British Embassy, Oslo

Main purpose of the role:

The successful candidate’s role is to build an understanding of UK and Norwegian policies and use this knowledge to advance UK policy objectives. Duties will include researching and reporting on a variety of foreign, security and development policy issues, carrying out/supporting lobbying, visit planning and briefing and helping track and progress commitments.

The role combines reactive and proactive work and the successful candidate will have lots of opportunity to work independently and build knowledge and expertise in a wide range of areas. Flexibility and ability to prioritise are necessary given tasking, including on new and unfamiliar issues, may arise unexpectedly, at short notice and against tight deadlines.
The role involves spotting opportunities and making connections across different areas of work.

The successful candidate will work closely with colleagues across the Embassy and with policy leads in London. They will also provide cover for colleagues in the wider team including the Embassy Communication Officer, Internal political Officer and the Ambassador’s Personal Assistant.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Communicating UK foreign, security and development policy with a view to informing and influencing Norwegian policy and advancing UK policy objectives.

• Tracking and providing high quality analysis on Norwegian foreign, security and development policies, priorities, relationships and initiatives including in regional and multilateral organisations.

• Identifying areas for influencing and strengthening bilateral collaboration.

• Arranging and help others to arrange visits for UK ministers, senior officials and parliamentarians;

• Producing/contributing to written briefing for senior officials and ministers.

• Supporting wider Embassy and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) corporate objectives, e.g. crisis management preparedness.

• Covering for absent team members in the political section and Ambassador’s office.

• Being involved in Embassy outreach and public diplomacy activities and helping develop and run projects and events.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Fluency in English and Norwegian (written and spoken) C1 level of CEFR*

• Relevant professional experience in global foreign, security and/or development policy, and a strong understanding of key international issues.

• Relevant academic background in International Relations, Political Science, Security Studies, International Development, or a related field.

• A flexible attitude and ability to switch easily between policy dossiers;

• Proven ability to prioritise, handle multiple tasks and respond quickly to changing circumstances;

• Confidence to proactively build and engage a useful network of contacts.

• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Understanding of Norwegian government structures and Norwegian foreign and security policy.

• Experience working in a government, Think Tank or academic setting in similar areas.

• Experience working in an international environment.

Required behaviours

Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Working Together

Application deadline16 September 202

Working hours per week35

Number of vacancies1

SalaryNOK 611,760 (gross) - yearly

Start Date1 November 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment

This is a full-time and permanent contract position, 5 working days (currently 35 hours net) per week. The annual basic salary is NOK 611,760 (gross).

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance.

Embassy in Norway is a rewarding and exciting place to work, offering:

• Scope for personal and professional development: Excellent networks and opportunities for support, including mentoring, coaching and job shadowing;

• Strong offer for learning and development, including dedicated L&D days;

• An equal, diverse and engaged workplace;

• Work-life balance.

Equal employment

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. We particularly encourage applications from candidates with protected characteristics. DBT Europe Network want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, regardless of their background.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check, security clearance and 6 months probationary period.

The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation for the Norway in order to apply.

Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy Oslo are subject to terms and conditions of service in accordance with Norwegian employment law

Visa/work permit requirements: candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Norway and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract. The British Embassy does not sponsor work permits.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

The start date mentioned in the advert is just an expected start date. The appointment can start earlier or later depending on several factors.

Additional information

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Please be advised that the FCDO will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

*Please note for more information on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment levels please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your language skill is going to be assessed.

Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.