The embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Maputo is looking for a Policy support officer economy, finance and private sector development, based in Maputo. 

General characteristics

The Policy Support Officer contributes to the development and implementation of policy and activities in the field of trade, investment and private sector development, helps enhancing the Embassies’ understanding of economic, financial and fiscal developments related to the Mozambican business environment, contributes to the policy dialogue about the enabling business environment and actively supports the realization of business opportunities in Mozambique.
- The Policy Support Officer works closely together with the Policy Officer for Economic and Political Affairs and is part of a larger team of policy officers working on topical issues.
- The Policy Support Officer is an analytical thinker as well as creative doer and relational connector.
- Dutch departmental policies in the relevant Embassy policy area and the available financial budgets are relevant to the proposals for policy improvement and project plans to be supported.

Indicative duties:

Contributes to policy development by:
- Supporting the translation of the general frameworks of departmental policy (DDE, DIO, RVO) into opportunities for concrete policy plans in the area of trade, investment and private sector development for the Embassy.
- Supporting the execution of these plans by financing selected activities either or not in cooperation with other donors and/or multilateral organizations, all this as much as possible in line with the policy of the local/national government.
- Analyzing and understanding relevant financial and (macro)economic developments in Mozambique and linking these to the areas of Dutch economic diplomacy in the area of trade, investment and private sector development.

RESULT AREAS AND ASSIGNED TASKS:
GENERAL

Based on the 2024 development aid policy letter ‘Doing what is right for the Netherlands’ the main Dutch interest on which cooperation with Mozambique in future is based, is that of trade and economy. Promotion of bilateral trade and investment and the development of the private sector (PSD) is therefore one of the key elements of the Embassies’ multi-annual strategy 2026 -2029 and its longer-term bilateral agenda. Trade, investment and PSD are important drivers for sustainable and inclusive economic growth, stability and security of Mozambique and the region. Moreover, the Embassy is active in the interlinked fields of youth employment and entrepreneurship in Mozambique.
Whereas Mozambique has an enormous economic potential in various sectors, agriculture, infrastructure and energy amongst them, it is largely underused. Moreover, Mozambique does not score well internationally when it comes to the ‘ease of doing business’. For attraction and retention of foreign and Dutch companies in particular to operate and invest in Mozambique and be part of a private sector led reform and restructuring of the Mozambican economy, the business environment and the enabling capacities of the public sector need to be improved, and these issues need to be integrated in a structured policy dialogue between the Netherlands and Mozambique.
These ambitions form the starting point for the role, responsibilities and tasks for the ‘Policy Support Officer Economy, Finance and Private Sector Development’ that he / she will undertake in close cooperation with the Policy Officer for Economic and Political Affairs.

ROLE, RESPONSABILITIES AND TASKS:

The Policy Support Officer that the Embassy is looking for is an energetic, curious and creative thinker and doer with strong interpersonal skills.
You will be responsible for mapping and monitoring relevant national, regional and international developments that influence the Mozambican business climate. You will follow and analyze government strategies, policies and legal developments as well as relevant reports by international organizations (UN, EU) and financial institutions (IMF, IFC, WB, AfdB) that are related to the Mozambican economy in general, and trade and investment in particular. Furthermore, you will prepare regular reports / presentations for policy officers of the Embassy that feed in Dutch and European efforts to improve the business climate, amongst others via policy dialogue with the relevant authorities, but also via the private sector / Chambers of Commerce.

Next to your analytical skills, you show persistency, ownership and creativity in helping to solve specific business-related issues or bottlenecks that Dutch companies occasionally face in doing business in Mozambique.
You understand the complexity of Dutch and international instruments that are available for doing business and private sector development in Mozambique and are able to render general information and tailor made advise to interested companies. For specific advice you actively coordinate with the Policy Officer for Economic and Political Affairs and your counterparts at DDE, DIO, Invest International, FMO and RVO.
In the same context you have an active and independent role in positioning the Netherlands and the Dutch trade and industry as a relevant economic player in Mozambique as well as positioning Mozambique as a country with interesting business opportunities. For this purpose, you will use social media channels but also events that you either organize or participate in on behalf of the Embassy, where possible in cooperation with relevant partners such as the Netherlands Mozambican Chamber of Commerce and Eurocam. Also, the maintaining of the Achilles database is part of this specific task.
Last but not least you are expected to actively build, maintain and strengthen a relevant network (international partners, IFI’s, government, private sector, private sector representatives) and contribute to the proper functioning of the Embassy, including the replacement of other colleagues in case of absence or impediments.

