The British Embassy in Tripoli invites applications for the position of Political Officer, job grade Executive Officer (EO).

The UK has a small permanent diplomatic presence in Tripoli and a wider team, co-located with the British Embassy Tunis, known as Libya Office Tunis. The British Embassy Tripoli remains officially closed, though the UK continues to maintain full diplomatic relations with Libya. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Libya and the Embassy’s Senior Management Team oversee staff, operations and activities; we work as one team to deliver UK objectives in Libya

We are seeking a motivated, flexible, and professional individual who can apply their established Libya knowledge to support the successful delivery of the UK’s Libya policy. The position provides an excellent opportunity for professional development, working closely with UK and Libyan experts. Sitting in the Embassy’s political team, you will have regular contact with the Ambassador, as well as a broad range of colleagues in Tunis, Tripoli and Benghazi.

Main purpose of the job:

This is a critical position within the Embassy, working towards UK objectives to support Libya and building strong bilateral relations. The successful applicant should have substantial expertise on Libya as well as an excellent range of contacts.

You will use this to provide timely and accurate reporting on key dynamics of Libya politics. You will also be required to set up meetings for diplomats with key contacts, and interpret. You will play an active role in coordinating the schedule of the Ambassador and other Embassy officials.  You will also occasionally be asked to cover as Chief of Staff to the Ambassador.

In return, we offer a competitive salary, a supportive work environment, a variety of learning & development opportunities and the opportunity to inform international policy decision making.

Main duties and responsibilities:

  • Provide high quality reporting on key developments in Libya and their implications for UK interests, independently and in coordination with Embassy colleagues.
  • Maintain a comprehensive network of contacts, including within the Embassy, London colleagues, other embassies and counterparts in Libya.
  • Help to arrange meetings for Embassy staff with key contacts.
  • Assist diplomats through interpreting and written translation of Arabic-English and English-Arabic.
  • Contribute to wider Embassy corporate life and making British Embassy Tripoli a great place to work, such as participation in activities and committees to benefit the wider team.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required.

Key behaviours required:

  • Seeing the Big Picture - understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
  • Working Together - form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
  • Delivering at Pace - take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
  • Communicating and Influencing - communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
  • Fluency in English and Arabic. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication and confidence in interpretation and translation.
  • A degree in International Relations, Politics, or other relevant subject area.
  • Excellent knowledge of key dynamics within Libya, including Libyan history and politics.
  • Strong networking and influencing skills, and the ability to liaise with stakeholders at all levels.
  • Strong organisational skills.
  • Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
  • Working IT skills and literacy in Microsoft office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook).
  • Knowledge of the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
  • Knowledge of and interest in UK politics and culture.
  • Experience working in or on fragile stages.
  • Experience of working with international organisations or other governments.
  • Experience of working with the Libyan government or state institutions.
Seeing the Big Picture, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
3 July 2022
Executive Officer (EO)
Fixed Term, Full-time
40
12 months
Middle East & North Africa
Libya
Tripoli
British Embassy
1
1 September 2022

Eligibility:

Applicants must have the right to live and work in Libya and will need to be cleared for security purposes by the UK Government.

Working hours and remuneration:

The British Embassy in Tripoli offers an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role. The non-negotiable gross salary for this position is LYD 2,572 per month. Please note this is based on British Embassy salary scales pre-devaluation and is converted at December 2020 (pre-devaluation) rate of exchange to GBP (£1:1.8015 LYD) which is equivalent to GBP 1,427 monthly. Your salary can be paid in either GBP, EUR or USD and will be converted to EUR or USD from GBP at the rate of exchange that month. To provide future certainty to our staff the British Embassy is currently working to set salaries in GBP but this process is ongoing and should be concluded shortly. 

This position is for a full-time employment, on a fixed-term basis for one-year (renewable). The successful candidate will be subject to a 1 month probationary period. The appointment will also be subject to satisfactory local and UK security clearances.

Conditioned working hours are 40 hours gross per week. Standard working hours are from 08:00-16:30 from Sunday to Thursday. We are happy to consider flexible working arrangements in line with current Embassy terms and conditions of service.

We are committed to supporting the personal development of team members. There are many opportunities for online and in-person learning and development at the Embassy in Libya, as well as in Tunis and in London, subject to travel restrictions and changes to working patterns caused by Covid-19.

The International Academy is the home of Learning and Development for the FCDO. It covers a wide range of essential as well as job specific subjects, and is designed to ensure that all staff can access high quality learning products.

 

Application process:

Interested candidates must attach the following documents along with their online application form:

  1. An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  2. A Covering Letter

** (Your application must include examples of when you have demonstrated the behaviours outlined above in the cover letter or motivation section in the application form. Applications that do not include this information will be rejected).

Closing date for applications is at 23:55 (local time) on 03 July 2022.

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.

Due to the large amount of job applications the Embassy receives, only those shortlisted for interview will be contacted.

The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around two months.

The start date mentioned is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security-vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.

 

The British Embassy Tripoli is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.

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.