Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online Application form including the employment, educational details, behavioural and technical/ professional skills questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only with all the required details and the shortlisting is not basis CV/ cover letter. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Main purpose of job:

The Head of Digital Strategy leads digital communications across all of the UK Government’s digital platforms in India, including the full range of ‘UK in India’ social media channels and relevant sections of the Gov.uk website. As a senior digital leader, the role also provides strategic oversight and guidance for colleagues across the wider communications network, including the British Deputy High Commissions.   

We reserve the right to review, revise or amend the roles and responsibilities from time to time reflecting the changing needs of business.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

We are looking for a talented and experienced storyteller to drive digital communications for the UK Government in India. You will be responsible for managing and growing the UK in India network’s online presence, by developing and delivering an integrated digital media strategy that leverages knowledge and capabilities across the organisation. The ideal candidate will have strong attention to detail and the ability to think outside the box to create, curate, and coordinate compelling digital content at speed.

As Head of Digital Strategy, you will ensure our messaging is strong, relevant and consistent across all digital channels, including owned and shared media. You will maintain a regular flow of engaging content across platforms and proactively identify opportunities to reach new audiences and to expand our reach. You will need to leverage existing networks in the industry and build strong partnerships across the digital media landscape in India to help deliver our message. 

The role requires exceptional inter-personal skills and a proven ability to influence others, internal and external, to achieve positive outcomes. You will be expected to provide expert training and advice on social media trends and best practice to the organisation’s senior leadership team. 

You will join the ‘News and Digital’ team, within the wider Communications team, which leads on all press and digital activity for the British High Commission in New Delhi. This requires close collaboration across a range of teams and functions to maximise our impact and outreach. Work is fun and fast-paced and you will have opportunities to get involved in the full range of activities relating to the UK’s work with and in India. 

Specific responsibilities of the job holder will include:

• Design and deliver creative and engaging social media strategies for our organisation’s and spokespeople’s digital channels.
• Work collaboratively with the UK Government network of communications officers in India to promote partnership priorities as set out in UK-India Vision 2035.
• Oversee, plan and help deliver content for the day-to-day handling of all ‘UKinIndia’ social media channels (including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Flickr) and the accounts of key spokespeople for the organisation. Ensure a collaborative approach for content across teams and locations to maximise our outreach, including by adapting content to suit different channels and audiences.
• Regularly evaluate and report on the performance of our digital channels, ensuring that our content and narratives support network campaigns, priorities and services. Undertake an expanded benchmarking of our performance against digital channels of relevant organisations to build an insight-driven evaluation mechanism of our channel and audience growth.
• Create effective structures and workflows for your direct reports, utilising the strengths of the wider communications network, to drive-up the quality, volume, and speed at which we deliver digital content.
• Keep yourself apprised of the latest technology and trends, and work to upskill colleagues across the network to produce ever-more creative and engaging output. Create a publishing schedule and work with partners to deliver the most engaging content. 
• Constantly improve the effectiveness of our communications by better targeting our products to Indian audiences and incorporating lessons learned from continuous evaluation. 
• Serve as the in-house digital communications leader, including through the production of regular reports on the latest trends, best practice, and social media usage guidelines.
• Build and leverage a strong network of relationships with relevant organisations and content creators across social media platforms to tangibly improve the impact of our digital communications work.
• Advise the head and deputy head of communications, and the British High Commission’s senior leadership team on effective use of social media.
• Act as an on-call ‘news and digital’ resource on a rotational duty system to monitor and action urgent requests as needed.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

You will directly manage a team of two digital communications officers/content producers and report to the Head of News and Digital. 

Staff: 1x EO Digital Communications Officer and 1x EO Digital Content Producer
Budgets:  Support the Head of News and Digital in preparing an annual budget forecast for managing equipment, licences, and any other ad hoc expenditures

Learning and development opportunities:

The jobholder will be able to access a wide range of online and face-to-face training delivered for the UK Government in Britain and abroad. They will have opportunities to access specialist training for government communicators. Much of the learning is on the job, which will be diverse and varied.  

Any other information (or specific local Post requirements):

The work of a diplomatic mission can be unusual, and the subject matter can range from trade and investment, to defence and security to education and visas. The jobholder should be able to hit the ground running, learning quickly about a wide range of issues. 

The job holder may be called upon to support the wider communications team when necessary, so a degree of flexibility is required.

The nature of this particular role will require the successful candidate to work in the office for the majority of the time. In addition, the job holder will on occasion be required to work irregular hours, including (but not limited to):

•    Weekend duty officer for urgent requests on a rotational basis.
•    Occasional evening and weekend working, as required, during high-level events and visits.

The High Commission is committed to ensuring employees enjoy a good work-life balance. It is a stimulating place to work where we value diversity and inclusion and care about the development of our people.

You will need to be highly motivated with excellent judgement and writing skills, and be able to swiftly pull together compelling digital products across a range of subjects; you will be asked to support drafting tweets, writing video scripts, and creating content decks at short notice. You must have a solid understanding of the social media landscape, and the key players within it. 

The ideal candidate will also have experience working with content creators, an interest in international relations, and an acute awareness of the political picture in India. You will need to be good at building relationships – with content creators, social media organisations, and policy colleagues alike – and a real team player.

• At least 8 years of experience managing social media strategy for a large organisation, or similar experience in influencer marketing.
• Solid understanding of the digital media landscape in India, including knowledge of SEO best practices, multimedia editing software, and the latest social media trends.
• Excellent writing skills and proven expertise in converting polciy priorities into communications outputs.
• Demonstrated experience in leading a team.

Language Requirements:

• Language: English and Hindi
• Level of Language Required: Expert