View Vacancy - Senior Political Officer, BE Brasilia

Main purpose of job:

Lead on the UK government’s political engagement in Brazil. Lead on analysis and reporting on developments in Brazilian internal politics (federal, state and local level) and implications for UK.

Oversee coordination of visits support for incoming high-level visitors (principally UK government ministers).

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

This is an excellent senior adviser job in the British Embassy, Brasilia. It combines leading on the fascinating area of Brazilian internal politics with significant management responsibility (line management and team leadership).   You will be a key adviser for the Ambassador and other senior colleagues in the UK government’s posts in Brazil. You can expect to:

-  Lead and manage 7-person team that covers Brazilian internal politics, Brazil-UK political relations and coordinates support for incoming high-level UK visitors to Brazil;

-  Lead the UK government’s political engagement in Brazil. Develop and deliver engagement to build excellent relationships across the “3 powers” (executive, legislative and judiciary) and civil society. Engaging with the new government (federal and state level) and Congress will be a top priority. You will be responsible for making sure that the Embassy, from the Ambassador down, has the right relationships with all the key people (politicians and advisers).

-  Use your detailed knowledge of Brazilian politics, plus your extensive contact network and other sources (e.g. media; blogs; political commentary etc) to track political developments and trends and to produce impactful analysis and advice that informs UK-Brazil relations and helps deliver priority outcomes, e.g. in securing Congress approval of UK-Brazil agreements;  

-  Lead on regular political reporting to inform contacts in London on key issues, for example Lavo Jato.

-  Support other teams across the the Brazil Network (posts in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Recife covering political, prosperity and commercial work) in identifying and developing their own political relationships,

-  Support delivery of an ambitious regional outreach strategy for the UK government in Brazil, advising on political priorities and identifying opportunities in key states and cities;

Coordinate the right level of support for incoming high level HMG visitors (government ministers and senior officials);

-  At least 5 years professional experience in a relevant field.

-  Expert knowledge of the Brazilian political system (executive, legislative and judiciary);

-  Well established network of contacts, and the ability to build this further and use effectively.