View Vacancy - Communications Officer EO - (12/22 ADD)
Main purpose of job:
The job holder will be a part of the British Embassy’s communications team, working with colleagues right across our large Embassy to promote the UK and help achieve the UK’s objectives (including on climate change, empowering women and girls and supporting Ethiopia’s development).
The job holder will bring media contacts and great ideas on how the UK can secure more press coverage and deepen relations with Ethiopian media. The jobholder will also develop new and creative ways to engage with our audiences to promote UK objectives and our work in Ethiopia. The job holder will draft press materials and plan, deliver and evaluate engagements with the media. The job holder will use their excellent knowledge of the media environment in Ethiopia to inform the Embassy’s policy work in this area.
The successful candidate will also gather, create, edit and publish digital content for the British Embassy’s social media channels. The job holder will be responsible for monitoring social media, reviewing statistics on our engagement and suggesting how we can develop new and different channels for reaching our audiences.
The job holder will be responsible for monitoring social media, reporting on areas of interest to the UK through timely and succinct reporting.
The ideal candidate will have excellent English language skills - both written and spoken The job holder will be familiar with working in an international setting and with self-motivating.
Roles and responsibilities:
- Quickly develop a strong understanding of the big picture of the UK’s work in Ethiopia.
- Plan, secure and evaluate media coverage of the Embassy’s announcements, events and visits.
- Provide regular reporting on the state of the media industry and media freedom in Ethiopia.
- Carry out media and social media monitoring.
- Write high quality press releases, op-eds and other media materials.
- Arrange press briefings and interviews for team members, and provide support during these engagements.
- Draft talking points and speeches for senior members of the team, including the Ambassador.
- Support the wider communications and soft power team, particularly on producing engaging social media content, with the opportunity to develop new digital skills and travel on field visits around Ethiopia.
- Support the delivery of the embassy's media freedom work, helping to advise where the UK should look to support and influence to help empower local journalists to deliver fair, accurate and impartial reporting.
Be a reliable part of the Embassy’s crisis media team. Work with embassy colleagues and a range of government departments in London to ensure all digital channels are used effectively to react and respond to live global and local events, including crisis situations, and to promote global initiatives and campaigns in country. Use data-driven analysis and evaluation to demonstrate the impact of digital campaign and communications work and apply that learning to future activities
- Contacts in Ethiopian media and an ability to quickly develop working relationships
- Strong understanding of the Ethiopian media environment
- Excellent written communications
- Experience leading communications and/or PR campaigns
- Expert in using social media to land messages and influence audiences
- Strong attention to detail
- Experience working with senior stakeholders
- Fluent in both English and Amharic
- Experience working in an international setting
- Experience working in the media
- Experience creating high-quality digital content (videos, photos, graphics)
- Knowledge of other Ethiopian languages
Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):
The successful candidate will get access to a range of learning and development opportunities, including on the job training and workshops with communication experts.
Working patterns:
The standard working hours of the British Embassy for office staff are 0800-1645 Monday-Thursday and 0800-1300 on Fridays.
Locally engaged staff of all grades will be entitled to paid annual leave as follows:
Up to 2 years 22 days
After 2 years services 25 days
After 5 years services 30 days
In addition to annual leave, the British Embassy observes up to a maximum number of 14 Ethiopian, British and Religious public holidays each year. A list of such Embassy holidays will be published each year. Office Staff required to work on these holidays will be granted time off in lieu or overtime where circumstances permit.
- Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
- Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
- The British Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
- Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Ethiopia.
- All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
- Obtain the relevant permit
- Pay the fees for the permit
- Make arrangements to relocate
- Meet the costs to relocation
- Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
- Information about the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Competency Framework can be found on this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework Please note: Job grade AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
- Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
- Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of your application
- All applicants must be legally able to work in Ethiopia with the correct visa/status or work permit.
- The British Embassy in Addis Ababa is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
