Overview

Salary: £29,070 per annum

Contract: 2 year fixed-term

Location: London SW1

Closing date: 8 August 2022 at 17:00 BST

(Please Review the Full Job Description Prior to Application) 

 

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign states. Its unique strength lies in the combination of its diversity and shared inheritance. The Commonwealth Secretariat in London is the principal intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth and its backbone, promoting democracy, rule of law, human rights, good governance, and social and economic development.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is proud to support youth empowerment through our Young Professionals Programme (YPP). The YPP creates multiple opportunities for talented and qualified young people from across the Commonwealth to contribute to our core work through the transference of technical expertise, innovative ideas, specialist knowledge, and fresh perspectives.

BRIEF TASK DESCRIPTION 

Reporting to the Adviser, Climate Change and working closely with the Climate Change Officer and Operations Officer, the person will be responsible for supporting the project management and technical delivery of the Commonwealth’s climate change programme. The Assistant Research Officer will also participate in YPP professional development opportunities and experiences. He/she will also contribute to developing and strengthening the YPP.

Project management support – contribute towards internal monitoring, reporting and evaluation processes utilising internal project management systems. Contributing to development of talking points, briefs, correspondence, presentations and information for senior staff and Communications Division as required.

Supports the operations of Climate Finance Access Hub programme through stakeholder engagement and coordination. Contributing towards knowledge management by developing key databases and collecting and disseminating key relevant climate change information.

Development of short context-specific background research, collation and analysis of data for policy and research papers, resources, guidelines and training programmes etc. Supporting the coordination of Climate Change Section meetings, workshops and events providing administrative, logistical, and technical support.

Participates in professional development opportunities as a participant of the Young Professionals Programme. Contributes to development / strengthening of the programme.

The Assistant Research Officer position is for a two-year term, as a part of the Commonwealth Young Professional Programme. The position may involve some international travel.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

Required: A bachelor degree or equivalent in a relevant field such as Environment, International Development or related Humanities or Social Sciences disciplines, from nationally recognised institutions or any other closely related field.

Desirable: Post-graduate diploma or a relevant master’s degree such as Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use management, Water Management, Environmental Economics, Climate Change and Natural Resource Management or any other closely related field.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS: 

Required

  • A high level of discretion and tact in handling sensitive and confidential matters
  • An ability to organise, anticipate, plan and prioritise workload, and work under high  pressure to tight deadlines
  • An ability to interpret and follow complex information and instruction
  • Effective written and oral communication and interpersonal skills, including in  diplomatic situations
  • An ability to undertake research and analytical tasks
  • An ability to use own initiative
  • An ability to work effectively as part of a team
  • Microsoft 365, (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Power BI Platform**) experience
  • Lateral thinking and innovation
  • Demonstrated commitment to working effectively and sensitively in a multicultural environment

Applicants must be Commonwealth citizens

About The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.

It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 32 of our members are small states, including many island nations.

Our member governments have agreed to shared goals like development, democracy and peace. Our values and principles are expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.

The Commonwealth's roots go back to the British Empire. But today any country can join the modern Commonwealth. The last country to join the Commonwealth was Rwanda in 2009.