Political and Economic Officer at Embassy of Ireland

Roles and Responsibilities
The precise range of duties will vary over time according to the needs of the Embassy, but will include the following:

• Political, economic and other research, analysis and report writing;
• Collation and analysis of economic data to inform the Embassy of opportunities, constraints and key issues of interest to Irish companies;
• Liaising with Irish State Agencies on areas of mutual interest, and acting as first point of contact for Irish companies contacting the Embassy for trade related assistance;
• Assisting with the selection of and support to the Ireland Fellows Programme;
• Media monitoring, reporting and analysis;
• Translation and summary of relevant news, policy and other documents;
• Attendance and reporting on meetings, as required, including translation / interpretation;
• Public diplomacy, including Embassy digital communications and supporting event organisation;
• Building and maintaining a network of contacts with key partners;
• Contributing as part of the wider Embassy team to administration and other work as required;
• Working on the Embassy’s social media outreach;
• In addition to the above, the Policy Officer may be required to carry out other functions subject to the business needs of the Embassy.

Essential Requirements Candidates must be Able to Demonstrate

• Candidates must have a Degree, preferably in disciplines such as:
  • Political Science;
  • Economics;
  • History;
  • Sociology.
• Candidates must have previous professional experiencein a similar role;
• The candidate must have a strong working knowledge of the Nigerian political landscape and the technical operation of both federal and state-level government;
• The candidate must demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the Nigerian economy, including the services, agricultural and ICT sectors;
• The candidate must demonstrate using work based examples of providing excellent interpersonal skills, being persuasive, working in a team but also dealing effectively with people in external organisations;
• The candidate must have proven ability to build relationships and maintain a network of contacts across academic, funding agency, industry and public-sector communities;
• The candidate must provide evidence of flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness showing strong organizational skills, attention to detail, able to work under pressure and to manage multiple tasks;
• The candidate should provide examples of being solutions-oriented, and committed to delivering results, including by adapting approach if necessary;
• The candidate must be fully bilingual in English and French (language test will be included as part of the shortlisting process);
• The candidate must demonstrate using examples, their working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel) and social media platforms;
• All applicants must have a permanent legal right to reside and work in Nigeria;
• Candidates must be highly motivated, enthusiastic and hardworking with excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Desirable Requirements:

• A good understanding of the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy;
• The successful applicant will work alongside other local employees of the Embassy, and will report directly to the diplomatic staff in the Mission.  Previous experience in a diplomatic mission is desirable, but not essential. 

Terms and Conditions of Employment

• The successful candidates will be hired on a fixed-term contractual basis and will be based at Abuja.
• Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week, with standard office hours from 9am to 5pm
• Annual Leave entitlement 20 days per annum.
• The salary for the position is Euros 27, 240 pro rata,paid in local currency per annum, paid on a monthly basis, including the 13th month. Salaries are paid direct to a bank account,therefore, the successful candidate must have a bank account.