Who are we?

The British Embassy in Lisbon is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas, and it is looking to recruit an intern for a contract length of six months. The intern will mostly support our communications work, playing a key part in promoting UK interests in Portugal, enhancing our reputation and strengthening links between the two countries.

This internship will provide the successful candidate with a unique working experience in Communications in International Diplomacy, as well as exposure to the Embassy’s wider activity. The focus will be on social media and digital communications, but you will also gain experience across a range of communication disciplines including media handling, stakeholder engagement and campaigns to promote UK values. The intern will also play a wider role in supporting the Political and Economic team to deliver on a broad range of themes including politics, climate, economic growth, science and security.

This is an exciting internship where creativity, a passion for social media and political awareness can be combined to deliver engaging content in support of important policy goals. There is wide collaboration with teams across the mission.

Roles and responsibilities:

The intern will assist in the delivery of the Embassy’s communication strategy, within the Political and Economic Section, providing support to the Communications Officer.

• Social and digital media: Assisting with creating engaging and relevant content for the Embassy’s social media (content creation, generating ideas, management of channels, evaluation, answering social media queries)
• Media and reporting: Assisting with media interviews, coverage of events and high-level visits, producing a written summary of Portuguese media coverage once a week
• Support to the wider Political and Economic section, for example in delivering events such as our annual Model NATO event at STRIKFORNATO HQ in Oeiras
• Opportunity to get involved in other areas of the Mission’s work (depending on your interests and business need)

The intern can expect to work across the range of the team’s areas of responsibility during the 6-month contract period.  A large degree of flexibility will be required given the dynamic nature of the team’s priorities.

Essential on arrival:

• fluency in both English and Portuguese at a minimum of a C1 level according to the CEFR framework*
• Interest in communications work
• Previous experience in social media and digital communications, including copywriting (personal use counts)
• Basic knowledge of graphic design and editing software e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Canva, etc.
• Excellent written communication skills and confident in writing for different audiences
• Creative mindset and a can-do attitude
• Team player, able to work flexibly and collaboratively with both internal and external partners
• Excellent written communication skills and confident in writing for different audiences
• Strong attention to detail
• Excellent time management and ability to perform to deadlines