Who are we? 

The British Embassy Zagreb is the representative office of the UK Government in Croatia, representing British political, economic and consular interests in the country. The Embassy is headed by the Ambassador and we are an ambitious, engaged and motivated team that supports each other and does our best to develop and fulfil our potential. 

The British Embassy champions diversity both inside and outside the Embassy. We would welcome applications from any suitably qualified individual, whatever their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability or religion

Main purpose of job:

You will be a member of the Embassy’s Political & Communications team, which co-ordinates the UK’s engagement with Croatia across a wide range of issues, from security and defence to clean energy, science and technology and migration. 

As the Projects Officer, you will be responsible for overseeing the strategic allocation of our project fund in support of ambitious objectives. The British Embassy works to influence and inspire Croatians with the best of Britain; and to promote and defend UK values, tackle threats to our collective security, take action on global challenges and build mutual prosperity. You will work with all sections across the Embassy to design and deliver a projects portfolio to support this. You will manage the project lifecycle and ensure the project budget is spent efficiently. 

As a member of the Political Section, you will also contribute to the delivery of wider policy work, including political reporting and analysis as required. In the longer term, you may be asked to develop your own policy areas.

Ready to drive impact and shape the UK’s engagement with Croatia?

As Projects Officer, you’ll lead ambitious initiatives, manage a significant budget, and turn strategic priorities into real results.

Roles and responsibilities:

Project/Programme Management (80%)

• Lead, advise and oversee the projects process from start to finish, collaborate with team members on designing and delivering projects
• Ensure projects are closely aligned with UK strategic priorities, Embassy objectives and FCDO Programme Operating
• Framework, and that they provide value for money.
• Act as a Secretariat for the Projects Board, the senior decision-making body for project spend, by preparing papers to be discussed, shaping the agenda, and maintaining an audit of decisions made.
• Plan the project portfolio for the financial year according, allocating the budget of approximately £100,000 – £150,000 across our objectives.
• Closely monitor the project budget, make decisions on budget adjustments, forecast spend and provide regular updates to
• senior management.
  Ensure efficient budget management in line with the FCDO procurement rules.
• Actively monitor for additional funding opportunities and sources offered within the FCDO network and other government departments. Coordinate drafting local and regional project bids with the team
• Manage grants to external organisations from start to finish (due diligence, signing contracts, monitoring, payments, reporting and audit)
• Build, maintain and nurture relationships with external implementing organisations through productive engagement and strong communication.

Policy support (20%)

• Support the work of the wider political section, including support for embassy-organised events.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with external political contacts as well as the FCDO network, engaging and influencing in line with UK objectives.
• Support the Embassy’s science and technology work, with a possibility to take on more responsibility depending on capacity.

Our Ideal Candidate shows:

• Full professional proficiency in English and Croatian (written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework* or equivalent).
• Previous project or programme management experience.
• Bachelor’s in Project Management, Business Administration, Public Policy, International Relations, Economics or relevant area.
• Strong budget management and accounting skills.
• Confidence in dealing with senior management and external partners.
• High work standards and ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong personal organisation and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required.