Competency Framework

FUTURE
(Setting Direction)

Seeing the Big Picture

Changing and Improving

Making Effective Decisions

DELIVER
ENGAGE (Delivering Results)
(Engaging People) ONE HMG
VALUES Achieving Commercial
Leading and Communicating (Who We Are) Outcomes
Respect
Collaborating and Partnering Expertise Delivering Value for Money
Resilience
Building Capability Creativity Managing a Quality Service
Courage
Public Service
Delivering at Pace
INTERNATIONAL
Engaging Internationally

Demonstrating Resilience

About this framework

The competency framework sets out how we want people in the Foreign Commonwealth and
Development Office to work. It aligns with the three high level leadership behaviours that
every employee needs to model in order to deliver excellent services: Set direction, engage
people and develop capability, and deliver results. At the heart of the framework are the
FCDO’s values which guide our decision-making, sets standards for our behaviour and helps
us deliver the UK’s national interest internationally.

Competences are the skills, knowledge and behaviours that lead to successful performance.
The framework outlines 12 competences, which are grouped into four clusters: Set Direction,
Engage People, Deliver Results and International. For each competency, there is a
description of what it means in practice and some examples of effective behaviours. These
indicators of behaviour are not designed to be comprehensive, but provide a clear sense of
and greater understanding and consistency about what is expected from individuals in the
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

Below is a list of all the competences with a high-level summary of each one, and a
description of the FCDO’s values.

The competency framework is made up of twelve competencies. Below is a list of all the
competencies with a high-level summary of each one.

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Strategic Cluster – Setting Direction

1. Seeing the Big Picture

Seeing the big picture is about having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of your own
work and how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider public
needs. For all staff, it is about focusing your contribution on the activities which will deliver
the greatest value. At senior levels, it is about scanning the context and taking account of,
wider impacts to develop long term strategies that maximise opportunities to add value to the
citizen and support economic, sustainable growth.

2. Changing and Improving

People who are effective in this area are responsive, innovative and seek out opportunities to
create effective change. For all staff, it’s about being open to change, suggesting ideas for
improvements to the way things are done, and working in ‘smarter’, more focused ways. At
senior levels, this is about creating and contributing to a culture of innovation and allowing
people to consider and take managed risks. Doing this well means continuously seeking out
ways to improve and build a leaner, more flexible and responsive Foreign Commonwealth
and Development Office. It also means making use of new technologies and cutting edge,
market driven approaches where relevant.

3. Making Effective Decisions

Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using evidence and knowledge to provide
accurate, expert and professional advice. For all staff, it means showing clarity of thought,
setting priorities, analysing and using evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well-
reasoned justifiable decisions. At senior levels, leaders will be creating evidence based
strategies, evaluating options, impacts, risks and solutions. They will aim to maximise return
while minimising risk and balancing social, financial, economic and environmental
considerations to provide sustainable outcomes.

People Cluster - Engaging People

4. Leading and Communicating

At all levels, effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and communicating with
clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting principles of fairness of opportunity
for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens. At senior levels, it is about establishing
a strong direction and a persuasive future vision; managing and engaging with people with
honesty and integrity, and upholding the reputation of the Foreign Commonwealth and
Development Office.

5. Collaborating and Partnering

People skilled in this area create and maintain positive and professional working
relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Foreign Commonwealth and
Development Office to help get business done. At all levels, it requires working effectively
and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. At senior
levels, it’s about delivering business objectives through creating an inclusive environment,
encouraging collaboration and building effective partnerships.

6. Building Capability for All

Effectiveness in this area is having a strong focus on continuous learning for oneself, others
and the organisation. For all staff, it’s being open to learning, about keeping one’s own
knowledge and skill set current and evolving. At senior levels, it’s about talent management
and building and ensuring a diverse blend of capability and skills is identified and developed

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to meet current and future business needs. It’s also about creating a learning culture across
the organisation to use learning to inform future plans and transformational change.

