View Vacancy - Political and Trade Policy Officer (02/19 MSR)

Main purpose of job:

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in re-establishing a British High Commission in Lesotho after a period of ‘non-resident’ representation.  You will be the senior local member of staff and will work directly with the High Commissioner on the whole range of High Commission activity. You will need to be a strong team player, but also confident, capable of taking the initiative and able to work independently when the High Commissioner is away from Post. You will need to be confident in networking, being prepared to mix with senior visitors from the UK and within Lesotho. You would need to be agile and able to work to the High Commissioner’s direction, on political reporting, media handling and the full range of tasks that a High Commission would need.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Develop relationships with a range of key actors including government ministries, political parties, parliament, business, civil society and the media.
• Provide timely, well sourced and accurate reporting on political, economic and trade policy developments in Lesotho.
• Lead on implementing the BHC’s communications plan.  Manage Post website. Identify opportunities for the UK to demonstrate the strength of its partnership with Lesotho. Help build BHC social media profile.
• Co-ordinate the Embassy Chevening Scholarship programme to ensure it attracts high calibre and diverse applicants and the best candidates are awarded scholarships after a well-run interview process. Help Alumni build a strong network.
• Plan and assist with implementation of programmes for VIP and official visitors from London and BHC Pretoria. Liaise closely with colleagues in Pretoria and Johannesburg and support the work of UK Government Departments not resident in Lesotho, e.g. DFID, DIT, HMRC
• Ad-hoc administrative support including replying to letters from the public, crisis planning, updating travel advice, diplomatic clearances and protocol issues.
• Management of elements of the Post budget. You would need to be prepared to learn and manage financial matters, and keep track of basic contracts for the High Commissioner.

Resources managed: 

•  1 x support officer and events manager 

• BA in international relations, political studies or similar subjects
• Knowledge of Lesotho’s commercial or trade environment
• Experience of working in an Embassy, UN agency or international company
• Experience of working with the media
• Knowledge/experience of social media  

Language requirements:

Language: English and Sotho

Level of language required: Fluent – spoken and written