Main purpose of job:

The British High Commission Suva is part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) world-wide network of 270 Posts, representing British political, military, development, economic and consular interests overseas.  The successful applicant will be part of the Political team in the British High Commission in Suva, providing support to our work in Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of the Marshall Islands and with the regional and international organizations in these countries. This includes the Pacific Islands Forum and other key CROP agencies along with key IFIs that the UK supports and which are relevant to regional development (IMF, World Bank, WHO, ADB).

The successful applicant will play a key role in delivering the UK’s development engagement in the Pacific region. You will work on an exciting breadth of issues and activities including development policy engagement, strategic communications and engaging with and influencing partners, while also supporting broader policy work in our Non-resident accredited countries of Tuvalu, Kiribati, RMI and FSM.  Understanding the development landscape through the lenses of multilateral institutions, regional organisations and the NRAs will be crucial.

Reporting to the Second Secretary (Regional Affairs) in Suva the role will deliver:

• Policy support on key human and economic development priorities, supporting growth in trade, infrastructure, health and education;
• Support the delivery of development aspects of the UK’s Pacific Strategy, including through partner engagement, reporting and communication; and
• Provide administrative support, including organising events and visits.

The ideal candidate will have qualifications and/or experience working on international development  issues and be able to demonstrate relevant skills and experience.  There is some opportunity to travel  in the Pacific region. Flexibility, adaptability and enthusiasm will be important, as will readiness to work on multiple agendas simultaneously and to take on new challenges. 

There is considerable scope to develop skills and experience in the development and policy fields whilst working in the friendly, supportive and dynamic environment provided by the British High Commission Suva. 

As with any role, there will be occasions when the work is reactive to instructions and tasking beyond planned workloads.  All staff are expected to be collaborative team players, willing to turn their hand to any task.

The ideal candidate for this role will have:

• Qualifications and/or experience working on international development issues;
• understanding of the multilateral international development architecture;
• Policy skills and experience;
• Communication and presentation skills (both written and verbal in English), and the ability to deliver high quality work on time; and
• An ability to assess and prioritise own workload and deliver outputs on time

The British High Commission is a responsible and flexible employer that puts values of inclusion, respect and excellence at the heart of everything we do. The successful candidate can expect to join a supportive working environment that promotes learning, inclusion, welfare and prioritises creativity and development.

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

Policy Support (50%)

• Provide support by informing UK policy on development issues that affect Fiji and the NRA  Countries. This may include background research and providing summaries of key information with recommendations for further action;
• Support the development aspects of the UK Pacific Strategy including reporting and communication in relation to partner engagement and attending events and helping support any humanitarian crisis response as required; and
• Support evidence and data collection and analysis of the UK’s development engagement and spend in Fiji and the NRAs and shape the communication of this information both internally and externally.

Administration and Briefing (40%)

• Maintain information briefings on development issues in Fiji and wider briefings on NRA countries for internal use including for UK ministers, the Oceania network, and to inform external communications;
• Organise events including internal seminars, external workshops and conferences, and staff training; and
• Support discussions on development and NRA issues internally and externally.

Learning and Development (10%)

• Proactively maintain on-going learning and development across the international development agendas and broader policy to strengthen skills and experience.  This could include overseas travel to work on development and NRA issues.

The above is only an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role. You will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by FCDO. These responsibilities may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the FCDO Oceania network

Language requirements:

fluency in English, both written and spoken.

• Degree and/ or four years of professional work experience, preferably in the development field;
• A “can-do” attitude and willingness to work flexibly across the breadth of the development agenda;
• Enthusiasm to work on international development agendas, including willingness to travel around the region and potentially to the UK; and
• Must be a Fiji citizen or have a current work permit