View Vacancy - SH - East China Outreach Officer, HEO
Main purpose of job:
The jobholder will be part of the British Consulate General Shanghai’s regional engagement team (East China Outreach) to support the promotion of the UK as a valuable partner for Chinese government, businesses, institutions and people in the provinces of East China – in line with the China Network’s overall business plan and priorities.
The jobholder will be based at the British Consulate General Shanghai but will be required to travel regularly across East China to support UK engagements and relationship building with local government departments, businesses, academia, and other organisations relevant to UK policy interests. The job holder will also work with other UK departments and teams to support regional business to business connections, people to people interactions and UK/China “sister-city” partnerships. Furthermore, the job holder will assist with gathering regional insights to help build the UK’s understanding of provincial China and ultimately develop strong expertise on specific provinces or themes to help identify new cooperation opportunities for Embassy and Consulate teams.
The successful candidate will therefore need strong relationship management, analytical and communication skills (in Chinese and English), as well as initiative, flexibility and resilience. In return, you can expect to further develop your skills and knowledge, and enjoy a wide range of work experiences unique to engaging with the East China region.
1. Engagement
- Facilitate regional government-to-government engagements at all levels. This will range from high-level Ministerial/Ambassadorial visits, and senior inward visits to the UK by China’s provincial/municipal leaders, to long-term relationship building between the Consulate and local government departments, in order to support provincial level engagement across a range of Consular policy priorities.
- Facilitate business-to-business and people-to-people connections by supporting commercial events and trade delegations in East China, education and culture initiatives such as the UK government’s Chevening Scholarship, and regional sister-city partnerships such as those between Hefei and Derby or Hangzhou and Leeds. Use strong working-level relationships with provincial/local governments to add value to events and activities.
- Apply for and leverage UK government funding, where available, to resource new proposals for provincial-level engagement and projects.
2. Analysis
- Develop and maintain a deep understanding of East China provinces, and help enhance the UK’s understanding of the region through high-quality reporting, insights, and advice. Build strong communication with a range of Embassy and Consulate teams, and cascade information relevant to their strategic priorities, both in writing or verbally.
3. Resilience
- Be flexible in supporting new team priorities and workstreams as they evolve, and provide ad hoc support and knowledge-sharing across the Outreach Network as needed. Make a corporate contribution to wider Embassy and Consulate activities.
- Native/near native proficiency in Chinese and highly proficient in English
- Degree level qualification or equivalent
- At least 2 years experience of working in government affairs, public affairs, or communications
- Experience of engaging with the UK or Chinese governments and institutions
- Previous experience of working in or with East China provinces, or knowledge of East China’s socio-economic landscape
- Strong writing skills (in English)
- Event planning experience
- Understanding of the UK/China government relationship
Language requirements:
English & Mandarin
Level of language required:
English: excellent/highly proficient
Mandarin: excellent/highly proficient
Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):
- “Big picture sessions” e.g. Diplomatic academy
- Role specific training e.g. Civil Service learning
- Soft skills training e.g. learning bazaars by external speakers
- Social activity/ mixers e.g. L&D away day
- Peer to peer learning e.g. Mentoring/ coaching programmes
- Structured Learning programmes e.g. Emerging Leadership Programme
We offer a competitive package which includes –
- Gross monthly salary (before all deductions) of Chinese: CNY 29,488 for Chinese Nationals paid in 13 month instalments and an abated monthly salary of CNY 38,425 per month for British Nationals and spouses/partners (all nationalities) of diplomats who are ‘W’ (diplomatic) visa holders and meet passport criteria;
- Insurance plans such as social and housing fund (Chinese Nationals), commercial insurance package including accidental, life, medical and business travel insurance
- Full-time staff: 22 days annual leave entitlement in pro-rata which increases by 0.5 per full calendar year worked up to maximum of 25 days.
- We offer different types of compulsory leave in accordance to Chinese law, e.g. Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Marriage Leave, Parental leave, etc.
- In addition to the above compulsory leave, we also offer other types of leaves with pay e.g. Study Leave, Volunteering Leave to support staff who undertakes volunteering activities, Special Paid Leave to deal with emergencies involving a close family member, and more.
- Employee Assistance Programme which is a confidential service providing help, support and information to staff to resolve and manage situations causing concern whether at work or personal nature is available to staff 24/7
There is plenty of opportunity to develop on and off the job and establish expertise and build capability. We are strongly supportive of the job holder continuing to develop their professional skills. The Mission encourages a blended learning culture based on the 70/20/10 model which includes e-learning, mentoring, coaching, other development activities and role-specific required trainings.
Conditioned working hours is 35 hours per week from Monday to Friday and flexible working can be arranged upon personal needs.
Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff who are locally recruited by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Chinese employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.
This role is advertised as a full-time, fixed-term role of 12 months with possibility of renewal to be based in Shanghai.
Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
REMINDER:
All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate”.
Indicated start date is provisional and subject to successful completion of reference and security checks.
To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
