Vacancy Senior Policy Officer

Description of tasks

• Coordinate and initiate regional nexus activities in close consultation with the Economic Affairs sections of missions in the region, Agricultural Counsellor, the Regional Business Developer and the Expo 2020 project team. 
• Participate in and contribute actively to the relevant core teams (water & energy) that will be responsible for programming and implementing the Netherlands’ contribution to Expo 2020.
• Responsible for the implementation of several programming activities at the Dutch pavilion at Expo 2020, in particular the  trilateral UAE-Netherlands-Jordan summit on the water, energy and food nexus in January 2022.
• Connect parties in the Netherlands and in the Gulf region to enhance knowledge transfer regarding the water, energy and food nexus.
• Support the Head of the Economic Department with the coordination and the implementation of the Regional Economic Work Plan, covering all the Gulf countries.
• Provide input to the regional communications officer for regional communication with internal and external actors concerning regional cooperation within the framework of nexus and the Netherlands’ participation in Expo 2020.
   

Job qualifications

• Excellent command of written and spoken English, good understanding of Arabic. Knowledge of Dutch is a plus.
• Academic abilities and an innovation profile, with specific expertise concerning the water, food and energy nexus.
• Thorough knowledge of/experience with nexus issues in the UAE and Gulf region. Relevant network of contacts in this area.
• Knowledge of innovative Dutch applications in the areas of water, food and energy.
• Knowledge of the Dutch triple helix landscape: government, businesses and knowledge institutions involved in the water, food and energy nexus.
• Communication skills (spoken and written).
• Ability to think analytically and strategically.
• Ability to focus on concrete results and network.
• Client orientation and organisational sensitivity.
• Ability to bring people together and work with others.
• Strong software skills are a plus.
   

Salary and Terms

The position has been scaled into level 9 of the local staff salary scale. Depending on seniority and previous experience, this entails a gross salary of between AED 22,052 and 33,077 AED /- per month, as well as additional payments totaling two months’ salary annually. The position is a temporary position that was created in 2018.

Work Environment and Context

Water, food and energy are inextricably linked and all three are crucial in the wider MENA region. The Gulf countries have the largest per capita water and energy consumption in the world, something they themselves would like to change. Not only is water the key input for plant and meat production, it is essential for all life. And energy is needed to pump, purify and distribute water, amongst many other things. The Gulf countries also wish to produce as much of their own food as possible. If they are to effectively achieve their ambitions, these sectors must operate in close coordination, as a nexus. The Netherlands has a great deal of expertise in the areas covered by this nexus, in particular when it comes to bringing such different disciplines together. This is why the Economic Affairs sections of Dutch missions in the Gulf region have placed the nexus approach at the core of their economic diplomacy efforts. Frequent travel (mostly between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and  -COVID permitting- also to other Dutch missions in the Gulf region) will be required.

An important milestone in the regional multi-year Water, Energy and Food campaign, is the Dutch participation in Expo, for which the aforementioned theme Uniting Water, Energy & Food was chosen as the theme. However, while this event was supposed to take place in Dubai from October 2020 until April 2021, UAE authorities were forced to postpone it due to the COVID-pandemic. Expo 2020 Dubai is thus now taking place from 1 October 2021 until 31 March 2022.

The Netherlands Embassy Overview

The Netherlands Embassy in Abu Dhabi, together with the Consulate General in Dubai, promotes the interests of the Netherlands in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and aims to strengthen the relationship between both countries in many fields. The UAE is one of the most important export destinations for Dutch products in the Gulf and larger MENA regions. Over the last years, relations between both countries have broadened more and more, and the Netherlands and the UAE now cooperate, or are looking to broaden cooperation, in a range of areas as varied as from Security to Education and from Innovation to Culture and Sports.

At the Embassy diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from other Dutch Ministries work closely together with locally employed staff. The principles of working in a ‘one-team’ structure, of which a flexible attitude and solidarity are essential characteristics, lie at the heart of the functioning of the Embassy. Each position has its own job description and own responsibilities, but those are more indicative than limitative. As a team, we tackle the issues facing us together.

The Economic Department of the Embassy is primarily concerned with identifying commercial opportunities in the UAE for Dutch businesses, supporting Dutch business and trade interests, and providing businesses and knowledge institutions with appropriate economic and sectorial information and relevant contacts. This includes responding to trade requests, gathering additional market and other information as required, organizing smaller and larger scale matchmaking and other events, and contributing to pro-active communication towards businesses and institutions, both in The Netherlands and in the UAE. The Economic Department is led by the Deputy Head of Mission, and further consists of two Senior Commercial & Economic Advisors, usually supported by an intern or trainee. The Department cooperates very closely with the colleagues in the Economic Department of the Consulate General in Dubai, the Regional Business Development Team and the Agricultural Team and the colleagues working for the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency. The Senior Policy Officer for the Nexus, a new position that has been created in 2018, will work closely with and within the Economic Department.

How to Apply

If you are interested in the position, please submit a short cover letter and resume to abu-ea@minbuza.nl to the attention of Mr. Douwe Buzeman. Expressions of interest will be accepted until 28 July 2021. Interviews will be held in the week beginning 7 August 2021.

If they fulfil the job requirements for filling the vacancy, internal candidates (including partners of Dutch diplomats posted in the UAE) will, in the event of equivalent suitability, be given preference over external candidates.