Performance Cluster - Delivering Results

7. Achieving Commercial Outcomes

Being effective in this area is about maintaining an economic, long-term focus in all activities.
For all, it’s about having a commercial, financial and sustainable mindset to ensure all
activities and services are delivering added value and working to stimulate economic growth.
At senior levels, it’s about identifying economic, market and customer issues and using these
to promote innovative business models, commercial partnerships and agreements to deliver
greatest value; and ensuring tight financial and commercial controls of resources and
contracts to meet strategic priorities.

8. Delivering Value for Money

Delivering Value for Money involves the efficient, effective and economic use of taxpayers’
money in the delivery of public services. For all staff, it means seeking out and implementing
solutions which achieve the best mix of quality and effectiveness for the least outlay. People
who do this well base their decisions on evidenced information and follow agreed processes
and policies, challenging these appropriately where they appear to prevent best value for
money. At senior levels, effective people embed a culture of value for money within their
area/function. They work collaboratively across boundaries to ensure that the Foreign
Commonwealth and Development Office maximises its strategic outcomes within the
resources available.

9. Managing a Quality Service

Effectiveness in this area is about being organised to deliver service objectives and striving
to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and
requirements. People who are effective plan, organise and manage their time and activities
to deliver a high quality and efficient service, applying programme and project management
approaches to support service delivery. At senior levels, it is about creating an environment
to deliver operational excellence and creating the most appropriate and cost effective
delivery model for service.

10. Delivering at Pace

Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering performance with pace and taking
responsibility for outcomes. For all staff, it’s about working to agreed goals and activities and
dealing with challenges in a responsive and constructive way. At senior levels, it is about
building a performance culture to deliver outcomes with a firm focus on prioritisation and
addressing performance issues resolutely, fairly and promptly. It is also about leaders
providing the focus and energy to drive activities forward and encourage staff during
challenging and changing times.

International Cluster

11. Engaging Internationally

Effectiveness in this area is about leading internationally, engaging our staff, contacts and
international partners to help deliver UK Government objectives. For all staff it’s about
understanding UK Government aims in the wider UK and international context and
developing productive relationships with those external contacts and partners to help deliver
UK objectives. All staff are aware of cultural sensitivities in their area of responsibility. Staff

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build up negotiating expertise through the grades and champion and use language skills
where appropriate to deepen impact. Senior leaders use the same behaviours but operate at
higher levels of sensitivity and complexity. Managers have to lead and inspire teams in an
international context. Staff adapt their approach to reflect the very diverse teams they
manage while still promoting UK values.

12. Demonstrating Resilience

This is about helping our people to build resilience in international roles, supporting their
ability to adapt to working in difficult and varied international environments; and to bounce
back from crises and setbacks in these contexts. Individuals need to be aware of the impact
they have on themselves and on others, and show support for others with a pragmatic
attitude, perseverance and resolve. Individuals should be able to manage in a wide variety of
circumstances and locations and, with appropriate support, to recover from challenges and
setbacks. For leadership roles this competence would also include leading a culture of
support, while promoting a proper regard for employee safety, health and well-being.

FCDO VALUES
These values are underpinned by the UK civil service values (Integrity, Honesty, Objectivity,
Impartiality) and complemented by values all One HMG colleagues bring from their own
department, service or administration. We value, draw upon and invest in:

Respect We have respect for each other and the different cultures we come
from and work with. We are open, inclusive, fair and courteous and
treat others with kindness and compassion

Expertise We bring cultural, linguistic, geographic, historical and technical

expertise to our work. We continuously invest in ourselves and share
expertise for the benefit of the UK internationally

Resilience We are ready to work in tough places or on difficult issues. We are

supportive of others and display solidarity with individuals, teams and
organisations

Creativity We bring curiosity to any issue. We harness diversity and value agility,
enterprise, imagination and innovation. We learn from past mistakes
and are ambitious looking to the future

Courage We challenge ourselves and each other. We use ambition and passion
to achieve even greater results. We demonstrate self-confidence,
integrity and a readiness to take calculated risks. We tell truth to power

Public Service We are proud of what we do to represent the UK’s international

interests and the public we serve. We work together as one diverse,
inclusive, professional team to achieve this