Osaka
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)
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Political, Policy
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Main Purpose of Job:
To provide support to the British Consulate General to make the most of UK participation at Osaka Expo 2025. Expo will be a major focus of UK activity in Japan from April through to October. The British Consulate General will be busier than usual with many UK visitors coming to Expo and many events in and around Osaka / Kansai. This role will provide important administrative, logistical, and policy support to ensure the British Consulate General and Japan network can capitalise on all of the Expo-related activity happening off the Expo site, liaising with important regional government contacts and organisations as well as a range of UK partners, including in the commercial sector. The role will involve working closely with colleagues across the Japan network (primarily BCG Osaka, Expo Pavilion Team, and British Embassy Tokyo, but also Devolved Administrations, Visit Britain and the British Council).
The role will support work to identify, define, and deliver the Expo’s legacy for the UK in Japan, in particular what will be different in 2026 and onwards because of Expo and how the British Consulate General and Japan Network maximise the return on our Expo investment. This work will also involve close coordination with other teams, including in London, and strong convening and communication skills.
The role will work to the Consul General and Deputy Consul General to support delivery of key activity focused on growth and on connections between the UK and Japan during Expo. This includes supporting development of and updating a comprehensive brief about the UK’s activity in Western Japan as well as supporting other areas of work that arise or are impacted by Expo, for example, new projects (Manchester initiatives including Cloud Bridge), crisis preparedness, corporate work and a wide range of engagement by the Consul General / Deputy Consul General across Kansai.
We are looking for someone who is proactive and able to be flexible and adapt if needed to deliver priorities.
What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:
- Proactively support the Consul General and Deputy Consul General to ensure their engagement in and around Osaka during Expo is well organised and high quality. This would include preparing meetings, supporting briefing and taking minutes.
- Own the Kansai briefing pack, coordinating input and keeping up to date. Work with Visits and Events team to ensure brief is consistently deployed. Provide other ad hoc support on internal comms requirements.
- Support work to clarify Expo’s legacy, especially what will be different in Osaka in 2026 as a result of Expo this year. This would include tracking activity around the UK pavilion at Expo and helping to present this in a way that helps us identify trends and opportunities.
- Be a key link and point of contact for projects that develop during Expo aimed at strengthening UK-Japan ties. This would be include helping to organize meetings and providing secretariat as well as opportunities for using basic project management approaches.
- Deliver internal corporate support for the Consulate General during Expo on issues like crisis preparedness.
- Proactively and confidently build and maintain relationships both internally and externally. This could include key working level stakeholders from the local government, from Expo related organizations, and crucially other teams across the Japan Network.
- Work flexibly to ensure priorities can be pursued and delivered as they emerge.
Resources Managed (staff and expenditure):
- Some travel and entertainment budget management.
- No line management responsibilities.
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- Proactively approach to delivering the work of the British Consulate General
- Ability to work flexibly to ensure priorities can be pursued and delivered as they emerge
- Confidence in building and maintaining relationships both internally and externally
Language Requirements:
This role requires written and spoken proficiency in both English and Japanese. Fluency (minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework*) in one language and business level (minimum of high B2) in the other.
*Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages sets the following mastery or proficiency levels:
- C2: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express themself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
- B2: Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
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- We are looking for someone who is proactive and able to be flexible and adapt if needed to deliver priorities
- An interest in the UK and experience of work for a British organisation would be useful but not essential
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Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
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6 May 2025
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Administrative Officer (AO)
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Full-time, Fixed Term
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37.5
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6 months
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Asia Pacific
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Japan
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Osaka
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British Consulate General
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1
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JPY
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JPY 435,700 per month
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monthly
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1 July 2025
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- 1 month salary bonus equivalents payable in June and December
(Note: Salary may be reduced due to tax status) - Commuting allowance of up to JPY35,000 per month (paid on an actual cost basis)
- 25 days paid annual leave (calculated pro rata)
- Health Insurance and Employee pension (kenko hoken/kosei nenkin)
- Employment Insurance (koyou hoken)
Working Patterns:
The British Embassy Japan supports and promotes flexible working as a crucial part of our inclusive offering. This particular role allows for flexibility in start and end times, working compressed hours, working remotely for one day a week, and the possibility of a job share arrangement, subject to agreement with management.
This role will be offered pending successful reference and security checks and is subject to the appropriate permissions to work. If the successful candidate requires a visa to work in Japan, the Embassy will support that application.
Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Japan is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Japan employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.
Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.
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Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.
Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours, including through your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which provides detailed guidance on how the behaviours are defined.
Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to prepare specific examples of when they have demonstrated these behaviours in their application. Using the STAR format to provide evidence of your skills and experience in your application and at interview helps to give a structure. You briefly describe the situation in which you showed the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.
For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender and nationality.
The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.
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