DESCRIPTION OF RESULT AREAS:

• Analyses, reports and gives advice on (macro-)economic, financial / fiscal developments in Mozambique as far as they impact the doing business and the business enabling environment. Contribution to policy dialogue in the field of economy, finance and private sector development.
• Provides information and advice for Dutch and Mozambican public and private parties on Dutch and international instruments in support of private sector development, also using social media channels for the positioning of Netherlands trade and industry in Mozambique and Mozambique as an interesting market in the Netherlands.
• Handling of (ad hoc) assistance requests from Dutch private sector with persistency, confidentiality and care.
• Contributes to making the Dutch Embassy a visible and respected partner in private sector development in Mozambique.
• Maintains and enlarge a good network inside and outside of Mozambique.
• Proper functioning of the embassy including adequate teaming up with and replacement of colleagues.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The officer will work closely with the expatriate Policy Officer Economy and Politics, as well as local policy colleagues on food & nutrition security, water, climate, and other relevant policy officers
Information about the composition of the team in which one will be working:
You will be working in a challenging context of a medium-sized embassy. The Embassy in Maputo currently has 22 employees and has a flat organizational structure. At the moment there are 7 expatriate employees working there. A large proportion of the (local) staff are active within the Development Cooperation department and have different
technical or substantive backgrounds, in line with the main themes and sectors in the cooperation program in Mozambique. You will work closest with the Policy Officer for Economic and Political Affairs and three colleagues in the sustainable development team: an expatriate expert for water and food security, a local policy officer for water and a local policy officer for food & nutrition security.
The Dutch Embassy in Maputo works closely with posts in the region: Pretoria, Harare, Dar es Salaam, Luanda and Kigali. Relevant directorates for you in the Ministry in the Hague are: DAF and thematic directorates IGG, DDE, DSO. Together with the policy officer for Economy and Politics, you will be our liaison officer with DDE on private sector related matters.
Current key partners present in Mozambique are: Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, UK and US; a number of multilateral organizations are relevant as well. However, the network may be enlarged if necessary and useful. Also, Eurocam, the Netherlands Mozambican Chamber of Commerce and other Chambers are relevant. Moreover, some Dutch financial organizations as FMO, Invest International, ADSB are key partners in your network. Also, individual Dutch companies that are active in Mozambique or the Southern African region are crucial partners. Finally, the large amount of NGO’s active in the field of private sector development will be part of your rich network.
The Embassy expects to offer a safe working environment and good working conditions that will lead to a strong team spirit, in which "creative and innovative" thinking is central. Work pressure is generally high. Energy and curiosity, improvisational skills, initiative, team spirit, stress-resistance and multi-employability are essential.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an active diversity policy and is committed to an inclusive organization. We do this by making the best possible use of people's differences by striving for diversity in gender, cultural background, age and so on when hiring new talent.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge and Fields of Experience:
• Higher economic education in economy or finance and 3 years of relevant work experience.
• Substantial and up-to-date knowledge as well as experience in trade, investment and private sector development.
• Proven analytical skills in the economic and fiscal domain.
• Proven writing and reporting skills in the economic and fiscal domain.
• Proven communication skills, also using social media for topical messages to target groups.
• Proven organizational skills related to topical events and activities in the economic domain.
• Results-oriented, pro-active, and creative.
• Accommodating attitude towards (ad hoc) assistance requests from Dutch private sector, handled with persistency, confidentiality and care.
• Team player.
• Has good networking skills.
• Good command of Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and social media.
• Knowledge of and experience with a multi-stakeholder approach, the Dutch Diamond, results-oriented work, Theory of Change, governance issues and conflict sensitivity are recommended.
• Good command of Portuguese and English, both verbally as well as written.

Short characterization of the employee sought:

The Policy Support Officer that the Embassy is looking for is an energetic, curious and creative thinker and doer with strong interpersonal skills.
He / She has an interest in economy, private sector development and proven experience and skills in analyzing relevant related reports and translating them into reports for practical and policy use.
He /she is pro-active, a good networker and connector of content, organizations and people. He / she is a strong communicator, also understanding and using social media to get messages across.
He/she has a can-do mentality, is an initiator and organizer and as far as events and activities able to work content as well as ‘looks’ and logistics.
The policy support officer will be working closely with the Policy officer Economic and Political Affairs but also in larger team constellation. Pro-activity, initiative and ownership are required, coaching will be provided.

Knowledge & Skills

Level of work and intellectual ability: higher or scientific education level
Level of experience: 3 years of relevant work experience
- Insight into social and professional developments in relation to the field(s) in which the Embassy is active.
- Knowledge of general didactic methods and techniques, methods and techniques for setting up project plans and carrying out evaluations as well as skill in applying them.
- Understanding of relevant departmental frameworks and laws and regulations in the relevant policy area.
- Skill in translating insights and information into advice, plans and reports and assessing the resulting policy and financial consequences.
- Proven track record in analyzing, interpreting and understanding (macro)economic, financial and fiscal reports.

Interested? Then send your CV and motivation before November 7th COB to MAP@minbuza.nl

Contacts

Wietze Sijtsma - Deputy Ambassador and Head of Cooperation (+258 85 072 1341)
Guusje Dijkstra – Policy Advisor Trade and Economy (+258 85 163 1177)