View Vacancy - Development Policy Officer (DEU23.012)

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)
Policy

You will be a key part of a friendly and high performing team, whose work lies at the heart of the Embassy’s efforts to maintain and develop a positive relationship with Germany. You will lead the embassy’s work to ensure that the UK and Germany’s approaches to development are closely aligned and mutually reinforcing. This will build on the recent launch of the UK’s International Development Strategy, building on Germany’s successful 2022 G7 Presidency, and our positions as two of the world’s largest development donors.

You will be the primary point of contact with the German ministry for development (BMZ), the German development implementation agency (GIZ), and development-focused elements of the German foreign ministry (AA). You will use these relationships to ensure that UK policy makers are informed of key trends in German development policy, and that the UK is well-placed to partner closely with Germany. You will also build and maintain a network of influential contacts across a range of development-focused NGOs and think tanks, ensuring that UK development objectives are well understood.

You will support colleagues across the British Embassy, and the wide range of British government departments that it represents, to understand the UK’s development priorities, and to integrate those priorities into their work. This will include coordinating between different sections of the Embassy and London departments to ensure we are integrated, and more than the sum of our parts. This could include work in support of the international community’s development support to Ukraine, geographical areas of focus such as Africa and the Indo-Pacific, and thematic issues such as counter-terrorism.

Finally, you will be part of a wider team whose work cover the full range of foreign, security, and development policy. You will have the opportunity to support work across the wider team, from helping to organise senior ministerial and leader-level visits, to UK participation at marquee events such as the Munich Security Conference.

Roles and responsibilities:

  • Delivery of the UK’s International Development Strategy in Germany including through identifying areas where the UK and Germany can more closely align our approaches to development and cooperate in pursuit of shared objectives;

  • Strengthening the wider UK-German bilateral relationship through cooperation on development;

  • Enhancing the reputation and reach of UK development policy in Germany. 

This will include:

  • Building and maintaining a strong network of development policy makers across both the German and UK systems, ensuring that the UK is well-placed to understand and influence German development policy. You will also build and maintain a network of contacts among research organisations, NGOs, and think tanks, to ensure UK development policy is well understood and informed by the latest trends;

  • Reporting and analysis of trends in German development policy, to ensure that UK policy makers are well-informed of key developments and thinking of one of the world’s most important development donors. This will include contributing to policy advice for senior UK ministers and officials;

  • Developing the capability of the British Embassy on development policy, ensuring that a wide range of colleagues understand what development means for their roles, and that the UK is well-placed to harness cross-cutting development opportunities;

  • Supporting the wider functioning of the foreign, security, and development team, including by assisting with organisation of major events and high-impact senior official and ministerial visits, in support of the Embassy’s objectives.

Any other duties that may reasonably be required in support of the wider work of the Embassy, including crisis work.

  • Proficiency in English and German (both written and spoken, minimum of C2 level according to the CEFR framework);

  • Interest in the Development Policy area.

  • Previous development policy experience, for example in an NGO, government-related agency, or academic context;

  • Background in Development studies, International Relations, or similar.

Seeing the Big Picture, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
30 January 2023
Executive Officer (EO)
Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
37.5
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Germany
Berlin
British Embassy
1
EUR
61,080 gross per annum rising to €68,611 gross per annum after a qualifying period in addition to performance related pay. (Salary is not negotiable)
1 March 2023

This is a fixed-term 2 year contract with the possibility of a permanent contract subject to performance and funding.

Our Learning & Development environment: The British Government Germany Network has a strong ethos of Learning & Development, including our Learning & Development Week. In addition, there will be many opportunities for support, including mentoring, coaching, job shadowing and secondments and dedicated L& D days. This is in addition to the induction programme offered to all staff.

The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the Embassy, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany Network and supporting a positive working environment.

The successful candidate will be subject to a professional background check and security clearance. The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation in Germany in order to apply.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.

Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Germany and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

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 Government Germany Network 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 note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C2 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed. 

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.