View Vacancy – Marketing & Communications Officer (Maternity Cover)

The Department for International Trade (DIT) at the British Embassy in Cairo is seeking to recruit a Marketing and Communications Officer grade B3 (L) to cover a Maternity for 6 months.

Overview:

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is the Trade Promotion and Negotiation organisation for the UK. We promote UK businesses overseas and attract foreign investment to our shores. We have 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries. Our aspiration is to help British businesses to internationalise and grow overseas.

DIT Africa is one of the nine DIT global networks and is led by Emma Wade-Smith, HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa.The Africa Region is exciting and energising and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK the the second largest investor on the continent. With some of the strongest growing economies in the world and booming population growth there are numerous more opportunities for UK firms; from tech start-ups in the West to infrastructure in the East. The Network’s role is to promote these opportunities and position the UK as the continent’s number one trading partner and investor.

Main purpose of the job:

As a Marketing & Communications Officer for DIT Africa, you will be responsible for ensuring that effective marketing & communications is helping deliver DIT’s strategic objectives. You will lead the marcomms work of the UK Government’s trade and investment teams in your region, supporting efforts to generate demand for British goods and services across the continent; helping British business success in Africa; promoting the UK as a great place to invest in; and encouraging UK investment into the region.

You will report to either the DIT Africa Head of Marketing or Head of Communication, and be a part of the central Africa Hub Team. Your remit will be regional, with a project-management approach employed on occassion.

You will, alongside Trade and Investment colleagues, develop and deliver a country-specific DIT communication and marketing strategy that supports the UK Government’s business priorities and the Regional Trade Plan. You will support Country and Sector teams with strategic Marketing & Communication activity, branded products, and localised campaigns, in an effort to meet commercial objectives.

You will engage and manage relationships with journalists across your region, proactively identifying media interviews and opportunities, and offering media/reputation advice to your principals.

In addition, you will work closely with the FCDO’s communications teams based in Embassies and High Commissions across the region, the xHMG Africa Campaigns Hub, with DIT Marketing and Communication teams in London, as well as with UK Government colleagues outside of the trade team, to ensure consistency of message and to mobilise wider resource in support of publicising our commercial activity. You will also build partnerships with companies to extend the reach and impact of the team’s activities, and build and sustain relationships with the media to ensure coverage of British business success. You should also expect to travel across the region and to the UK

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic

• Develop and help implement the priority country Marketing & Communication Strategy, by working collaboratively with colleagues in support of DIT Africa’s vision for the region and their commercial objectives, and using the full range of media and marketing tools.
• Work closely with partners and stakeholders (internal and external), identifying strategic opportunities to expand marcomms efforts and pursue value for money partnerships. These also include Policy Teams, UKEF, and other HMTC regions.
• Offer guidance to sector teams based on marcomms tools and channels, programmes, processes, and best practice.
• Develop insight-based and data-driven strategies by liaising with Posts to monitor activity across the region, measuring and reporting marketing and communication results against commercial targets, and acquiring photos and reports of events to feed into HQ/the Hub. Use captured data to help inform future strategies.
• Travel to regional posts and the UK, as required.

Communication

• Identify and engage specialist media channels in promoting DIT Africa’s core messages and sector priorities.
• Draft and maintain key communications including priority country and sector core scripts, social media posts, print media articles, media features, op-eds, and speeches.
• Liaise and monitor the digital activity across the region, including running social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter).
• Coordinate communications activity around key ministerial, Trade Commissioner, Deputy Trade Commissioner, and other official visits in your region.
• Proactively identify and/or establish opportunities to work with external media partners (print, broadcast, and digital) and create and deliver opportunities for communications activity.

Marketing

• Work with trade and investment teams in your region to design and deliver high impact marketing events and programmes for visiting UK ministers, senior officials and business delegations in support of DIT Africa’s Regional Trade Plan.
• Act as the liaison between the HQ brand Team and Posts for branding and marketing collateral, assisting with content planning and creation. Liaise with production agencies/Brand Team to get quotations for Posts, outlining content, researching, briefing artwork (including Translations) and working with designers to deliver marketing materials.
• Localise and implement pan-Africa campaigns led by HQ or the Hub.
• Act as the DIT and GREAT Britain brand guardian and ensure adherence to branding guidelines.
• Work with external suppliers (design agency, printers, digital, couriers, logistics companies, etc.) and partners.

Key Competencies:

• Leading and Communicating: Effectiveness in this area is about leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. It’s about supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens.
• Collaborating and Partnering: People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done.
• Engaging Internationally: Effectiveness in this area is about leading internationally, engaging our staff, contacts and international partners to help deliver UK Government objectives. 
• Delivering at Pace: Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes. It’s about working to agreed goals and activities and dealing with challenges in a responsive and constructive way. 

• Fluent in English and Arabic both written and verbal communication skills
• Degree in Communications or similar
• Minimum 1-2 years’ relevant communications experience
• Experience of working with colleagues from both the public and private sector
• Understanding of trade policy and stakeholder engagement across all levels and experience working in large, complex environments
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to engage and influence at all levels internally and with external contacts, and collaborate effectively across teams
• Ability to multi-task and have good organisational skills. Ability to respond quickly and flexibly to meet multiple and changing priorities
• Strong IT computer skills and in using MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)