Head of Development Policy and Programmes

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Job Category : Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Job Subcategory Programme / Project Delivery

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main Purpose of Job:

The UK Government is strengthening its partnerships with Vietnam and ASEAN through official development assistance (ODA) programming. These programmes aim to support Vietnam’s progress towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in important areas such as inclusive economic development, green growth, health, education, trade policy, improving the business environment, and open society. We are recruiting a Head of Development Policy and Programmes in Vietnam to provide strategic advice to the UK Government on development economics in Vietnam, lead policy advocacy campaigns and oversee the direction of the portfolio of ODA programmes.

The job holder will build senior-level relationships and work closely with government ministries, multilateral development agencies, delivery partners, businesses, research institutions, NGOs and other external stakeholders to ensure successful delivery. The role will report to the Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Hanoi and the UK’s development team (based in the UK Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta). The jobholder will work closely with colleagues in similar positions in UK diplomatic missions across ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific, as well as development experts in UK government departments in London.

S/he will directly manage a team of five policy advisers and programme coordinators in the British Embassy in Hanoi and Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as provide strategic direction to a wider network of policy and communications officers in the UK’s diplomatic network in Vietnam. The job holder will work particularly closely with colleagues from the UK’s Department of International Trade colleagues in Vietnam, ASEAN and in London to help harness the capability of UK companies operating in Vietnam and the region to support progress against the UN SDGs.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

Policy advocacy and advice

Lead reporting, briefing (for senior Ministers and officials) and policy advice to the UK Government on emerging development and economic trends in Vietnam in the framework of UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Lead policy advocacy campaigns to support inclusive and sustainable growth in Vietnam, aligning with UK government’s development priorities in ASEAN, including the Mekong sub-region.
Lead the business planning for future ODA programmes in the next 5 years with Vietnam, as part of the wider ASEAN exercise.
Champion and promote diversity and inclusion internally and externally.

Stakeholder engagement

Represent the Embassy at meetings, workshops and conferences to promote UK development expertise.
Manage relationships and oversee the development team’s engagement with senior level stakeholders – ministries & agencies at central and municipal level (including Ho Chi Minh City’s People Committee and Departments) in areas of development (including but not limited to health, finance and economic reform, science, trade, environment, investment & planning).
Seek opportunities to effectively engage senior leadership in Vietnam and in the UK (when there are high level visits) on development priorities as part of the process to promote UK and Vietnam political relations.
Relationship manager with UN agencies, the World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, and NGOs. Represent the Embassy in donor meetings/ working groups in order to contribute to joint efforts among development partners.
Build relationship and partner with British Chamber of Commerce, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the business community for advocacy campaigns.

Programme oversight and delivery

While the final responsibility for most of the UK’s ODA programming in South East Asia will fall to the development team in the UK Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, the jobholder will be responsible for the strategic direction and support for operational delivery of ODA programming in Vietnam:
Ensure strong governance of the portfolio of programmes through participation in monthly steering board meetings with the development team in Jakarta and, occasionally, with senior programming managers in London. Most of the meetings will be virtual;
Ensure policy advisers in the Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate in HCMC have the necessary guidance and support to engage with stakeholders and can leverage the ODA programming to support UK policy objectives. Unblock and provide strategic direction in the face of local challenges.
Lead on the communication plan for ODA programming in Vietnam.
Identify and capture synergies between the programmes. Likewise, ensure potential conflicts and possible duplication, for example in programme design and stakeholder management, are surfaced and resolved collaboratively.
Oversee Embassy Hanoi and Consulate HCMC’s contribution to the programmes’ Monitoring, Reporting, Evaluation and Learning (MREL) obligations
Have strong insight into the impact of programmes beyond delivery of activity to inform wider economic and commercial policy objectives.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):Team managementThe jobholder will be responsible for managing the team of policy advisers and programme coordinators:

Build team capability, collaborative working and resilience. Recruitment and strategic team allocation when required.
Drive knowledge sharing and lesson learning across the network.
Encourage and motivate agility and flexibility among the team.
Quality control brief and reports. Effective decision making and business planning.

Budget holder of the teamEssential qualifications, skills and experience

Strong economic background (academic and/or work experience) on Vietnam’s economic and social development.
Experience and network with development partners and Government ministries. Proven track record of effective collaboration and management of different stakeholders.
Strong ability to communicate (written and verbally).
A true team player with experience in leading a team to deliver results.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Track record in developing and delivering ODA programmes in Vietnam, with a good understanding of ODA procedures.

Required behaviours Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together. Application deadline: 9 May 2022 Grade: Senior Executive Officer (SEO) Type of Position Full-time Working hours per week 35 Hours Region Asia Pacific Country/Territory Vietnam Location (City) Hanoi Type of Post British Embassy Number of vacancies 1 Salary Currency VND Salary 77,825,310 Start Date 27 June 2022 Other benefits and conditions of employment Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed): The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to developing its staff, working hard to provide a comprehensive L&D offer. Staff have access to a wide variety of online resources through the Diplomatic Academy and Civil Service Learning. Staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of all the available opportunities. The job-holder will be required to take some specific training courses related to their role. All new staff undertake a workplace induction and there are a number of mandatory e-learning courses covering areas such as diversity, health and safety, and information management APPLY HERE