View Vacancy - CPK - Regional Cities Officer, B3(L)

The successful candidate will be joining the British Embassy’s high-performing Regional Cities Outreach Team - created to drive forward the UK’s relationship with regional cities in China, focusing on one of China’s city clusters of emerging importance, i.e. Jing-Jin-Ji cluster and Shanxi Province.

This role will be based in the British Embassy in Beijing and the jobholder will focus on the Jing-Jin-Ji cluster and Shanxi Province as well as providing support to the wider Northern Regional Network. This region around Beijing is an important commercial partner for the UK and a region of emerging political and economic significance due to three major projects: coordinated development of the Jing-Jin-Ji region, Xiongan New Area and the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

The jobholder will work closely with Senior Regional Officer to spearhead a wide range of activities to expand and deepen UK government and UK business engagement in this region. The job is about increasing our knowledge of Jing-Jin-Ji cluster and Shanxi Province, liaising with government and businesses so that we can better understand the local picture and enable the network to work more strategically with the local partners in support of UK and China prosperity objectives.  To provide this information the job holder will be required to produce some research and analysis to support briefing for officials and Ministers on the region. The Senior Regional Officer will be responsible for the final product.

The jobholder will have a wide range of tools at their disposal to build relationships. For example, this year the team have supported participation in the Tianjin World Economic Forum, a senior visit to Hebei and other provinces and multiple working level visits. Project funding is another useful tool. The jobholder will be responsible for managing both the administrative side and some of the policy for two Enabling Fund projects, focused on poverty alleviation and water resource management respectively and for seeking out project funding from other pots across the Embassy.

The job holder will be required to build strong relationships with important contacts in local government (especially Foreign Affairs Offices, Bureaus of Commerce) as well as key UK stakeholders, such as the Department for International Trade, British Council, UK Visa and Immigration, plus the Embassy’s Communications and Prosperity Teams and the China British Business Council. They will be involved in supporting inward/outward visits both from UK officials and provincial leaders. Therefore some general administrative duties - setting up meetings, planning trip logistics, coordinating visits – will be necessary. 

In addition, the successful candidate will also support the northern outreach team with some administrative and other duties when and where needed including but not limited to helping with organising team building events and coordinating team participation in corporate events to support the delivery of the wider-network objectives.

The successful candidate will need to have initiative, strong interpersonal and team-working skills, motivation to deliver quality work and attention to detail. Fluency and confidence in verbal and written Mandarin is essential.  In return, they can expect to be a part of a truly innovative diplomatic network across China with opportunities to build a wide range of skills including strategic communication and project management, as well as regular travel across an exciting region.

Prosperity: To help the team build an understanding of the socio-economic and commercial landscape within Jing-Jin-Ji region. To develop close working links with the government and other organisations in target cities. Building networks, identifying and developing opportunities for engagement across the range of Embassy areas of work.

Project Management:  To identify and deliver GBF projects and wider policy/commercial projects in the responsible region.  Engaging project boards on project communication and delivery, identifying how to resource and run the projects, and then successfully delivering, reporting and evaluating them and managing financial side of the projects and successfully exploiting media opportunities.

Stakeholder engagement:  To effectively manage a wide range of external and internal (DIT, Prosperity) stakeholders. Make Outreach work relevant to wider stakeholders by devising new ways of working together and delivering in tandem.

Admin support:  Arranging regular working-level meetings, assist with logistics of high-level visits and general logistics. Filing and ordering team stationery and regularly sharing information with wider Embassy teams. Provide team support where necessary. Timely updates of team budget and events & leave calendar. Reminds team of deadlines for team actions.

Team leaders’ support: Support team leader and Outreach Counsellor on cross-cutting issues, cross-network activities and engagement.

• Holds a bachelor degree
• Excellent communications and writing skills in English and Chinese
• Minimum of two year’s work experience