View Vacancy - Deputy Head of ACTS Programme (Panama)

View Vacancy - Deputy Head of ACTS Programme (Panama)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

Job Category

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Job Subcategory

ISF (Integrated Security Fund)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

The Action to Combat Transnational Serious & Organised Crime (ACTS) LATAM Programme funded by ISF (Integrated Security Fund) via the UK Home Office, is hiring a Deputy Head of Programme to lead day to day programme and financial management compliance and implementation throughout the Latin America region (currently Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru).

This is an exciting opportunity to support the Head of Programme and a diverse team located in different embassies across the region to deliver the objectives of the ISF Global Serious and Organised Crime (GSOC) Portfolio through the Action to Combat Transnational SOC in Latin America (ACTS LATAM) Programme.

The programme plays a key role in xHMG efforts to tackle serious and organised crime (SOC) and transnational threats in Latin America, with a focus on illicit financial flows that are a result of the illicit drugs trade in region.

You will work regionally but be based in the British Embassy in either Colombia, Ecuador or Panama (and must have the necessary work permit subject to local regulations). The final salary will be defined based on the UK Government's pre-established salary scales pertaining to the country where the individual will be based.

You will supervise the Team's project officers (currently two with the possibility to increase), ensuring coherence and programming and financial management across multiple countries in line with FCDO and HMG programme management policies. The role will involve supporting the implementation of the regional strategy and assisting the Head of Programme in achieving regional goals. This will require skills in programme management, monitoring, risk management, stakeholder engagement and remote management.

You will be self-starter with excellent communication and people skills and the ability to manage up as well as down. You will maintain and build new relationships with implementing partners, contractors, and other stakeholders of the programme to ensure delivery is monitored and coordinated appropriately. You will have a good balance of understanding of the implementation context, ideally with previous experience working on Serious Organised Crime or associated topics combined with the ability to manage programmes and other people to meet deadlines, pre-empt risk and escalate them appropriately.

The UK embassies in the region are equal opportunity employers and, for this role, are particularly keen to attract candidates from minority ethnic backgrounds, with disabilities, or living in regions most affected by conflict.

Roles and responsibilities:

Management and supervision (30%):

• Leading and mentoring a regional, multi-cultural team of programme officers to ensure cohesive and effective programme implementation.
• Providing guidance and acting as an escalation point on project-level matters, including management issues.
• Facilitating collaboration and communication between different team members and departments.
• Leading the planning and delivery of the team's annual regional meeting.
• Conducting regular performance reviews and providing constructive feedback to team members. Occasional travel may be required for in-person supervision of programme officers and/or oversight of programme activities.

Delivery and Compliance (30%):

• Providing advice and support to the Head of Programme in strategic leadership, decision-making, and planning of programme activities. Assisting in the development and execution of the regional programme strategy, ensuring alignment with broader organisational goals.
• Standing in for the Head of Programme in leading, managing, and representing them in their absence, including decision-making.
• Leading the preparation and review of quarterly programme reports to inform the Home Office's Global SOC portfolio of results, financial management, and risks.
• Promoting a culture of compliance and guiding the programme team to ensure that FCDO and ISF operating frameworks rules are implemented.
• Overseeing budgets and financial resources to ensure efficient and effective use of allocated funds, as authorised by the Senior Responsible Officer.
• Acting as focal point for the Global SOC Portfolio on reporting, budget and HR matters.
• Identifying opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement within the programme.

Monitoring and Evaluation (30%):

• Overseeing the monitoring and evaluation processes to measure the outcomes and effectiveness of the programme.
• Coordinating and ensuring the implementation of MERL processes to track the programme's results framework and progress towards targets, at least on a quarterly basis.
• Supporting the Head of Programme and delegating, as appropriate, to team members the programme's annual review process to meet portfolio and fund requirements.

Corporate (10%):

As with all staff at post, the job holder is expected to participate in wider British Embassy activities. These may include being active on one or more committees and in other corporate roles, as well as playing a role in crisis management activities and on an ad hoc basis.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Management of up to 5 staff members (currently 3)
Supporting Head of Programme to manage budget of £2.3M - £5M annually

Learning and development opportunities:

• Project Management Certification
• Leadership Training Opportunities
• UK Government Commercial Contract Management Certification
• A range of other learning and development

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Essential on arrival:

• Postgraduate qualification in: programme management, public policy management, development studies, business management, international relations or similar fields.
• Experience of programme/project delivery experience, with proven understanding of the programme cycle management (risk, finance, controls, monitoring, etc) and the development and application of tools to support effective project management.
• Experience in managing teams and generating a positive and nurturing team environment.
• Ability to organise prioritise and/or delegate team's workload effectively including the ability to influence those not in direct line management chain to deliver work and results to deadline.
• Experience influencing and collaborating with international delivery partners (e.g. NGOs, consultancies); external stakeholders in commercial, non-profit and public sectors.
• Experience of developing and executing implementation plans, including linking programme theory of change statements to logical frameworks for projects.
• Understanding of various MERL methodologies, including Outcome Harvesting (Monitoring, Evaluation, Results & Learning).
• Experience of identifying, assessing and managing programme and project risks, including the development and implementation of mitigation measures and escalation of issues where appropriate.
• IT literate, including good understanding of the use of AI to improve tasking and delivery. Familiar with the use of spreadsheets for forecasting and financial reporting.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English & Spanish. Able to create clear and accurate first drafts of project documentation, correspondence, and notes of meetings.
• Ablility to listen well and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.

Language requirements:

Language: English & Spanish

Level of language required: Expert

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Desirable skills / experience / qualifications:

• Knowledge or experience in complex, agile programmes/projects that translate policy into practical impact.
• Knowledge of programming in serious and organised crime, illicit financial flows/ anti-money-laundering, conflict, and/or anticorruption.
• Understanding of Official Development Assistance (ODA).
• Experience of remote working as part of a larger team.
• Experience of working with UK government funding.

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Developing Self and Others, Leadership, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture

Application deadline

7 September 2026

Grade

Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Type of Position

Fixed term, with possibility of renewal

Working hours per week

37

Region

Latin America and Spanish speaking Caribbean

Country/Territory

Panama

Location (City)

Panama City

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

$ 3,891.20

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

26 October 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment

The successful candidate must have the right to work in Panama at the time of application.

Please note: As part of the recruitment process for roles in Panama, shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide evidence of their right to work in Panama. Please note that Country Based Staff employed by the British Embassy in Panama City must be Panamanian nationals, legal permanent residents, or hold a valid work permit to work in Panama. The British Embassy in Panama City does not sponsor work permits. If requested, candidates must be able to provide evidence of their current eligibility to work in Panama.

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, e.g. some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a 'reserve list. If during the reserve period of 12 months the same or largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second of subsequent candidate.

Additional information

Closing date of receiving applications is before 23:55 (Local Time) on 07 September 2026.

Office hours in the embassy are 8am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 8am-1pm on Fridays, though there is scope for flexible working arrangements, which can be agreed with the Line Manager.

All applicants must fully complete the online application form, including the sections for employment and educational details, experience, and behaviour-based questions. Only those applications that contain all required information will be considered. To ensure the sift process remains anonymous, please do not include any personally identifiable information in your application form.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.