Political Governance Adviser

Political Governance Adviser, Grade- G7, Kathmandu

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

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

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

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment, educational details, behavioural and technical/ professional skills questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only with all the required details and the shortlisting is not basis CV/ cover letter. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Main purpose of job:

How we approach our work is important. The How We Work Statement (below) sets out the ambition we share across the FCDO for how we lead and behave towards each other, how we make decisions, and how we get the job done. Some aspects may be particularly relevant to this role.

• We put respect and kindness first. We are inclusive, we get to know each other, and value our diversity and the contribution we each bring. We are fair, act with integrity, and tackle inequality and unacceptable behaviour. We work together and take responsibility to solve problems.
• We draw on the expertise, insight and diverse perspectives of people across the FCDO, HMG, and beyond. We use the best available data and evidence. We are open to challenge and take a sustainable, long-term approach. We are transparent about the rationale for decisions and smart about taking and managing risks.
• We are agile and alert to emerging opportunities. We encourage learning, innovation and use of data and digital. We are all clear on what we are expected to deliver and support each other in doing so. We look to reduce duplication and unnecessary process. We are committed to transforming both the FCDO and the way HMG delivers international policy.

Description of the Embassy and team:

The British Embassy Kathmandu (BEK) represents all of the UK government interests in Nepal, including our bilateral, defence co-operation, development support, and trade.

The Embassy focuses on five key areas:

• Supporting a more open and democratic society in Nepal resulting in more representative, inclusive and effective governance at all three levels of government.
• Continue the recruitment of Gurkhas into the British Army as well as support capable security and rule of law institutions that protect the rights of all people will strengthen Nepal’s stability.
• Support Nepal’s transition to sustainable lower-middle income country (LMIC) status through facilitating inclusive and greener growth, increased investment and more open trade
•  Support Nepal to implement the ambitious climate targets adopted at COP26 that will reduce emissions, build resilience, and put Nepal on a path to a green recovery.
• Promote girls’ education and the rights of women and girls in Nepal.
  You will become part of a collegial Embassy team, and be responsible for a rewarding, engaging and transformational portfolio of work.

This is an exciting time to join BEKs governance work. A new 9-year governance portfolio programme has just been approved that will frame BEKs engagement on governance in Nepal across two election cycles. This will focus on implementation of federalism, inclusive development and democratic resilience. In addition, BEK recently embarked on an ambitious agenda of external dialogue and new collaborative ways of working with implementing partners putting governance evidence at the centre of BEKs approach.

The role sits in the Governance Team within the Governance and Social Development Group It will also have strong links to and work closely a part of the embassy’s Political Team, and will support BEK’s governance portfolio, as well as the wider BEK approach to governance across its entire portfolio. The Post Holder will join a core group of Governance Advisers who work across BEK and will report to the Governance Team Leader.

This position will establish and maintain relationships for technical guidance and support with the FCDO governance cadre, and relevant teams and staff from FCDO’s UK headquarters.

Main purpose of job:

The main purpose of this Country Based Staff (CBS) position is to serve as Grade 7 Political Governance Adviser (GA) for the British Embassy Kathmandu. The role sits in the Governance Team within the Governance and Social Development Group and supports BEK’s governance portfolio, as well as the wider BEK approach to governance across its entire portfolio. The Post Holder will join a core group of Governance Advisers who work across BEK and will report to the Governance Team Leader.
The Post Holder will lead BEK’s work on democratic governance, inclusive development approaches, and work with other Governance Advisers to advise BEK on the implementation of the Constitution. The Post Holder will be expected to deliver strong political economy analysis and oversee delivery of innovative governance programming and high quality governance research, as well as support other Teams in BEK to consider governance impact in their work. The Post Holder will have strong links with the Political Team, especially on providing wider perspectives through engagement, help join up across teams, and political and technical analysis to support BEK’s wider work on democracy, human rights and transitional justice.

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

The job holder will be responsible for:

• Leading political economy analysis of Nepal’s transition from a unitary to a federal state. This will include broad governance analysis, tracking trends and horizon-scanning, and as well as more specific analysis of how different institutions are developing and performing in the new constitutional set-up.
• Leading advisory inputs to innovative governance programming on supporting federalism, promoting democratic resilience, an issues-based approach to promoting inclusive development, and transitional justice. This will include evidence-based advice and implementation of the governance programme components that will be delivered using the Adaptive Management Approach and associated tools like Thinking and Working Politically, Adaptive Results Frameworks, and promoting a learning culture.
• Leading governance evidence and learning agenda within the governance portfolio and across BEK. This will involve working closely with BEKs Evidence and Knowledge Hub, Evidence Partners and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning components to generate, disseminate and promote active evidence and learning update across BEK, and beyond.
  Leading on inclusion across the governance portfolio, providing advice and quality assurance and making sure that it benefits from the analysis of systemic barriers and constraints to inclusion, successful approaches, evidence and learning in support of GESDI transformation, and contributing to strengthening BEK’s wider approach to inclusion. This will include engagement at subnational level in collaboration with BEK’s Provincial Engagement Facility.
• Provide support and analysis to BEK’s efforts to develop local leadership and establish modern partnerships for development. This will include providing advice to how BEK and its Portfolio Partners can work together differently to achieve greater localisation and system strengthening.
• Ensuring that BEK benefits from and feeds into the latest global governance evidence and strategy processes through engagement with the Governance Cadre and relevant regional networks.
• Supporting the Politics and Partnership Team on political analysis, engagement, political thinking across the embassy, feeding in longer-term institutional analysis, and ensuring that the governance portfolio draws on BEKs broader political analysis and partnerships.

