About the job

Job summary

You will lead the FCDO's Europe and European Union (EU) work at home, and overseas. Europe remains central to the security and prosperity of the UK. We are working closely with European partners to support Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression. Europe is also an important partner on the UK’s approach to tackling other challenges, including climate change, migration and organised immigration crime. Our new, positive relationship with the EU is underlined by the 2023 agreement of the Windsor Framework. Our bilateral relationships with European states are continuing to grow and are supported by a range of agreements covering co-operation in many areas. You will be responsible for deepening and expanding all of these relationships.

You will provide advice to the Foreign Secretary on Europe and EU issues. You will oversee four Directors who manage our relationship with the European Union, bilateral relationships with European countries and the ongoing negotiations with Spain and the EU over Gibraltar. You will play an important part in co-ordinating Europe policy across many UK government departments, working closely with the Cabinet Office. The Europe network comprises three directorates and a task force, missions across 38 countries, around 2,100 staff in the network and 260 in London, and oversight of an operating budget, including pay, of £166 million.

Job description

Please refer to the Candidate Pack.

Person specification

Please refer to the Candidate Pack.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £127,000, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £34,290 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

For details on how to apply, please see the attached candidate pack.

Civil Service recruitment processes at Director General level are regulated by the Civil Service Commission, and we follow clear guidelines to ensure that our recruitment is fair and open. We also design our recruitment processes to reflect our values-based approach to HR (using staff engagement panels, for example) and to ensure that shortlisted candidates have the opportunity to meet key stakeholders for the role, before they join us.

We expect the process for this role to be as follows:

• The closing date for applications will be 23:55 on Monday 18 March 2024.
• A shortlist of the applications will take place week commencing 25 March.
• Between 1 and 15 April, shortlisted candidates will then:
• Participate in a staff engagement panel with a selection of people from across the FCDO;
• Undergo an Individual Leadership Assessment (ILA) with our partners at Gatenby Sanderson; and
• Meet with key stakeholders, potentially including a senior Minister or leader from the FCDO.
• Inputs from all of those steps will then form the basis of a panel interview, chaired by Lea Paterson from the Civil Service
Commission in w/c 19 April.
• At the start of the panel interview candidates will be required to present for five minutes without notes. The topic of this will
be confirmed at the shortlist stage.

Other panel members at the interview will include, but may not be limited to, Sir Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the
FCDO; Beverley Tew, FCDO Non-executive Director; and James Bowler, Permanent Secretary at HMT.

Full details will be provided to shortlisted candidates and, recognising that there are a number of steps in the process, we will do
our best to arrange the sessions in a way that works for you. We hope that this process will be conducted in face-to-face
sessions, but if you need any adjustments do let us know.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.