View Vacancy - Visits Programme Officer - C4

Main purpose of job:

This is an exciting role in the high-performing Political and Bilateral Affairs team which sits at the heart of the India network.  

This  job has a interesting and varied high profile portfolio.  Past visits have included the UK Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Strong personal impact, delivering through others and creativity will be critical to your ability to deliver.  

Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparing for and delivering high profile official visits to India
• leading and delivering through a team of 2 Locally Engaged (LE) officers.
• Working with colleagues to develop creative visit events.
• Working with your team on ‘immersion’ programmes for senior colleagues joining the India network.
• Stakeholder management, developing your expertise on how best to engage with UK and Indian government’s departments, organisations and businesses.
• Producing visit briefing for senior readership. 

Security Clearance Level required: Applicant must already hold a minimum of the UK’s SC level of clearance or be able to achieve it. 

Nationals of the following countries are eligible to apply: British, Canada, Australia, USA, New Zealand.

Roles and responsibilities: 

To deliver high quality ministerial and senior official visit programmes for a) incoming British visitors and b) Indians visiting the UK. This will include:

• Managing and delivering through your team of 2 LE officers.
• Collaborating with stakeholders to creatively design and research visit programmes which meet our and visitor’s objectives.
• Owning and delivering high standard visits, managing relationships, using your creative planning events, finding solutions to problems and thinking on your feet.
• Identifying and cultivating new contacts (particularly in the UK but also in India) to find hosts for programmes to ensure the visitors objectives are met.
• Identifying ideas and locations for visits events. Through your team producing a catalogue of these ideas and locations. Producing biographies of high level visitors and contacts.
• Participating in the visits themselves, implementing the visit programmes and ensuring they run smoothly.
• Proactively maintaining an upcoming HMG visits grid which lists inward and outward visits.
• Ensuring all visits administration is well organised e.g. visas, passport details, liaising with the visits and movements team on hotel, room and transport bookings.
• Delivering high standard immersion programmes through your team, meeting colleague and network objectives.
• Robustly managing visit and immersion budgets.
• Helping to prepare and quality control check ministerial and official briefing packs.
• Drafting and sending official letters.
• Writing reports on visits and related issues.
• Chairing and producing minutes of British Commission visits organisation meetings 

What we do:  

The British High Commission (BHC) in India works to enhance UK-India ties (www.gov.uk/world/india). The Political Department within the BHC is responsible for political relations between the UK and Indian Governments. It is based in the BHC in Delhi, but works in support of our wider network of Deputy High Commissions (DHC) across India. 

The British High Commission organises a significant number of ministerial and senior official visits to India and the UK. Ensuring that all elements of these visits these are delivered to an exceptionally high standard is vital. The Political Department is responsible for the over-arching co-ordination of these visits, delivery of the cross-cutting VIP visits, and supports different parts of the British High Commission and wider network to organise sector or issue-specific visits. 

The Political and Bilateral team is looking for an English-speaking individual, who either has or is entitled to suitable security clearance being granted. This role would be well suited to someone who has previously worked in government and/or has experience of delivering high profile events. The role requires someone who has a good knowledge of the UK – its institutions, strengths and networks. 

The successful candidate should have a proven track record in outstanding organisation skills, be confident in drafting, have excellent people skills, an ability to think creatively to solve problems and be enthusiastic and adaptable. The successful candidate will need to have a flexible approach to working, for example be prepared to work alongside different teams for short periods of time to help deliver visits including occasionally visits that takes place outside Delhi.