Senior Policy Officer – Le6 – Dfat – Paris

The successful applicant will be engaged for a period of 4 to 6 months as a locally engaged staff member by the Australian Embassy, Paris, and must possess a valid authorisation of work for France or the ability to obtain their own independently as the Embassy cannot provide sponsorship.

The Fair Work Act 2009 is not intended to apply to the employment of Locally Engaged Staff (LES) at Australia’s overseas diplomatic and consular missions. The successful candidate’s terms and conditions of employment will be governed by the laws of France.

Please be advised that the Australian Embassy, Paris does not assist with relocation. Any costs associated with taking up the position would be the responsibility of the successful candidate.

About the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to advance the interests of Australia and Australians internationally. This involves strengthening Australia’s security, enhancing Australia’s prosperity, delivering an effective and high-quality overseas aid program and helping Australian travellers and Australians overseas.

About the Position

Australia is currently a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Executive Board. Australia’s overarching UNESCO priorities are Indigenous languages and knowledge; environment and World Heritage; and education. Advocating for greater representation and focus on the needs of the Pacific and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are also priorities for Australia across all United Nations (UN) agencies.

The Senior Policy Officer in the Australian Permanent Delegation to UNESCO represents, advocates and negotiates on political, institutional and governance issues on behalf of the Australian Government. The successful applicant will have experience working within government and/or the UN system, including to achieve results in intergovernmental negotiations and processes. The applicant should have a proven ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders including international and Australian stakeholders. They will be required to undertake complex research tasks and provide high-level analysis and strategic advice to the Ambassador and other Australian government officials based on an understanding on complex policy related matters, trends and issues.

Key responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to:

• Provide strategic advice on priority political, institutional and governance issues related to Australia’s engagement with UNESCO.
• Coordinate and prepare briefing and negotiating instructions, in collaboration with policy leads in Canberra, to advance or defend Australia’s interests.
• Maintain up-to-date awareness of developments in UNESCO and the broader international environment and identifying risks and/or opportunities for Australia.
• Lead and manage locally engaged staff to ensure the successful completion of projects and tasks.
• Represent Australia at UNESCO meetings by negotiating outcome documents and resolutions in multilateral settings that secure Australia’s interests.
• Coordinate arrangements for ministerial and senior official visits to UNESCO including independently arranging, scheduling and managing programs and assisting with logistical arrangements as required.
• Propose and implement strategic communications and public diplomacy activities in support of Australia’s UNESCO objectives.
• Provide the Australian Government with reporting, analysis and policy advice on the full range of policy issues under discussion in UNESCO’s committees and programs.
• Develop a diverse network of influence across the Australian Government agencies, the UNESCO secretariat and Permanent Delegations.
• Maintain official records of the Permanent Delegation, responding to correspondence and contributing to the overall good governance and efficient functioning of the Mission.

Qualifications/Experience

• Extensive knowledge and experience with the United Nations system and ability to apply this to advance Australian Government’s priorities at UNESCO across a broad range of policy areas.
• Extensive knowledge and experience of the Australian Government’s priorities, policy and legislative frameworks and ways of working across Government to achieve outcomes.
• The ability to respond quickly and efficiently to requests and to distil complex information into audience-appropriate written communications that inform and influence senior colleagues, often working to very tight deadlines.
• The ability to undertake work that is complex in nature, under limited direction.
• The ability to lead a small team to achieve outcomes, including developing work plans, setting priorities, managing workflow and providing performance feedback and development.
• The ability to build influential relationships; to understand the interests of diverse stakeholders; and from these build mutually beneficial networks that deliver results.
• The ability to display professional judgement to prioritise and meet competing deadlines in a high paced environment dealing with complex and sensitive issues.
• Fluency in English. A high level of written and spoken French is preferred but not essential.
Candidates must hold a valid authorisation to work in France. The Australian Embassy will not be able to provide sponsorship.

Security Requirements

The holder of this position must be eligible for, and able to retain, a security clearance issued by the Embassy. To be eligible, applicants must be Australian citizens. Citizens of Canada, New Zealand, the UK or the US may also be eligible to receive a waiver and are also invited to apply. Due to security clearance requirements, applicants with dual French nationality with one of the above citizenships would not meet eligibility requirements.

Selection Criteria*

Please ensure you provide a response to each of the listed selection criteria below. In your response, you must include relevant high-level examples from your experience that support your claims against the role.

The word limit is strictly 250 words per response to each selection criteria. The panel may not assess incomplete applications or responses which exceed the word limit.

Applications must be submitted in English (including resume).

A. Strong interest and knowledge of developments in UNESCO and the broader international environment and identifying risks and/or opportunities for Australia.

B. High-level knowledge and understanding of political, institutional and governance issues related to Australia’s engagement with UNESCO.

C. Proven ability to undertake independent comprehensive research, analyse a wide range of issues and present findings/reports to a diverse range of stakeholders in an appropriate and succinct manner.

D. The ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships, understand the interests of diverse stakeholders and to build reciprocal and mutually beneficial networks that deliver results.

The Human Resources Section based in the Australian High Commission, London is responsible for managing all recruitment processes across the European region. To apply, please use the 'Apply' button below. Please direct any other queries to recruitment.london@dfat.gov.au.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees are valued. We appreciate the experiences, skills and perspectives of all individuals. We actively encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds who share our values.

We are looking for a Senior Policy Officer to join the Australian Embassy, Paris.