Opportunities with the Department for International Development

Elaine Rowan

• Head of Resourcing

• East Kilbride• Graduate Scheme • Private sector HR & Recruitment experience incl travel,

finance and consulting sectors.

Mark Robinson

• Deputy Director, Research and Evidence Division– Responsible for championing the use and take-up of evidence– Member, ESRC Research Committee– member, REF 2014 Sub-Panel on Anthropology and Development

Studies

• Previous roles: Chief Professional Officer, Governance, Social Development, Conflict and Humanitarian, DFID

• Team Leader, Governance, IDS; Program Officer, Governance and Civil Society, The Ford Foundation

DFID Background

• Two UK HQs 1,800 staff, 700 in London, 500 in Glasgow (East Kilbride) and 500 in overseas offices plus 900 locally engaged staff appointed in country offices

• 28 overseas offices

Coalition commitments on International Development

• ‘The Government believes that even in these difficult economic times, the UK has a moral responsibility to help the poorest people in the world.

• We will honour our aid commitments, but at the same time will ensure much greater transparency and scrutiny of aid spending to deliver value for money for British taxpayers and to maximise the impact of our aid budget.

• We will honour our commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on overseas aid from 2013, and to enshrine this commitment in law.

• We will encourage other countries to fulfil their aid commitments.’

Coalition commitments (cont.)

• ‘We will support actions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. • In particular, we will prioritise aid spending on programmes to ensure

that everyone has access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare and education; to reduce maternal and infant mortality; and to restrict the spread of major diseases like HIV/ AIDS, TB and malaria.

• We will recognise the vital role of women in development, promote gender equality and focus on the rights of women, children and disabled people to access services.

• We will use the aid budget to support the development of local democratic institutions, civil society groups, the media and enterprise; and support efforts to tackle corruption.’

DFID

• Domestic economic pressures place a special focus on DFID activities

• We have to perform at an exemplary level, with a greater focus on results-based aid, accountability and transparency

• DFID budget £11bn., 0.7% of GNI., 1.1% of public spending

Challenges and Opportunities

• Climate change – affecting the poorest countries• Humanitarian disasters • Conflict and problems faced by fragile states• Trade - helping countries to create their own wealth• Corruption & Human Rights• Emerging powers – new partners and networks

Opportunities

• The Millennium Development Goals & shaping the post MDGs development landscape

• Focus on women and girls • Education • Health • Role of the Private Sector

DFID Priorities

• Improving UK aid effectiveness through transparency and value for money

• Focus on lives of women and girls through education, choice on family planning & preventing violence against women and girls

• Targeting development policy in fragile and conflict states through economic growth

• Climate change - encouraging low-carbon growth

DFID’s BUSINESS MODEL

• Focus on country-led approaches, value for money and results• Encouraging developing country partners to take greater

ownership of aid• Enhancing alignment with partner governments, stronger

relationships with other donors and more efficient and accountable multilateral agencies

• Pushing for international commitments on aid effectiveness (e.g. Paris Declaration, Accra Agenda for Action)

• Bilateral Aid Review, Multilateral Aid Review, Humanitarian Emergency Response Review

• Employing local staff - one third of DFID’s staff are locally engaged

NEW WAYS OF WORKING

• Higher proportion of UK bilateral spend in conflict-affected and fragile states, priority in fragile states

• Deepening cross-Whitehall engagement and joint analysis, planning and implementation

• More emphasis on multilateral effectiveness and partnerships

• Working with non-traditional aid actors: foundations and BRICs

• Innovative partnerships with private sector, think tanks and research institutions

CONFLICT: KEY ISSUES

• Violent conflict is reducing between states and increasingly takes the form of civil conflict and societal violence (WDR 2011)

• States emerging from violent conflict are at risk of returning to conflict

• Conflict undermines achievement of development goals, retards growth and deepens poverty

• No single MDG has been achieved in a fragile state• Effects of conflicts extend beyond national borders through

refugee movements and international terrorism

DFID’S APPROACH TO CONFLICT

• 22 out of the 34 countries furthest from reaching the MDGs are in or are emerging from conflict – bilateral priority

• Fragile countries account for a fifth of the population of developing countries, but they include:

–a third of those living in extreme poverty–half of children who are not in primary school–half of children who die before their fifth birthday

• Conflict and national interest / security

CONFLICT PRIORITIES

• State building and peace building: emphasis on capable and accountable states and durable and lasting peace

• Conflict prevention: to mitigate and reduce causes of conflict • Conflict response: to contain and reduce existing conflicts• Conflict sensitive development: do no harm, recognition of

conflict impacts of development projects and policies• Conflict as a cross-government priority: more joined up

approaches between development, diplomatic and defence agencies with Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS)

• Increase in governance advisory recruitment• More advisers with political science skills• Core technical competency in political and institutional analysis• Specialised technical competency in political systems and

accountable governance• Politics and political economy cuts across other specialised

competencies: PFM, PSM, anti-corruption• Training courses in Political Economy on Analysis in Action

(PEAA) – 300 DFID staff • Investing in research on governance and politics

STAFF SKILLS AND CAPACITY

Working With Us - Routes into DFID

• Civil Service Fast Stream

• Advertised vacancies – register via Civil Service Jobsite

• Graduate Development Scheme

• DFID Entry Scheme for Advisers (DESA) – requires relevant Masters and experience

The DFID Graduate Development Scheme

• Launched in January 2012

• 53 graduates from 26 different Universities joined September 2012 across 30 different teams (24 Glasgow & 29 London)

• 51 joined from 25 Universities 24 in London & 26 in Glasgow

• Background – any degree discipline

Departments 2013 Graduates Joined in Glasgow

• Food & Nutrition• International Directors Office• AIDS & Reproductive Heath• Africa Results• Research Evidence & Evaluation• Climate & Environment – Low Carbon Development• Risk Control Team• H.R., Finance• Procurement/Value for Money• Civil Society • Conflict, Humanitarian & Security - Violence Against Women & Girls• United Nations & Commonwealth Dept.

Departments 2013 Graduates Joined in London

• Climate & Environment• Private Sector Development• Europe Dept• Global Partnerships • Asia Region Team• Conflict, Humanitarian & Security Dept• Africa incl Gender• Secretary of State & Permanent Secretary Offices• Middle East and North Africa – Yemen & Syria• Health Services• Governance, Open Societies & Anti-corruption Dept• Communications & PR• Stabilisation Unit

2014 Graduate Scheme Application Process

Apply Online via www.dfid.gov.uk

• Select DFID from Civil Service Jobs• Complete Online Application Form & Word doc attachment

Application Form 3 Competency questions:

Changing and Improving

Collaborating and Partnering

Delivering at Pace

2014 Graduate Scheme Application Process

Application Form 3 Competency questions:•Changing and Improving•Collaborating and Partnering•Delivering at Pace (all 250 words)

Don’t forget the Word doc attachment (no CVs) with the two 100 word personal statements

After submitting application, invite to timed online Situational Judgement Test

How to apply

• Graduate Development Scheme is open online now

• Closing date for applications: 25th February 2014

• Email enquiries to:

graduaterecruitment@dfid.gov.uk

DFID’s technical cadres