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LEI Senior Policy Officer (Investment and Industry Adviser)

A full time position as a locally engaged Senior Policy Officer (Investment and Industry Adviser) in the Resources Team of the UK Joint Delegation to NATO in Brussels has become available.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Initial responsibilities would be to act as the Investment and Industry Adviser in the team but the successful candidate will need to be flexible and adaptable to perform other duties as and when required.

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity. We are looking for a professional and motivated individual to work in a busy team dealing with a wide range of NATO Common Funding issues. Resource issues are high on the NATO agenda and the UK is at the forefront of reform efforts, pursuing an ambitious agenda to balance resources and requirements, and changes to NATO’s financial and programme management practices.

NATO is a political/military Alliance of 28 nations, which needs resources to run its own civil and military headquarters and to sustain its own activities and programmes. Member countries make contributions to budgets managed directly by NATO, in accordance with an agreed cost-sharing formula, known as NATO Common Funding. The NATO Security and Investment Programme (NSIP) finances capital investment projects to support NATO operations such as Afghanistan, and to provide military headquarters/installations (i.e. airfields and harbours) and communication systems across the Alliance in support of wider NATO missions. The NSIP is worth around €800m annually and offers potential business opportunities for UK industry.

You will work in a fully integrated civilian and military delegation representing UK interests in a fast moving multilateral environment. You will represent the UK in meetings with other Allies, and with NATO’s International military and civilian staffs. You will advise and take instructions from the Ministry of Defence in London, and advise the UK Permanent and Military Representatives to NATO as required. You will also be the Delegation lead on all matters related to industry, and provide support to UK industry pursuing NATO business opportunities. You will need excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills to build and exploit a large network of contacts across UK Government, industry representatives, other national delegations at NATO and the International Staff.

MAIN ROLE

• To represent the UK’s interests on the NATO Investment Committee which is responsible for implementing the NATO Security and Investment Programme (NSIP);

• To ensure that investment decisions are consistent with MoD priorities and deliver critical capabilities in a timely fashion and represent value for money;

• To pursue reform of NATO’s financial and resource management procedures as part of a process of continuous improvement;

• Establish and maintain contact with stakeholders in NATO and in UK Government departments, particularly the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence;

• To provide a structured, targeted service of support to UK industry pursuing NATO business, Working with UKTI and FCO to develop innovative ways to promote NATO business opportunities to UK industry;

• Work closely with other colleagues in the Resources team to ensure coherence and visibility of common funding issues.

• Line management of one support assistant.

SKILLS REQUIRED

Essential

• Good analytical skills and sound judgement to deliver results.

• Experience of working with a wide network of contacts demonstrating lobbying and influencing skills.

• Strong interpersonal and customer focus skills.

• Ability to grasp complex issues quickly and communicate them simply and effectively.

• Ability to work in a team, covering colleagues as necessary.

• Good organisational skills.

• Adaptability under pressure.

• Fluent written and spoken English.

• Good IT skills, preferably experience of Outlook, Word and PowerPoint.

• The job holder will occasionally be required to work extended hours during peak periods.

Desirable

• Knowledge of NATO and UK Government institutions and procedures.

• Resource/programme management experience.

• Previous industrial or commercial background would be useful but can be developed quickly on the job.

• Understanding of written and spoken French.

This position will be subject to satisfactory completion of advanced UK security checks, and will be filled on a fixed term contract basis. Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Belgium.

Taxable gross monthly Salary: € 3444.87

Applications with a full CV and cover letter in English should be sent to the Recruitment Officer, Corporate Services Benelux, British Embassy, Avenue d’Auderghem 10 B-1040 Brussels or brussels.recruitment@fco.gov.uk by 3pm on Monday 16 September 2013. If applying by email, you should include your full name in the message title and your email and attachments must not exceed 300kB in size. Please also indicate in your application where you saw this advertisement.

We expect to hold interviews in weeks commencing 23 or 30 September 2013, with a view to the successful applicant starting work as soon as possible, subject to vetting, references and administrative processes.

Please note that, due to the large volume of applications that we receive, only those applicants called for interview will be contacted.

The British Missions in Brussels are an equal opportunities employer. Applications are welcome from all suitably qualified applicants regardless of age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. We aim to reflect the diversity of society.

Published 5 September 2013
Last updated 9 September 2013 + show all updates
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