View Vacancy – Political and Media Adviser to the Ambassador

The British Embassy in Nouakchott has a vacancy for a Political and Media Adviser to the Ambassador.

The British Embassy in Nouakchott is part of a worldwide network representing British political, development, and economic interests overseas. It was formally established in 2018 and is a small but very active team working to promote and improve positive relations between the United Kingdom and Mauritania as well as to promote the UK as a destination of choice for Mauritanians for tourism, to study and to do business.

The Embassy is seeking a highly talented and motivated individual to join our team and fill a challenging role as Political and Media Adviser to Her Majesty’s Ambassador. The successful candidate will work at the very centre of our Embassy but also, excitingly, as part of our wider regional UK Government Teams across the Sahel, in Dakar, Rabat, and in London. It is essential that the successful candidate has personal confidence and can demonstrate an ability to influence policy and programme making within the UK government. The Embassy and the UK Government values the knowledge, experience and advice of our Country Based Staff. 

Main Purpose of the Job:

The jobholder will (i) follow, analyse and provide reports and advice to the British Ambassador on political and human rights issues in Mauritania; (ii) deliver the very highest quality programmes for British Government Ministers, other senior visitors, and the Ambassador; and (iii) increase the British Embassy’s media profile across social and traditional media in Mauritania, as Press and Media Adviser to the Ambassador.

Key Responsibilities:

The key elements of the role are:

1. To ensure high profile exposure on influential and popular social media platforms in Mauritania for the UK government’s policies, and the British Ambassador’s and Embassy’s in-country activity. The jobholder will develop and publish interesting, creative, and relevant products to ensure that (i) the Embassy’s media profile in Mauritania is extensive (particularly amongst influencers and influential groups) and increases each year and (ii) the Embassy moves quickly to embrace new online and traditional platforms to promote UK policies work and values. The jobholder will also develop a wide range of senior contacts in the TV, radio, and traditional media sectors, as well as Pres Officers in Ministries, other Embassies, international agencies, and in commerce.
2. To follow, analyse, and provide quality, informative and useful reports and advice to the British Ambassador, Ministers, and British officials on internal developments in Mauritania including (i) government policies, trends and developments; (ii) democratic processes and opposition groups; (iii) national and multilateral human rights issues; (iv) the work of civil societies; and (v) trends in Mauritanian society. In addition, the jobholder will be responsible for reporting on the Mauritanian/Senegal relationship.
3. To develop the very highest quality programmes for senior visitors and the Ambassador using an extensive base of contacts and influence within Ministries to secure meetings at the highest levels of government. Lead on programme development for visitors and the Ambassador’s programme (including in-country and regional visits).
4. To promote and manage the Chevening Scholarship Scheme to maximise awareness of its benefits amongst future leaders of Mauritania and running the annual open programme for choosing successful candidates for full scholarships. Using influence and networks to increase the number and quality of applications for the Chevening Scholarship.
5. To act as the Embassy’s Post Security Manager, working with the Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) to ensure the highest standards of security are in place, maintained and updated regularly.

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required. 

Key Competencies Required:

• Seeing the Big Picture – This is about having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider public needs. It’s about recognising wider Civil Service priorities and ensuring work is in the national interest.
• Engaging Internationally – Effectiveness in this area is about leading internationally, engaging our staff, contacts and international partners to help deliver UK Government objectives. Understanding UK Government aims in the wider UK and international context and developing productive relationships with those external contacts and partners to help deliver UK objectives. 
• 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.
• 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.

The ideal candidate will play a crucial role in building strong links between the Mauritanian and British Governments and between the Mauritanian and British people.

The ideal candidate should be:

• Passionate about Mauritania and the United Kingdom – demonstrating this with a deep knowledge and interest in political, societal and other trends in both countries, and follow international relations closely.
• Knowledgeable about media management in Mauritania and of (i) the popular social media platforms and (ii) developing and publishing interesting stories, at pace, to ensure the Embassy and the UK government’s work is well understood in Mauritania and is influential. The ideal candidate will have social and traditional media management skills, ideally from having worked as a Press Officer or in a similar role. They should be ambitious and be constantly looking at new platforms for the Embassy to use to increase our engagement in Mauritania.
• Able to speak, write, and communicate in French and English to a very high standard, and with strong analysis and report writing skills.
• Able to follow developments in Mauritania, seek out information and details from contacts and other sources, analyse and then turn these into high quality, interesting and succinct reports which can be read at the very highest levels of the UK Government.
• A confident team player and builder of networks. The ideal candidate will need to be able go out and build an impressive range of contacts in Mauritania – within Government, civil society, the business sector, and the international community.
• Self-starting – the ideal candidate will be able to identify tasks, developments, and issues on which they should start work, without requiring direction.
• Able to represent the British Embassy and the UK Government, its values, and principles with our interlocutors, stakeholders, and friends in Mauritania.
• Keen to help maintain a positive working environment for all members of the Embassy staff, based on respect, working together as a team, and helping each other. The ideal candidate will be active in joining and promoting UK Government workplace ideals and ensuring they are embraced in the British Embassy Nouakchott.
• Prepared to travel inside Mauritania and internationally to achieve their objectives.