View Vacancy - Senior Communications Officer SEO (19/25 ADD)

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy in Addis Ababa is one of our largest in Africa, and the development programme run from within it is our biggest on the continent. We are proud of our longstanding bilateral relationship with Ethiopia.

We are looking for an experienced, driven and creative person to join our friendly, integrated team where you’ll get the chance to build your skills, working right across the mission – from development to diplomatic.

The successful candidate will be at the heart of diplomatic communications for one of the UK's most strategically important relationships. From supporting ministerial visits and creating compelling multimedia content to developing targeted campaigns, you'll be responsible for communicating the work and priorities of the UK in Ethiopia to a wide range of audiences. 

Someone who is creative, able to take initiative and confident leading on projects independently will thrive in this role.  You must be comfortable working directly with senior British diplomats and officials and with colleagues right across the Embassy.  

In order to deliver effectively in this role, you should have experience of working with the Ethiopian media and journalists in a senior position. The role will be the day-to-day interface with the press and comms sector and provide advice to the wider Embassy team on how to effectively craft and disseminate a message through Ethiopia. 

This is a specialist role. We are particularly looking for someone with exceptional technical skills including videography, photography and editing, who can create and publish high-quality and high-reach content to short deadlines.  

You will manage the Press and Comms team, and be heavily involved with the Soft Power team, working with a dedicated Comms and Soft Power Lead. 

Excellent English and Amharic language skills are essential, and knowledge of other Ethiopian languages would be advantageous.

Roles and responsibilities:

• The successful candidate’s primary role will be to lead on the Embassy’s communications planning, implementation and evaluation, and manage and mentor two junior Communications Officers. 
• You will be personally responsible for delivering the Embassy’s communications strategy – leading your team, and teams across the mission, to deliver against key objectives. 
• You will use initiative, creativity and great relationships with the media sector to strengthen the UK’s image in Ethiopia, land our messages and achieve policy objectives. 
• You will bring deep knowledge of Ethiopia’s media landscape, journalism and media to support teams across the Embassy.
• You will write, create, and edit digital content, writing posts for social media including tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, blogs and videos to communicate UK government priorities to Ethiopian audiences. 
• You will create assets for our UKinEthiopia social media channels in accordance with global brand guidelines.
• You will strategise robust digital content plans.
• You will provide photo and video support for high-profile visitors and events as well as editing, distributing, and archiving material.
• You will be a passionate videographer and social media user, with a deep understanding of digital media landscapes, including how to target a diverse range of audiences and make content as accessible as possible.
• You will have a creative flair and a solid understanding of social media platforms, with prior experience and knowledge of social media trends and advancements.
• You will have a proven ability to translate those trends into sound advice for policy teams and ministers, and deliver topical, timely social media products in line with those trends.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

• The post holder will have line management responsibility for two communications officers responsible for media relations, evaluation and media monitoring. 
• As a valued member of our team we will help you to achieve your goals through continuous professional development.

• Language requirements: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Amharic required.
• At least 3 years of experience in a media or communications role.
• Exceptional technical skills including videography, photography and editing skills
• Graphic design experience, specifically using Canva or similar sites to create graphics for social media posts.
• Solid experience and understanding of Adobe Premiere Pro to produce high-quality videos as well as a proven interest in utilising new and emerging technologies.
• Experience writing engaging copy for the web and social media to accompany compelling visual content.
• Strong communications skills, with an ability to connect with people from different backgrounds and build positive working relationships across the teams.
• Experience managing staff or leading a team.