About you:

This is a dynamic and exciting position that requires an analytical, collaborative and pro-active governance expert with a deep understanding of Nepal’s political settlement and institutional dynamics, who can spot opportunities, think creatively, and drive an adaptive management culture. He/she will enjoy working across disciplines and be able to confidently communicate about complex technical issues, to a range of audiences in the embassy and beyond (expert and non expert).
He/she must have enthusiasm and authority to effectively support and influence engagement across BEK and to build an extended network of partners, in particular within government, civil society, media and academia to promote effective governance programming and learning. He/she will be curious to understand how change works in Nepal, enthusiastic about evidence and learning, and have a track record of developing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including at provincial and local level, and exhibit inclusive and collaborative ways of working.

We are looking for someone with:

• Solid governance expertise with experience of advising on and delivering ODA programmes in collaboration with host governments, the private sector and other development partners.
• Proven ability to apply Political Economy Analysis to address development problems and challenges.
• Experience engaging with evidence and research generation and brokering evidence to influence policy and programmes.
• Strong interdisciplinary thinking and ability to manage and engage with high-quality, evidence-based strategic analysis.
• Proven ability to work across multiple areas and disciplines in a flexible manner, identifying strategic priorities and opportunities as they evolve.
• Strong communication and influencing skills and a track record of being able to effectively influence policy and programmes across a larger organisation and in networks with partners.
• Experience of engaging on policy development, whilst coordinating with multiple stakeholders across a larger organisation and with external stakeholders.
• A commitment to collaboration, learning, and inclusion who can role model and champion BEK values.
• Essential qualifications, skills and experience
• Demonstration of expertise and working experience on governance, including, but not limited to applied Political Economy Analysis and Inclusive and Accountable Politics.

BEK encourages a diverse range of governance experts to apply, demonstrating “expert” level in at least 2 of the 4 technical competencies (essential), and “practitioner level” in all 4 (desirable). The successful Post Holder will join FCDOs Professional Governance Cadre at the level demonstrated during recruitment, but can work towards higher levels of accreditation.

Including:

• Governance Core Competency: Applied Governance and Political Economy Analysis
•  Governance Specialist Competency: Inclusive and Accountable Politics
•  Governance Specialist Competency: Security, Justice and Human Rights
•  Governance Specialist Competency: Public Sector and Service Delivery

Details of which can be found at: Governance_Technical_Competency_Framework_September_2022.odt (live.com)
the Technical Competency Framework for the Governance Cadre of FCDO.

Bachelor degree in relevant disciplines such as Political Science, International Relations, Social Science, Law, Development Studies or Public Administration or Policy and a minimum of 5-10 years relevant work experience.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience: Postgraduate degree in relevant disciplines such as Political Science, International Relations, Social Science, Law, Development Studies or Public Administration or Policy.

Required behaviours: Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together
Application deadline: 30 October 2024
Grade: Grade 7 (G7)
Type of Position: Full-time, Permanent
Working hours per week: 36
Region: South Asia & Afghanistan
Country/Territory: Nepal
Location (City): Kathmandu
Type of Post: British Embassy
Number of vacancies: 1
Salary Currency: NPR
Salary: NPR 365,677 per month plus 10% provident fund contribution
Type of Salary: monthly
Start Date: 2 January 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment: For British Embassy candidates, the Country Based Staff BHC Terms & Conditions will apply.

Salary will be all-inclusive of NPR 365,677 per month plus 10% Provident Fund Contribution.

The successful candidate will be provided with annual leaves, maternity/paternity and membership in the Embassy medical benefits scheme as per the Terms & Conditions of Services. The British Embassy in Kathmandu is part of a world-wide network of 240 Posts, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas.

No relocation or any other related costs or assistance will be provided. FCDO does not pay for any travelling, accommodation & relocation expenses incurred and/or accept any financial risk, including cancellation or reschedule costs.

FCDO operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require. This is a good opportunity to be part of a strong, diverse team, working in the biggest network that FCDO has anywhere across the globe. We are aiming to make it the best. The British Embassy is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

Please note – BHC does not deduct tax at source and employees are required to ensure that any requirements of local income-tax law are complied with in full. Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, e.g. Some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

Additional information

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment, educational details, behavioural and technical/ professional skills questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only with all the required details and the shortlisting is not basis CV/ cover letter. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

To Apply:

Please note applications without (a) and (b) will not be considered. Point (c) to be adhere strictly.

a) Complete the Online Application Form.
b) Complete the Experience, Behaviours, Technical/Professional skills-based segment in the Online Application Form.
c) Applicants need to answer the questions based on their professional experience. Kindly refrain from use of AI based tools to avoid application from getting rejected/disqualified.

To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours and technical/ professional skills, basis your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours Framework which provides a detailed guidance on how these behaviours are defined for each position.

Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique to prepare specific examples of when and how you have demonstrated these behaviours in your application, by evidencing a structured response, including your skills and experiences. You briefly describe the situation in which you demonstrated the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.

Internal candidates applying for this position must have completed their probation and have prior approval from their line manager, else the application will not be considered.

We will accept only online applications by 30th October 2024 – 23:55 Nepal Time Zone

Please note that all the applicants will be required to strictly adhere to the security guidelines for British Embassy

• Applicants who do not have the required qualification & experience should kindly abstain from applying, as their applications will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and no telephone enquires will be dealt with. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
• The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative date
• The appointment will be subject to achieving suitable clearances which includes police verification along with references, medical, educational and professional checks.

We welcome all applications irrespective of age, race, colour, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or creed. We are also open to applications from people who want to work flexibly.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.