JOB DESCRIPTION

View Vacancy – Projects Officer at the British Embassy Zagreb – Maternity leave cover (HRV25.384)

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

Programme / Project Delivery

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Who are we?

The British Embassy Zagreb is the representative office of the UK Government in Croatia, representing British political, economic and consular interests in the country. The Embassy is headed by the Ambassador and we are an ambitious, engaged and motivated team that supports each other and does our best to develop and fulfil our potential.

The British Embassy champions diversity both inside and outside the Embassy. We would welcome applications from any suitably qualified individual, whatever their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability or religion

Main purpose of job:

You will be a member of the Embassy’s Political & Communications team, which co-ordinates the UK’s engagement with Croatia across a wide range of issues, from security and defence to clean energy, science and technology and migration.

As the Projects Officer, you will be responsible for overseeing the strategic allocation of our project fund in support of ambitious objectives. The British Embassy works to influence and inspire Croatians with the best of Britain; and to promote and defend UK values, tackle threats to our collective security, take action on global challenges and build mutual prosperity. You will work with all sections across the Embassy to design and deliver a projects portfolio to support this. You will manage the project lifecycle and ensure the project budget is spent efficiently.

As a member of the Political Section, you will also contribute to the delivery of wider policy work, including political reporting and analysis as required. In the longer term, you may be asked to develop your own policy areas.

Ready to drive impact and shape the UK’s engagement with Croatia?

As Projects Officer, you’ll lead ambitious initiatives, manage a significant budget, and turn strategic priorities into real results.

Roles and responsibilities:

Project/Programme Management (80%)

• Lead, advise and oversee the projects process from start to finish, collaborate with team members on designing and delivering projects
• Ensure projects are closely aligned with UK strategic priorities, Embassy objectives and FCDO Programme Operating
• Framework, and that they provide value for money.
• Act as a Secretariat for the Projects Board, the senior decision-making body for project spend, by preparing papers to be discussed, shaping the agenda, and maintaining an audit of decisions made.
• Plan the project portfolio for the financial year according, allocating the budget of approximately £100,000 – £150,000 across our objectives.
• Closely monitor the project budget, make decisions on budget adjustments, forecast spend and provide regular updates to
• senior management.
  Ensure efficient budget management in line with the FCDO procurement rules.
• Actively monitor for additional funding opportunities and sources offered within the FCDO network and other government departments. Coordinate drafting local and regional project bids with the team
• Manage grants to external organisations from start to finish (due diligence, signing contracts, monitoring, payments, reporting and audit)
• Build, maintain and nurture relationships with external implementing organisations through productive engagement and strong communication.

Policy support (20%)

• Support the work of the wider political section, including support for embassy-organised events.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with external political contacts as well as the FCDO network, engaging and influencing in line with UK objectives.
• Support the Embassy’s science and technology work, with a possibility to take on more responsibility depending on capacity.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Our Ideal Candidate shows:

• Full professional proficiency in English and Croatian (written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework* or equivalent).
• Previous project or programme management experience.
• Bachelor’s in Project Management, Business Administration, Public Policy, International Relations, Economics or relevant area.
• Strong budget management and accounting skills.
• Confidence in dealing with senior management and external partners.
• High work standards and ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong personal organisation and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Nice to have:

• Previous experience working in Government, Diplomatic Mission, International or Multinational organisation.
• Strong interest in international affairs and politics.
• Previous experience in grant management, or programme evaluation and monitoring of projects done by external implementing organisations.

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline

9 December 2025

Grade

Executive Officer (EO)

Type of Position

Full-time

Working hours per week

39.5

Region

Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Country/Territory

Croatia

Location (City)

Zagreb

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

EUR

Salary

3,490.14 (Gross)

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

2 February 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

This is a full-time, temporary contract for 1 year (maternity cover). The monthly gross salary for this position is €3,490.14 + €92,91 transport allowance.

The role would be subject to a 3 months probationary period.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background and security clearance and must have pre-existing work authorisation for Croatia in order to apply.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Zagreb are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Croatian employment law.

Visa/Passport requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Croatia.

The British Embassy is committed to flexible working and providing a workplace that promotes diversity. Applicants should detail any flexible working requirements in their application.

Learning and development:

This role provides a fantastic opportunity for someone to learn about the workings of an Embassy, as well as the UK’s public and cultural diplomacy. The job holder will have opportunity to learning and development provided by the FCDO, in agreement with their Line Manager. The FCDO also offers sponsorship for project management certifications (e.g. APM Project Fundamentals and PMQ).

Additional information

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

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.

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

FCDO does not pay for travel related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCDO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.

*Please note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C1 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.

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.

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.