ATTENTION!!!

Organization Information

Reports to: Head of Mission/ Permanent Representative
Directorate/Department/Organ: Cabinet of the Chairperson
Division: AU Permanent Representation Mission to the Peoples’ Republic of China
Number of Direct Reports: 0
Number of Indirect Reports: 0
Job Grade: P3
Number of Positions: 1
Contract Type: Regular
Location: Beijing, China

Purpose of Job

The African Union, established as a unique Pan African continental body, is charged with spearheading Africa’s rapid integration and sustainable development by promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion and cooperation among the peoples of Africa and African States as well as developing a new partnership worldwide. Its Headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia.

In seeking to achieve these objectives, the African Union intends to strengthen its capacity to deliver by, among others, the implementation of new organization structure and the filling of regular vacant posts.

The Commission of the African Union invites applicants who are citizens of Member States for the regular post of Senior Policy Officer - Economic and Commercial Cooperation within the AU Permanent Mission to the to the People’s Republic of China based in Beijing, which is under the Bureau of the Chairperson of African Union.
The Senior Policy Officer shall support the Head of Mission through provision of policy guidance and analysis on political, peace, security, economic and commercial matters, while also contributing to governance issues. The role will involve collaborating with relevant stakeholders and partners in the formulation of joint strategies and maintain effective diplomatic liaisons with a view of cultivating strategic relationships towards meeting its overall mandate.

Main Functions

Under the direct supervision of Head of Mission (Permanent Representative of AU to the People’s Republic of China), the incumbent shall perform the following duties and responsibilities:  

•    Follow-up the AU and China cooperation on Political, Peace and Security, including the coordination on the political sphere on multilateralism in the United Nations and fighting against terrorism and violent extremism;
•    Serve as liaison point of contact for the Group of African Ambassadors in China and support and coordinate with the African Group various efforts on the implementation of FOCAC outcomes and the AU Agenda 2063;
•    Manage day-to-day cooperation with China on peace, security, governance and counterterrorism in close liaison with the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security;
•    Provide support to the Permanent Representative in his/her functions for China-AU economic cooperation with emphasis on trade and investment promotion as well as political liaison with the Government of China;
•    Provide support in the preparation and implementation of the programmes developed out of the office’s strategic plan;
•    Follow up on AU–China cooperation in Economic, Trade, and Investment matters, including coordination on economic policy dialogue, trade facilitation, infrastructure development, and cooperation in multilateral economic fora and other relevant platforms;
•    Manage day-to-day cooperation with China on peace, security, economic development and industrialization in close liaison with the Departments of Political Affairs, Peace and Security and Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Mining as well as relevant AU technical offices and specialized agencies;
•    Advise and inform the AU’s programmes and strategies to ensure effective implementation of the FOCAC and Agenda 2063; 
•    Assist the Office in establishing and facilitating security and economic cooperation frameworks within the context of FOCAC;
•    Prepare and develop reports, budget and work programmes related to the functioning of the Office;
•    Liaise with Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and other stakeholders including on relevant matters;
•    Manage and supervise employees under his/her supervision with regard to organization and performance evaluation in support of the Head of Mission;
•    Conduct complex analysis and generate accurate reports in a timely manner for the Office and AU’s internal use;
•    Liaise with the various Departments/Units of the AU Commission for coordination and alignment purposes;
•    Actively contribute in the development of strategies, policies, programmes and plans. 

Specific Responsibilities

•    Proactively identify and report on relevant political and security matters in the cooperation with China;
•    Support and manage the activities of the African Group including facilitation and coordination of the Group in advancing Africa’s priorities aimed at promoting common African positions;
•    Support the implementation of the FOCAC Action Plans, in particular the Cooperation Plan on jointly promoting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road between the AU and the PRC;
•    Prepare, speeches, talking points, memos, briefing notes for meetings and other correspondences for the Permanent Representative;
•    Promote the implementation of cooperation programmes between China and Africa, particular focuses were given to promotion and the capitalization on synergies between FOCAC-the BRI and AU Agenda 2063 in relevant sectors such as infrastructures development and trade and industry;
•    Advocate and disseminate the AU’s regional integration initiatives including the ACFTA and the SAATM;
•    Advise on strategic matters to enhance impact and influence of the African group in the People’s Republic of China;
•    Prepares summaries of articles from various sources and draft a variety of related correspondences;
•    Building, maintaining and sharing a broad network of political contacts relevant to the missions’ work;
•    Represent the Office at meetings and conferences and support and facilitate AU inputs and interventions international forums;
•    Coordinate activities with the UN, through its specialized agencies in China, including UNICEF, UNAIDS, UN Residence Coordinator.
•    Performs other related duties as requested by the Head of Mission.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

•    Master’s Degree (Bac + 5) in Political Science, Economics, Social Sciences, Law, International Relations, Development Studies, Security Studies, Public Administration or other related fields combined with a minimum requirement of seven (7) years relevant work experience or Bachelor's Degree (Bac+3) in the above fields with a minimum requirement of ten (10) years relevant work experience out of which three (3) should be at expert level.
•    Supervisory experience will be an added advantage.
•    Work experience in public international organizations, diplomatic missions and similar institutions will be an advantage
•    Work experience or knowledge in economic development, including trade, investment, and industrialization, as well as an understanding of peace and security management efforts of the AU, other Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) would be an added advantage.

Required Skills

•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
•    Ability to work in a team, to maintain team spirit and to operate effectively in a multi-cultural environment
•    Ability to work under pressure, and to act with discretion in a politically sensitive environment and to establish good working relationship with key stakeholders
•    Ability in observing deadlines and achieving results
•    Familiarity with international and regional policy processes and policy analysis in the relevant area
•    Ability to delegate appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority with regard to performance management and professional development
•    Excellent drafting and reporting skills
•    Good communication and negotiating skills
•    Good planning and organizational skills
•    Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Arabic). Knowledge of one of several other working language(s) would be an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies

Core Competencies

Functional Competencies

.

TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:

The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING:

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

LANGUAGES:

Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

REMUNERATION:

Indicative basic salary of US$ 37,453.00 (P3 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 22,932.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Applications must be submitted no later than February 16, 2026 11h59 p.m. EAT.

-Only candidates who meet all job requirements and are selected for interviews will be contacted.
-Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor's degrees (Bac+3), Master's degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
-The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
-Candidates from least represented and underrepresented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles.

Least represented countries: Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, and Somalia.

Under represented countries: Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia.