View Vacancy – LAO – Regulatory Reform Attaché, HEO

Main Purpose of Job:

This is a great opportunity to deliver key components of the £25mn Economic Integration Programme (EIP), which aims to foster economic growth across the ASEAN region. The British Embassy in Vientiane is seeking a talented and enthusiastic programme manager to monitor and support delivery of the bilateral/regional Regulatory Reform pillar. 

The Regulatory Reform technical assistance project is led by the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) which is part of the Department for Business and Trade and aims to support the Government of Vientiane with its regulatory reform priorities. 

The attachés will work closely the Government of the Lao PDR, UK businesses and UK Government colleagues in the region and UK. The successful candidate will:

• Act as an advisor on regulatory reform, building and maintaining effective relationships with government officials and the FCDO to help identify priorities for reform and support the delivery of the Regulatory Reform technical assistance pillar.
• Be responsible for facilitating OPSS interventions on a range of regulatory reform issues and, overseeing and coordinating technical experts during deployments to support the delivery of technical assistance.

The EIP is led by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). There interventions in the Lao PDR will focus on Regulatory Reform. The successful candidates will work collaboratively and will be based in Vientiane. 

What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:

Leading on oversight of regulatory portfolios in Vientiane

• Ensuring synergy with other UK programming and activities in country.
• Avoiding over-laps between regulatory and capacity building programmes by demonstrating awareness of current and planned regulatory policy and enforcement activity of the Government of the Lao PDR.
• Making evidence-based decisions, informed by the needs of the Government of the Lao PDR, to prioritise topics that the OPSS UK team should focus technical assistance on.
• Contributing to project planning and reporting on delivery progress, value for money and emerging risks.

Proactive stakeholder management

• Building strong relationships with the Government of the Lao PDR and third-party implementers, securing agreement on complex areas of technical assistance to be delivered within this programme.
• Represent the UK HMG when communicating complex information on regulatory policy with senior officials of the Government of the Lao PDR.
• Facilitating stakeholder meetings and workshops, ensuring effective communication and collaboration among all parties involved.
• Reassessing the ongoing commitment to programme activities, planned outputs and outcomes.
• Avoiding wider duplication through awareness of other donor activities in the same space.

Planning and coordinating the delivery of the technical assistance aspects of the Regulatory reform pillar

• Planning and coordinating the delivery of OPSS technical assistance programme.
• Act as the local representative for OPSS International Delivery, engaging and advising government officials on regulatory reform.
• Identifying areas for further cooperation by developing an understanding of role that regulatory reform can play in economic development and how this links into the UK agenda on prosperity and development.
• Responsible for the storage/ownership of intellectual property developed.

This role will support World Bank recommendations to improve the business environment in the Lao PDR

• Collaborate with World Bank to support implementation of electronic business registration and streamlining the operating licensing regime.
• Ensure the new business registration system is accessible for end users by supporting reviews, identifying training need and supporting delivery of training.
• Support risk-based approach to further simplify business licensing.
• Collaborate with the World Bank on planning to ensure no duplication of bilateral interventions targeting the tourism and manufacturing sectors.
• Through the above, we expect that this role would help to support the business environment of the Lao PDR and help its economic growth.

Use of AI in Job Applications and Interviews

Applicants must ensure that anything submitted is factually accurate and truthful. Plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Resources Managed (staff and expenditure): 

• Responsible for booking and organising events to facilitate workshops and training, within budgets provided, ensuring good value for money
• Responsible for managing personal expenses, remaining within budgets provided, when travelling on duty or facilitating events
• Monitoring and reporting on expenditures
• Budget amount N/A

• Able to work independently and in a team
• Ability to meet deadlines with strong attention to consistency, detail, and quality
• Ability to travel if needed
• Excellent negotiating and influencing skills, both in order to win confidence and to deliver outcomes across a wide range of Government departments and business stakeholders
• Confident and able to tailor messaging to the local context
• Able to engage and build credibility with a diverse range of international stakeholders
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in project coordination

Language requirements: 

• English and Lao
• Level of language required: Fluent