View Vacancy – LAO – Social Development Officer, EO

Main Purpose of Job:

This is an exciting opportunity to work on development issues including education, health and gender (SDGs 3, 4, 5) in a high performing Embassy. The job holder will be part of a small but close team. The jobholder will have the opportunity to support high level visits, attend events, and build relationships across the Lao and British Governments and international organisations.  

This role involves three areas, although priorities may adapt after the UK election in July 2024. In this work you will be in a supporting, rather than leading role. You will be working with regional colleagues and experts, to help support their work in maximising the benefits and impacts of FCDO’s work in this region for Laos:

• Health: You will be the key person supporting the UK’s health development cooperation in Laos. Through the Fleming Fund, the UK funds work on Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) in human and animal populations in Laos. You will work with the implementing partner to ensure that their work in Laos is going well, and to support and amplify its impact. In August 2021, the UK became the first new ASEAN Dialogue Partner for 25 years. As part of this new relationship, the UK is designing and delivering an ASEAN-UK health programme. You will work with our regional health expert and implementing partners to ensure that part of this programme is designed and delivered successfully for Lao.
• Education: As a new ASEAN Dialogue Partner, the UK is designing and delivering an ASEAN-UK education programme. You will work closely with the expert colleagues in our organisation who take the lead on the ASEAN-UK programme, by providing the Lao context and helping engagement with the Lao partners and implementers.
• Gender: Where relevant opportunities arise, you may also support activities on UK gender priorities, for example around early child marriage, violence against women and girls and women in leadership.

You will also help to build the Embassy’s relationships with key stakeholders at the relevant level in the Lao Government, including relevant Ministries and the Lao Women’s Union. You will also help us to build our networks in INGOs, the private sector, civil society and multilateral organisations like the World Bank and UN agencies as part of your role.

You will be given lots of opportunities to develop new skills through a generous Learning and Development offer. We are looking for someone with a willingness to embrace learning and who is willing to identify any learning and development priorities.

What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:

Education and Health:

• To work with colleagues and experts in the wider UK Government to ensure that the design and delivery of our ASEAN-UK education and health programmes fit sensibly in the Lao context – responding to Lao priorities and complementing the work of other development partners – to maximise development impact.
• To support UK Government colleagues on the design and delivery of bilateral (Fleming Fund), regional, multilateral and global UK social development programmes that operate in Laos
• To support our third party implementation partners undertaking social development cooperation in Laos, to ensure their work on the ground runs smoothly
• To work closely with our Communications teams, to ensure all UK social development programming is widely publicised and recognised in Laos. This will include drafting texts and information for social media, that will be reviewed by the line manager

Gender:

• To support and amplify the UK’s work and interests under SDG 5 on gender equality, providing advice, information and suggested actions to the line manager.

Partnerships:

• To build and maintain working level relationships within the relevant Lao Ministries and Lao Women’s Union. These relationships will be used to seek and exchange information and discuss certain policies.
• To attend and report back on Sector Working Groups where relevant
• To build and maintain working level contacts with other relevant international partners – including in the multilateral system and other Diplomatic Missions in Lao PDR, INGOs and civil society in the fields of social development. These relationships will be used to seek and exchange information and discuss certain policies.
• To work with teams across other UK Government Departments and British Embassies in the region, to build a network of contacts to enable you to understand and deliver on your work

Communications (10%):

• To deliver our social media and wider communications work, as the main back up when our Communications Officer is away

Other responsibilities (5%):

• When necessary, support wider visits from senior officials and contribute to wider Embassy objectives under the direction of those leading on these areas of work
• To contribute to the Embassy’s crisis preparedness and response under the direction of the crisis area leads.

Resources Managed (staff and expenditure): 

• None directly, but you will be working with other colleagues who are responsible for the UK’s programme spend on social development cooperation in Laos, working together to ensure value for money.

• Minimum 2 years of work experience, preferably in a relevant role
• High level of discretion with a resilient, flexible and “can do” attitude
• An interest in developing social media content, and ideally some skills in this area
• Able to work with a range of stakeholders
• Bachelor’s Degree, ideally in a relevant field, for instance development studies
• Good computer skills (familiar with MS Word and Excel)

Language requirements: 

• English and Lao
• Level of language required: Fluent