In November 2015 the UK Government announced a £1.2bn Prosperity Fund to promote the economic reform and development needed for growth in partner countries. Priorities will include improving the business climate, competitiveness and operation of markets, energy and financial sector reform. As well as contributing to a reduction in poverty in recipient countries, we expect these reforms to create opportunities for international business including UK companies.

The China Prosperity Fund portfolio, if approved, will consist of a number of sector-focused programmes. One of these is the China Skills Programme. As China seeks to transition to a new economic growth model, one of the main challenges the country faces is the size and scale of its skills gap. The mismatch between the skills Chinese employers’ need and those that workers actually possess represents a huge opportunity cost, estimated to be US$250 billion or 2.3 percent of GDP in 2020.

The Prosperity Fund China Skills Programme will focus on supporting China to develop high level technical and vocational skills, where the greatest needs exist. The programme will draw on UK expertise to support China, addressing some of its current key constraints and create a more enabling environment for the international, including the UK, business and skills sector players to access China’s skills market.

The jobholder will be responsible for:

• Delivery of the £17.25m Prosperity Fund Skills programme, ensuring it is in line with all Prosperity Fund objectives and any relevant policies/guidance.
• Leading a team of two programme managers to oversee and manage contractual, operational and financial aspects of programme implementation over the entire programme cycle;
• Management of delivery partners and (together with policy and DIT teams) government and non-government stakeholders in China and the UK.
• Collaborating with colleagues across the HMG China network, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Council, the Department for International Trade and other HMG stakeholders to ensure alignment with wider UK objectives.

This position requires an individual with a good understanding of the UK and Chinese Education and Skills sector, and proven programme leadership capability. The individual will ideally have experience with international aid programming, understanding of public and private sector motivations and an ability to communicate persuasively in written and oral English. The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate strong programme and budget management, communicating, collaborating and influencing skills. The job holder will need to ensure that Gender and Inclusion policy and guidelines are followed by the programme team and any suppliers, including ensuring the programme aims to have a transformative impact where appropriate.

The job holder will be supported and steered by senior British Council policy lead and DIT staff who will help set the strategic direction for the programme, ensure alignment with wider priorities and provide ongoing advice. The job holder will also be supported by the Prosperity Fund central team, who will provide operational support and oversee coordination and coherence across the seven programmes that collectively make up the China Prosperity Fund portfolio.

Programme design and strategy

• Working with HMG Steering Group and Expert Advisory Committee to set the direction of the programme, continuously drive standards higher and manage risks effectively
• Support key events and high level visits at which the Programme features
• Coordinate and collaborate with a range of policy and commercial leads across the Embassy, the wider China network and with relevant Whitehall Departments to ensure alignment with wider priorities

Programme management and delivery

• Identify, develop and oversee a targeted and highly impactful portfolio of skills themed projects with policy colleagues on an annual basis
• Lead a team of two Programme Managers to balance a variable workload across the programme cycle
• Take overall responsibility for programme impact attainment
• Support dissemination of programme impact and successes, working closely with Prosperity Fund communications colleagues

Stakeholder management

• Build, maintain and protect relationships with key internal stakeholders, UK centres of expertise and key businesses, influential policy entities within Chinese Ministries, provincial authorities, state-owned enterprises and research institutes. Leverage UK contacts to deliver expertise into the Chinese system.

• Knowledge and understanding of Chinese Government structure and China’s political system.
• Demonstratable experience and understanding of working with China’s education and skills sector, particularly the vocational education system.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a programme or project management role, including in the design of projects, defining specific outputs, outcomes and indicators, evaluating and monitoring projects, and managing risks.
• Strong experience of procuring programmes or projects from the market and managing budgets and activities over the programme cycle.
• Strong interpersonal skills, representational ability and stakeholder management experience.
• A university degree in a relevant field.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

• Experience working with ODA (Overseas Development Aid) and/or education and skills programme.
• Understanding of UK and Chinese supply chains of education and skills sector.
• Experience of UK government systems and programmes.
• Fluency in Mandarin Chinese, both spoken and written.
• Proven experience and credibility gained in an international environment (e.g. similar diplomatic missions, international organisations).

This may require travel to the UK and accompanying incoming delegations around China. The job is offered to March 2020. We expect the role to continue beyond this date - subject to the programme being fully approved - but all staffing will be reviewed on an annual basis.

We offer a competitive package, which includes basic salary, good leave entitlement, and insurance plan, etc. The gross salary (before all deductions) is from CNY 30,336 month for Chinese Nationals and an abated monthly salary from CNY 39,533/ month for British Nationals and spouses/ partners (all nationalities) of diplomats who are ‘W’ (diplomatic) visa holders and meet passport criteria.

We also offer excellent development opportunities and a 22-day annual leave entitlement in pro rata.

Conditioned working hours is 35 hours/ week from Monday to Friday and flexible working can be arranged upon personal needs.

For more details on our Total Rewards Package, please visit our website http://www.gov.uk/government/world/china.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Beijing is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Chinese employment law.

All applications must be received before 11:55PM (China Standard Time) on 03 June 2019.

Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.

To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer.