Vacancy: Agricultural Policy Support Officer, Embassy in Hanoi

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Vacancy: Agricultural Policy Support Officer, Embassy in Hanoi

The Embassy of The Kingdom of The Netherlands in Hanoi is looking for an enthusiastic Agricultural Policy Support Officer for the Agricultural Department (full time, 40 hours/week).

Candidates are required to submit a motivation letter and resume in English to the Agricultural Counsellor Ms. Ingrid Korving, email: Ingrid.Korving@minbuza.nl by Monday 26th of June, 2023 close of business.

Candidates whose letter and resume are considered to match the formal requirements will be invited for an interview. A second interview may become part of the selection process.

General features of the job

The Agricultural Network (LAN) represents the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality (LNV) in the areas of Agriculture and Nature in the operational district and to this end maintains intensive contacts with the local authorities, Dutch and local businesses and civil-society organizations. They form an integral part of the diplomatic network in the country of representation. They make an essential contribution to strengthening the international position of the Netherlands in the areas of Agriculture and Nature by means of:

supporting the policy of the main department of LNV;
providing business services to the Dutch agribusiness sector; and
bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

The Agricultural Network makes a contribution to strengthening of the goals as set in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), in particular contributing to food security and to fighting climate change, as well as contributing on the international implementation of the Netherlands (LNV) strategy towards a more sustainable and circular agriculture. The Netherlands can contribute to these Goals and this strategy by the use of its excellent knowledge and technology (including starting materials) base. This is intertwined with promoting trade, attracting investments and negotiating market access for Dutch agriproducts with the authorities in the country of representation, a prominent aspect of the job.

The Agricultural Attaché Network adopts a proactive approach, seeking out opportunities for Dutch agribusiness and establishing direct contact with the relevant players via newsletters, www.agroberichtenbuitenland.nl, social media and website of the embassy (ZMA).

The policy support officer is tasked with providing policy support to the LAN and is capable of working autonomously on activities within a specified framework. The policy support officer sets up processes in such a way that the work of the LAN can be performed as efficiently as possible. He/she is eager to learn, is open to change, is a team player and has a ‘can-do’ attitude. Customer-focus, planning and organizing are crucial competencies for this role. The right candidate will be interested in various facets of agriculture, food and nature. He/she is characterized by having excellent communication and interpersonal skills and is able to work together constructively both within and outside of their own department. The policy officer is expected to be able to work independently, but consults with colleagues if and when necessary.

Duties

Provides support for official visits, trade missions, seminars, workshops, exhibition activities, network meetings and all other LAN activities;
Establishes and maintains relevant contacts for the duties mentioned above and makes relevant arrangements independently;
Collects data and checks that it is accurate, useable, timely, correct and complete; identifies and reports on developments relating to the policy area;
Collects relevant market-information for the Dutch agri-food sector and shares this with stakeholders in the Netherlands;
Deals with trade questions from Dutch agri-food businesses and informs them about opportunities in Vietnam;
Gives support to the Agricultural Counsellor;
Provides support with speeches and presentations and compiles information dossiers;
Independently draws up monthly reports, and processes, analyses and interprets financial data;
Responsible for financial management, progress reporting and annual accountability of the LAN and is responsible for the financial part of the ‘working budget plan’ of the LAN, all in
accordance with the guidelines set out by LAN-HQ and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality frameworks;
Draws up contracts for contractors for major events and/or development cooperation projects;
Coordinates the use of Achilles within the LAN team;
Works independently, together with communication team of the embassy and CG, on the strategy and implementation of the LAN Vietnam communication incl. social media, photo library and promotional materials;
Draws up and coordinates articles/posts for www.agroberichtenbuitenland.nl and social media channels of the LAN and the Embassy;
Designs, manages and coordinates the LAN part of the digital ‘cooperation space’ for the archive and shared documents.
Responsible for the CRM-system and contact database system of LAN-Vietnam.

Knowledge, skills, and areas of experience

Relevant work experience, preferably in an international environment;
Higher professional level; combined with an evident interest in agriculture, food and nature/biodiversity;
General knowledge and understanding on financial and (agricultural) economic affairs;
Fluent in English and Vietnamese (reading, writing and verbal);
Excellent communication skills verbally and in writing;
Networking skills;
Efficient and time management skills;
Financial administration knowledge and experience with financial reporting;
Excellent computer skills (general office software);
Experience with HTML.

Competencies

Pro-active, flexible attitude to varying tasks and workloads;
Analytical thinking;
Customer focus;
Result oriented;
Good situational and organizational awareness;
Ability to plan and organize;
Capable to work in a team as well as independently;
Positive work attitude, pleasant and cooperative behavior;
Integrity and an ability to exercise discretion is a must.

Salary

We offer a competitive salary at local staff pay scale 7 (step 0-15: USD 1.622 – 2.434) with a starting salary in the range of step 0-4 (USD 1.622 – USD 1.839) gross per month, depending on the number of years of relevant work experience.

Application and selection

If you would like more information regarding this position, please contact Agricultural Counsellor, Ms. Ingrid Korving. Candidates are required to submit a motivation letter and resume in English to Ingrid.Korving@minbuza.nl by Monday 26th of June, 2023 close of business.

Candidates whose letter and resume are considered to match the formal requirements will be invited for an interview. A second interview may become part of the selection process.