JOB DESCRIPTION

View Vacancy – SH – East China Senior Policy Officer – Bilateral Relations, HEO

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 (Policy & Political roles)

Job Subcategory

Economic and Prosperity , Political

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

This role is a key position within the FCDO’s China Political and Economic Networks. It is a fantastic opportunity to contribute towards increasing UK-China understanding and to develop the relationships which help strengthen the wider bilateral relationship.

The HEO East China Senior Policy Officer – Bilateral Relations leads on all bilateral relations in the East China consular region – Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. This includes all levels of government, from Shanghai Municipality and the respective provincial capitals down to individual district and county-level FAOs (as required).

Whilst administratively line managed by the Consul Political, this role works equally to both the Consul Political and Consul Economic as part of their day-to-day work. They are expected to be the primary point of liaison with regional government contacts, facilitating Political, Economic and wider Consulate priorities across the region. The role has line management responsibility for 1x EO East China Policy Officer – Visits (CBS) with whom they will work closely to achieve this.

The East China Senior Policy Officer – Bilateral Relations owns responsibility to deliver all visits and events in the East China region, including planning, protocol, briefing, and post-visit reporting for all working-, senior-, and VVIP-level visitors. Working in close collaboration with the relevant specialist EO policy officers, this role also leads on tasking, coaching, editing and reviewing high quality political and economic reporting and policy analysis.

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

BILATERAL RELATIONS (60%)

• Lead on all government-to-government relations in the East China region as the main interlocuter/point of contact;
• Lead on government relationship and contact building, ensuring these are effectively managed and reviewed;
• Advise senior leaders on matters relating to government protocol in the East China region;
• Task and support the relevant EO Policy Officers (Political and Economic) to produce high-quality briefings and readouts for Political and Economic team external meetings, providing detailed edits and review to ensure alignment with strategic team goals.
• Provide oversight and direction to the EO East China Policy Officer – Visits (direct line management responsibility) to deliver Political and Economic team visits and events.
• Support the Consul Political and Economic to deliver the public-facing elements of the Chevening programme and provide direction to the AO Support Officer to coordinate the regional roadshows and recruitment cycle through relevant government and other regional contacts.
• Support Political and Economic priorities in the East China region by monitoring news and current affairs, identifying and attending relevant conferences, academic seminars, and workshops as well as building, maintaining, and expanding strong contact networks spanning government, academia, think-thanks, non-government organisations (civil society), media, and business.

GENERALIST (35%)

• This role is expected to lead the wider team (4x EO Policy Officers) by guiding their work and collaboration across multiple FCDO teams whilst also supporting other government departments and external stakeholders as necessary in order to deliver UK Government priorities and the China Country Business Plan.
• The job holder has responsibility for the team’s delivery of high-quality analysis, briefings and readouts as well as other reporting products, ensuring use of appropriate research methodologies and data. This will require close coordination and direction setting for relevant political and economic policy officers. The job holder will need to provide sound advice and guidance at pace.
• The job holder will need to stay abreast of the latest news and policy announcements in the region and across China more broadly and utilise this to provide insightful policy analysis and feedback across the team and to senior interlocuters.
• To achieve this, the job holder will build, maintain, and expand a broad, high-quality contact network spanning academia, think-tanks, local government agencies, non-government organisations, UK and Chinese businesses, and thought leaders across East China. The job holder is required to utilise these relationships to support and/or lead on priority projects and senior level visits to the East China region.
• The job holder will demonstrate a high degree of flexibility and agility, including the ability to quickly pivot focus and contribute effectively across a range of strategic areas including political and economic engagement, reporting and analysis (or other priorities) depending on the organisational needs at any given time. They will need be an effective manager, able to solve complex issues at pace.

