View Vacancy - Head of Campaigns and Strategic Communications – Trade (DEU22.356)

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Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
Department for International Trade (DIT)

Are you a strategic and creative thinker who is passionate about making a difference? Would you like to make an impact in a fast-moving, high-profile international environment? The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) is now looking for a Head of Campaigns and Strategic Communications to join our team based at the British Embassy in Berlin.

DIT’s mission in Germany is to improve market access for businesses, champion free and fair trade, and encourage trade and investment between the UK and Germany. This is critical to our economies, supporting millions of jobs, driving economic growth, raising wages and improving living standard across the globe, whilst at the same time promoting wider goals – e.g. tackling climate change and improving economic security. For more information about DIT’s objectives, see here.

As Head of Campaigns and Strategic Communications, this newly created position will play a crucial role planning and delivering a communications strategy to support this work in Germany. You will develop clear strategic messaging, maximise our impact, and energise our stakeholder network and audience engagement through impactful campaigns. These will be delivered through a mixture of events, strategic partnerships with business/multipliers, engagement with economic/trade press and digital communications activity.

As with all roles in the Germany Network, there will be a focus on working collaboratively, both in Germany and with colleagues and stakeholders across Europe. You will have the chance to work closely with teams from different government departments leading on a variety of policies and sectors, from global health challenges to climate change, from diversity and inclusion to cyber security. As such, this role offers plenty of scope for development and building contact networks.

Your work will be varied and demanding – you will need to be proactive, a committed self-starter and strategist, with the ability to bring different priorities and objectives together into a coherent narrative. You will bring with you several years’ of professional communications/ marketing experience, with proven ability to create and drive content, including writing articles and op-eds. The ideal candidate will have experience planning and delivering impactful digital content and campaigns.

You will be expected to develop an understanding of the broader operating context in the UK and Germany (media, bilateral, economic, political, cultural), using insight and evaluation to understand relevant audiences, identify opportunities and messaging, and to develop, implement and evaluate campaign plans with your team.

 

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

Campaign Strategy & Delivery:

  • Work closely with senior leadership to shape, plan and deliver a campaign strategy to promote the UK-Germany economic relationship and in support of DIT objectives;
  • Actively build relationships with teams across the Germany Network and in the UK to shape a joined up communications narrative, working closely together with the Embassy’s communications team;
  • Lead with clarity and purpose: Provide line management to two Marketing and Communications Managers and oversee the team’s activities, as well as supporting regional / global campaigns (e.g. GREAT), to ensure these are adequately adapted to German business audiences.

 

Strategic Communications & Content:

  • Provide high-level strategic communications advice to the Ambassador and other senior officials (including Ministers and VIP visits) in line with priority campaigns, including briefing, interviews, speeches;
  • Create up-to-date and compelling content, including writing articles, op-eds and digital content;
  • Ensure a pipeline of key messages, success stories and focal points for activity / milestones across priority campaigns;

 

Engagement:

  • Lead internal capacity building through sharing expertise and knowledge to improve awareness and capability amongst colleagues with regards to communications and campaign best practice;
  • Develop strategic partnerships and maintain a network of stakeholders to ensure a clear understanding of the activity at the heart of your campaigns. This might include journalists, policy and comms officials in industry or think tanks, and other multipliers and partners.
  • Proficiency in English and German (both written and spoken, minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework*);
  • 5+ years professional communications experience and a strong understanding of German media/wider communications environment;
  • Strong digital content and marketing skills;
  • Degree and/or professional background in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, Political Science, International Relations, Economics/Business;
  • Ability to effectively and credibly engage with stakeholders, including the ability to communicate effectively at the most senior level of government, business, media;
  • Excellent writing skills, to provide clear, concise briefing and proven ability to draft articles and op-eds;
  • Leadership/management experience;
  • Ability to work across multiple teams and with partners based in different locations;
  • Evidence of strong relationship and account management skills and a demonstrated ability to think strategically;
  • Strong organisational and time management skills;
  • Self-Starter – proactive with the ability to work well on own initiative;
  • Commitment to being part of a diverse and engaged team: All staff are expected to contribute to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and to support the Embassy’s positive working environment.
  • An existing network in or experience of working with the German economic/trade press;
  • An interest in international relations, trade and investment;
  • Familiarity with the UK business environment and/or the UK’s investment and export proposition, including policy, market trends and developments.
Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
28 August 2022
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Fixed Term, Full-time
37.5
24 months
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Germany
Berlin
British Embassy
1
EUR
€79,284 gross per annum rising to €89,060 gross per annum after a qualifying period in addition to performance related pay. (Salary is not negotiable)
1 October 2022

This is a full-time fixed-term position for a contract period of two years with possibility of renewal. The gross yearly salary is €79,284 gross per annum rising to €89,060 gross per annum after a qualifying period in addition to performance related pay. (Salary is not negotiable)

 

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance. The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation in Germany in order to apply.

 

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.

 

Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Germany and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

 

Our Learning & Development environment:

The British Embassy has a strong ethos of Learning & Development, including our Learning & Development Week. In addition, there will be many opportunities to attend external seminars and events on relevant issues. This is in addition to the induction programme offered to all staff.

 

The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the British Embassy, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting the British Embassy’s positive working environment.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”. We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

 

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

 

Please be advised that the British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

 

* Please note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment indicates Level C2 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFRPlease bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed. 

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.