Political and Trade Policy Officer at British High Commission Lesotho

Main purpose of job:

This is an important role in the British High Commission in Maseru 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 the High Commission’s social media and its relationship with traditional media. Identify opportunities for the UK to demonstrate the strength of its partnership with Lesotho
• 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, develop, manage and oversee project activity directly for the High Commission or with local NGOs and other project implementers
• 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

• Good knowledge of Lesotho’s political developments
• Good 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
• Degree in the relevant field

Language requirements:

Language: English and Sesotho

Level of language required: Fluent – spoken and written