Are you passionate about water and want to be part of the Embassy team to tackle water challenges in Thailand? We are seeking a highly motivated, results-driven, and proactive nature-inclusive water engineer/ enthusiast to work with the Partners for International Business (PIB) program as a liaison officer at the Netherlands Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.  

It is a part-time position for 20 hours per week with an appointment of one year. This position includes responsibilities such as policy support, administrative tasks, and fostering and intensifying Thai-Dutch collaborations in water management.   

General Information

Position:    Liaison officer – PIB water 
Embassy:     Bangkok, Thailand
Salary Scale:        7 
Working Hours:     20
Contract duration:    1 year

Job description

Introduction

The water sector has played a significant role in the Netherlands’ economy for many centuries and it is a sector where we see many opportunities to cooperate with Thailand. To enhance the bilateral cooperation in this sector, under the framework of the Government-to-Government Memorandum of Understanding on water cooperation and the launch of the Water as Leverage program in 2024, the Netherlands Embassy is supporting the formulation of  a private-sector-led initiative called “the Partners for International Business (PIB) program Greater Bangkok”.  The PIB program aims to strengthen the partnership between government agencies, private sector and knowledge institutes from Thailand and the Netherlands to enhance trade and exchange of knowledge and expertise on innovative and sustainable water management solutions.
To further strengthen these efforts, the Netherlands embassy in Bangkok is looking for a liaison officer for the PIB water program, who can support the team in the preparation and implementation of selected activities.   

Objectives

The local liaison officer will be responsible for the following results:
-    Position the Netherlands with the Thai public, private and knowledge institutions sectors as a preferred partner for cooperation on water management and innovative water technology;
-    Forge new, and deepen existing (public-private-knowledge) Thai-NL partnerships to enhance such cooperation in key priority water-related sectors (Integrated Water Management, Policy Institutional and Financing, Nature-based Solutions and Smart Agriculture);
-    Develop concrete business leads for Dutch companies and knowledge institutes from Thai policy priorities on sustainable and innovative water management.

The responsibilities and tasks will include:

1)    Supporting the Embassy with the preparation and implementation of the PIB Action Plan, by organizing events, incoming missions, and other activities.  Providing information on the progress of the PIB activities in Thailand.  

2)    Link the relevant stakeholders in Thailand (Thai and Dutch companies, Thai authorities and knowledge institutes) to relevant players in the Dutch water sector. 

3)    Supporting local implementation of Netherlands Branding Initiatives, such as positioning the Dutch sector, networks with government, private enterprises and institutions and follow-up after events.  

4)    Implementation of communication activities based on the communication strategy in cooperation with the Netherlands Embassy, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, and with the input of the PIB water cluster and relevant partners in the Netherlands and Thailand. 

5)    Conduct a mapping exercise on sustainable and innovative water management in Thailand where Dutch companies and officials could be present, and subsequently initiate Dutch participation (for example in an NL pavilion, technical and/or policy dialogues) together with the PIB cluster and other relevant partners.  Report on all PIB events in Thailand.

Skills & Experience

•    Over 3 years of relevant work experience and strong affinity with sustainable and innovative water management, including through public-private partnerships;
•    Experience with water project management and (policy) implementation; 
•    Solid analytical and operational skills;
•    Level of education: university MA-level in water-related fields (such as water engineering, spatial planning, etc.);
•    First-rate planning and organizational skills;
•    Strong communication and interpersonal skills;
•    Excellent knowledge of English. Proficiency in Dutch and/or Thai is an advantage.

Required competencies 

•    Result orientated and enthusiastic proactive attitude;
•    Creative and happy to take initiative;
•    Strategic thinker with a sound political and economic antenna, related to water domains;
•    Aware of cultural and/or diplomatic sensitivities and able to work in a bi/multi-cultural environment; 
•    Integrity.

Work Environment

The Dutch embassy in Bangkok represents and promotes the interests of the Netherlands in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia on a wide range of topics. The embassy's core tasks include consular affairs, economic affairs and trade, agriculture, political affairs and human rights and public information. The focus is mainly on Thailand. The liaison officer (PIB water) is part of the economic policy team, and will also work closely with colleagues responsible for communication and outreach at the embassy.
 
If you are interested, please submit your motivation letter and resume in English to ban-hr@minbuza.nl by 11 February 2025.  

The Netherlands Embassy pursues an active diversity policy and is committed to an inclusive organization. We strive for diversity in age, gender, culture, knowledge and competences in the composition of our teams and when recruiting new talent. We invite you to indicate in your motivation how you will commit yourself to diversity and inclusiveness.