LINE MANAGEMENT AND CORPORATE SUPPORT (5%)

• Line Management of 1x EO East China Policy Officer – Visits
• Provide ad-hoc interpretation and translation in high-level government meetings as required.
• As a member of the FCDO network in Shanghai the role is also expected to help make the British Consulate-General Shanghai a better place to work by organising, participating, and contributing to events hosted by the L&D, Wellbeing, and other corporate committees.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Strong management skills, including experience leading medium-large cross-cultural teams.
• Excellent written communication skills (English/Chinese);
• Excellent political instincts, with deep knowledge and understanding of the functioning of Chinese politics and institutional system;
• Ability to problem-solve ad-hoc, complex issues independently, showing mature and professional judgement (negotiating cultural nuances and political sensitivities) with a demonstrated ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions;
• Strong networking skills, including the ability to build and sustain a large network of key contacts;
• Ability to work at pace, managing multiple and competing priorities against tight deadlines;

Language requirements:

English
Spoken: Excellent/Highly Proficient
Written: Excellent/Highly Proficient

Mandarin
Spoken: Excellent/Highly Proficient
Written: Excellent/Highly Proficient

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience working with foreign missions, academics, media, and non-government organisations;
• Strong knowledge and skills in delivering VVIP visits, including experience of liaison and negotiation with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders;
• Experience managing large projects and budgets;
• Strong interpretation and translation skills (English/Chinese);

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions

Application deadline

1 October 2025

Grade

Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal

Working hours per week

35

Region

Asia Pacific

Country/Territory

China

Location (City)

Shanghai

Type of Post

British Consulate General

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

CNY

Salary

Chinese: CNY 29,488 ; British: CNY 38,425

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

24 November 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

This vacancy is advertised as full-time, fixed term role of 12 months with possibility of renewal.

Benefits:

We offer a competitive package which includes –

• A gross salary of CNY 29,488 for Chinese Nationals and an abated salary of CNY 38,425 for British Nationals and spouses/partners of diplomats who are ‘W’ (diplomatic) visa holders and meet passport criteria
• Commercial insurance package including accidental, life, medical and business travel insurance
• 22 days annual leave entitlement in pro-rata which increases by 0.5 per full calendar year worked up to maximum of 25 days. We offer different types of compulsory leave in accordance to Chinese law, e.g. Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, Marriage Leave, Parental leave, etc.
• In addition to the above compulsory leave, we also offer other types of leaves with pay e.g. Study Leave, Volunteering Leave to support staff who undertakes volunteering activities, Special Paid Leave to deal with emergencies involving a close family member, and more.
• Employee Assistance Programme which is a confidential service providing help, support and information to staff to resolve and manage situations causing concern whether at work or personal nature is available to staff 24/7;
• There is also plenty of opportunity to develop on and off the job, and establish expertise and build capability. We are strongly supportive of the job holder continuing to develop their professional skills. The Mission encourages a blended learning culture based on the 70/20/10 model which includes e-learning, mentoring, coaching, other development activities and role-specific required trainings. This offer also includes supporting staff members to take part in a 5 days of learning activities each year.

Learning and Development Opportunities:

No matter what stage of your career you’re at, you’ll have a positive impact and play a key role. We strongly believe in investing in our people – from day one, you’ll be assigned a dedicated buddy, have guidance from your line manager and support within the wider organisation. You’ll have the opportunity to develop on and off the job, and to establish expertise and build capability. We are strongly supportive of the job holder continuing to develop themselves.

In addition, opportunities and activities include:

• Attending external events and conferences hosted by academic institutions, business chambers, etc.
• Learning and Development programmes, which have recently included leadership, line management, interpretation, presentation skills, effective remote working and trade policy.
• Opportunities for job shadowing across the network.
• An individual bid fund providing funding to support more tailored learning and development needs.

Working Patterns:

35 hours of work per week from Monday to Friday, 08:00-17:00. There will be occasions that require you work outside normal hours.

The FCDO also operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.’

Other Information:

Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff who are locally recruited by the British Embassy/Consulate General are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Chinese employment law.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.

Additional information

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. 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.

To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours, including through your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours which provides detailed guidance on how the behaviours are defined.

Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to prepare specific examples of when they have demonstrated these behaviours in their application. Using the STAR format to provide evidence of your skills and experience in your application and at interview helps to give a structure. You briefly describe the situation in which you showed the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.

For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender and nationality.

The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearance

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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements