The Prime Minister, Chancellor and DIT Secretary of State have made clear that the UK is a natural partner to the Chinese in their Belt and Road initiative (BRI). BRI is an ambitious strategy being pursued by the Chinese to stimulate trade and economic growth across Asia and beyond. The potential for commercial contracts from partnering with the Chinese is immense. A cross Government drive is underway to maximise benefit to the UK while steering the support BRI can provide towards the projects that matter most to ASEAN countries, and therefore deliver the best economic development impact; this role will be vital in implementing this. DIT needs to identify and prioritise BRI projects which play to UK strengths across a complex number of market; engage potential Chinese partners; and to support UK businesses in engaging these opportunities.
Roles and responsibilities:
The Postholder will be located in the British Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, but will be a key part of a virtual team led by a team leader based in the UK and also consisting of colleagues in South Africa, Egypt, China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, members of DIT Sector teams and International Directorate in London, and a business specialist contracted to support initial project development.
There will be great interest in host countries in this initiative as two G20 partners representing significant private FDI interests joining forces to address their infrastructure requirements. You will need to be sensitive to that without raising expectations beyond what is realistic. This is about a long term partnership but we’ll be expected to deliver early wins.
Your job is to help design and implement interventions in Thailand, and other ASEAN priority countries as appropriate, that support the overall objectives of the UK Prosperity Fund Infrastructure Programme in Beijing, which will run until 2022. You will also need to be mindful of the Prosperity Fund Global Infrastructure Programme run from London over same period, and the DIT’s High Value Campaign for UK participation in infrastructure projects across Asia Pacific.
Although initially focused on China and Belt and Road, the role may expand in the future to include other third countries, including Japan and Korea, as DITs thinking and strategy evolves.
In practical terms, the officer will:
We are looking for a proactive, quick learner who can prioritise efficiently to operate in a fast-paced environment, largely unsupervised, delivering to deadlines. They will need excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build strong relations within the virtual team; in UK diplomatic missions across ASEAN countries; and with stakeholders in the UK, Asia-Pacific and China. The ideal candidate will be experienced in working with UK, Chinese and ASEAN businesses and government bodies.
Essential on arrival:
The British Embassy offers a competitive remuneration package, including salary (to be abated for those not liable to tax), benefits, a leave entitlement, Health Insurance and full training. The British Embassy Bangkok encourages all staff to develop their capabilities, through both formal training (courses) and informal (job-shadowing, coaching, on-the-job training etc). The majority of our formal L&D opportunities are drawn from FCO resources. All staff are encouraged to share their skills and experience with colleagues, through informal training (‘lunch & learn’) or coaching/mentoring. All staff are eligible for 5 L&D days a year.
Full time role (36 hours/week). Flexible working may be available (Embassy core hours are 1000-1600 Mon-Thurs and 1000-1300 Friday). Remote working occasionally is also possible.
In late 2019 the Embassy will move from the current premises on Wireless Rd to new accommodation in the Sathorn area.
Embassy Vision and Values:
VISION: What do we want to build?
A better, safer, more prosperous world for Britons and Thais alike.
MISSION: How will we achieve this?
By championing UK values and delivering tangible benefits to individuals, businesses and society: through quality service, effective partnerships and local expertise.
VALUES: that underpin our work:
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 employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. You must have or be able to obtain work authorisation in Thailand in order to apply. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.
Please note that your application must be submitted before 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.
The successful candidate should be able to start as soon as possible. Start date indicated above is subject to change.
Reminder for existing Embassy staff who will be interested to apply:
Along with the completed online application form, candidates should upload their last two years End of Year Appraisals if applicable. If applicants have been employed for less than twelve months, they will need to provide permission from their Head of Section to apply and should attach this to their application.
Guidance on completing competency based application forms and sitting Interviews can be found on the BE Website and also on the Civil Service Learning portal, Virtual Ashridge portal and Goodpractice.net (both accessed through the CSL). Staff are strongly advised to refer to these.
We recommend all applicants to understand the Civil Service competences before applying for any role and in preparation for interviews. For more information, you can visit our website - https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-bangkok/about/recruitment.
Please check your application centre regularly for any update on your application
This opportunity is closed to applications.
