Main Purpose of the Job:

The Senior Political Officer is responsible for helping the British Embassy and His Majesty’s Government to understand and influence Korean politics in support of British policies and values. This will entail devising engagement plans and helping to facilitate British officials’ interaction with Korean government officials, members of the National Assembly, local government, political parties, and informed/influential observers in academia and the media. He/she will play a central role in explaining the ROK political system and how it works to the wider Embassy and UK government.

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

The roles and responsibilities of Senior Political Officer include a range of tasks as set out below:

1. Strategic Relationship Management 

• Devise and lead the Embassy’s political engagement strategy and its broader engagement with important figures across the spectrum of ROK politics: national government, local government, the National Assembly, political parties, social movements, NGOs, think tanks, opinion leaders, etc.
• Advise on how best to deploy senior Embassy staff (Ambassador, Political Counsellor) and VIP visitors from the UK to secure beneficial engagement with high priority stakeholders.
• Build up his/her own network of contacts in order to inform the above strategy and to open doors. It will also entail briefing the Ambassador and other officials on how to approach and follow up on meetings. This will ensure the Ambassador and Embassy leadership are well connected with, and can influence, key politicians in support of British policy.
• Provide informal interpretation in meetings and provide records of meetings conducted in Korean.

2. Domestic political analysis

• Ensure that the Ambassador, rest of the Embassy and visiting officials understand the political landscape in South Korea and political developments. This will entail following the news closely, using contacts to get privileged insights into what is happening behind the scenes and using that information to brief colleagues.
• Understand the background and possible career trajectories of key political figures, including relationship (if any) with the UK, and brief senior Embassy staff and visiting officials on this in order to prioritise meetings and maximise their impact.

3. Campaigns, Projects & Events

• Devise and deliver campaigns, projects and events to maximise UK influence in the Korean policy making process, embed UK core values in the Korean system and effectively achieve Embassy objectives.

4. Knowledge Sharing

• Guide other sections in how to engage with the ROK Parliament, central and local government to achieve their objectives.  
• Lead in-house L&D sessions to increase Embassy staff knowledge on the Korean political system and development enabling them to work more effectively.  
• Identify wider opportunities to increase awareness of the Korean political system and share understanding of differences and similarities between UK and ROK values and systems, including by securing external speakers.

5. Wider Corporate Responsibilities

• Contribute to wider embassy work, possibly including representing the political section in Embassy Committees.
• Play an active role in a team according to the Embassy crisis management plan.

Resources Managed (staff and expenditure):

• Programme funding for projects up to £10,000, flexible depending on budget allocations.

Essential on Arrival:

• Minimum 2 years’ experience of working in an office-based environment.
• Native fluency in Korean
• Ability to engage with senior colleagues and high-level external stakeholders with credibility.
• Project management skills.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to multi-task.
• A self-starter, able to work independently with limited supervision.
• In depth understanding of Korean politics.