Visits Officer at British High Commission

Grade: B3 (L)
Type of Position: Fixed Term
Job Category: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Policy & Political roles)
Job Subcategory: Political
Start Date: 1 May 2018

Main Purpose of Job

• This is an exciting role at the heart of senior engagement in a post that has received renewed, and sustained UK and Ministerial attention since the 2015 elections.
• You will interact with colleagues from across HMG, both in Nigeria and in the UK, and at all levels.
• You will have exposure to the full range of UK work, and play an essential role in helping visitors to understand Nigeria, and the UK’s work here.
  

Roles and Responsibilities

• As the focal point for Ministerial and senior official travel, you will work with subject matter leads across the UK mission to develop and deliver programmes that align to UK priorities. Visitors will include UK ministers, UK Directors from across government.
• You will also support the High Commissioner and the Deputy High Commissioners travel within Nigeria.
• The Visits Officer role will cover both our Abuja and Lagos offices, so the job owner will gain a good understanding of both teams’ work, as well as that of our other offices in Nigeria.
• Visits from overseas often cover several locations, and can be complicated to deliver.
• You will lead on logistics, coordinate briefing, and co-ordinate all strands of HMG activity that contribute to senior visits.
• This a new role within the Nigeria network, so there is scope to make an impact quickly and to shape the development of this position.

Your responsibilities will include:

• To lead and coordinate planning of each visit from the outset, bringing together all relevant teams and gaining their support to deliver the visit.
• To hold the definitive version of all visit documentation.
• To develop and oversee a forward look of inward travel plans, aligning itineraries to UK priorities, alerting relevant teams to upcoming visits, and de-conflicting competing demands for travel. To work closely with the communications and press team to maximise the impact of visits, and associated UK messaging.
• To maintain a catalogue of briefing notes and a record of previous visits.
• To liaise with the MFA as appropriate on Ministerial and UK visitors.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Previous experience of project, event, or travel management
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher, in Government, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, Law or related fields.
• Evidence of designing and delivering complex travel or logistics plans
• 3-5 years’ experience in a policy, logistics or programme management role
• Strong collaborative skills including professional and confident communication with external stakeholders and team members
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to deliver multiple pieces of work simultaneously, with different deadlines
• Strong attention to detail and an ability to think on your feet to solve problems or adapt to changing circumstances.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience:

• Evidence of maintaining effective professional networks of contact
• The ability to work as part of a busy, diverse team, as well as willingness to provide support to team members when necessary
• Familiarity with messaging for political audiences in different context
• Resilience, flexibility and ability to deliver quality under pressure and strict timelines.

Required Competencies:

• Leading and Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace.

Starting Monthly Salary
N610, 536