Political Officer, Bilateral and Domestic Politics Team

British Embassy, Paris

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy is looking for a Political Officer to play a key role in the Bilateral and Domestic Politics Team, building positive relations with French elected officials at the local and national level, explaining French politics to colleagues across the UK government, and working to strengthen bilateral links between France and the UK. As part of the wider team, the Political Officer will play an active role identifying and engaging with a broad range of external contacts across France, spotting, analysing, and writing about political trends and developments as well as working with a wide variety of teams across the Embassy and the UK’s France Network. The Bilateral and Domestic Politics team sits within the Economic and Political Section (EPS) of the Embassy.

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

Political analysis and written reporting: as part of a team, follow and analyse French politics, producing written reports which contribute to the development of policy across the Embassy and in London. Provide briefing to ministers and senior officials, and support others with their reports and briefing needs.
Strategic planning and building a network of contacts: Map influencers across the country and co-lead the Embassy’s strategic engagement with key contacts in French regions, and work on the Embassy’s relations with the French Parliament and political parties. Build a strong network of political contacts for yourself and the Embassy. Perform the administrative tasks necessary to deliver this engagement, like organising regional visits, meetings, completing guest lists and organising events.
Bilateral projects: Deliver specific projects working with and influencing external stakeholders towards the shared objective of a strong Franco-British bilateral relationship. Projects include the Franco-British Young Leaders Programme and the UK-France Local Government Forum. 
Supporting the wider team: The jobholder may be called upon to support policy work when it is an Embassy priority. Tasks may include political analysis and reporting, providing advice to London and Embassy colleagues and engaging contacts. We aim to work in an agile fashion to adapt to new priorities, so you will need to be flexible, and your projects and work areas may change over time.

At an important time for Franco-British relations, one of the UK’s most important bilateral relationships, this will be a varied, exciting and challenging job with scope for the successful candidate to bring their own ideas and creativity. They will need to be able to juggle different types of work and reprioritise at short notice, working to a high standard and often to tight deadlines. They will be part of a team, which they will be supporting, but they also need to be a self-starter.

We also encourage all our staff to get involved in the wider work and community life of the Embassy. There are lots of opportunities for this, including volunteering for major events, as well as getting involved in projects to improve our organisation. The Embassy also encourages staff to pursue learning and development opportunities, of which the FCDO provides a wide range.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Essential on arrival:

Full professional proficiency in English and French, including excellent writing skills (C1 Level in English, C2 in French);
Strong knowledge or experience of French political system;
Experience working in French politics at national or local level, whether in institutions, parties, think tanks, lobbying or other forms;
Ability to grasp complex issues quickly and communicate them simply and effectively;
Experience of working with a wide network of contacts demonstrating negotiation, networking and influencing skills;
Ability to think strategically, lead and deliver on a project;
Demonstrated ability to work in a team and contribute to its outputs;
Strong organisational and administrative skills;
Adaptability and resilience under pressure.