Main purpose of job

The British Embassy in Lima is looking to recruit a capable, motivated, and experienced individual to join the Embassy’s Political Team. The Political Section at the Embassy liaises with senior political stakeholders in the Peruvian government to advance the bilateral relationship and collaboration in key policy areas. It engages with a wide range of public and private stakeholders to produce political analysis aimed at informing wider decision-making, particularly on Peruvian domestic politics, UK foreign policy priorities, human rights and multilateral policy. The political team leads the implementation of the Embassy Democratic Governance strategy, including related projects, and runs the Chevening Scholarship Programme for Peru. The Political and Chevening Officer will contribute to the fulfilment of the Political Section’s objectives. 

The role will divide their time 50-50 between Political and Education work. 

Political: The officer will work collaboratively with colleagues to provide insightful analysis of Peru’s domestic and foreign policy, including as Peru heads into an election year. They will also be expected to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in politics, media, the private sector, civil society and international community. The jobholder will be expected to attend technical meetings and events to support the Head and Deputy Head of Political to promote UK policies when required. The role will also provide support to the team’s programming portfolio, including (but not limited to) on democratic governance, media freedom and gender equality. 

Education: The officer will lead on the delivery of the UK Chevening Scholarship Programme in Peru, as well as the Embassy’s strategic engagement on education and promotion of the English language. On the former, the officer will lead the Embassy’s engagement with UK alumni networks and lead the administration and delivery of the Chevening Scholarship Programme in Peru, the UK government’s global postgraduate scholarship programme.  This includes promoting the programme to relevant stakeholders nationwide, running the selection process with support from other embassy teams, organising networking events and liaising with the Chevening Alumni Association. The jobholder will engage with possible partners with the aim of increasing the number of scholarships and Chevening alliances offered in Peru

More widely, the officer will work together with key partners such as the British Council and other partners to promote education in Peru, leading on the implementation of the embassy’s Education Roadmap. 

Roles and responsibilities

Political Officer (45%):

• Support the Political Team in the implementation of the embassy’s democratic governance strategy and elections action plan.
• Track, analyse and report on developments in Peruvian domestic politics.
• Provide support to the wider team on the section’s project portfolio as required. This may include administrative support.
• Build and manage relationships with key stakeholders including in the government, civil society, academia, media, business community and international cooperation. This may include writing strategic letters and/or Note Verbales.
• Support the delivery of the embassy’s political engagement objectives; arrange high-level meetings or events when required and contribute to briefing as needed.
• Support the head of section with proactively tracking and coordinating lobbying requests from London.
• Support with the team’s monitoring and analysis of key bills in Congress that could impact the Embassy’s work.

Chevening Programme implementation (30%)

• Manage the Chevening Programme in Peru (including the promotion of scholarships, application and interview process).
• Engage with the Chevening Secretariat in London and other Chevening Officers in the LatAm region.
• Manage a wide range of stakeholders in government, education, the international community and the private sector to promote partnerships and alliances for UK education and Chevening scholarships. Provide high-quality project management for Chevening alumni projects under the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF) and oversee the implementation of the selected project.

Policy and Public Diplomacy (15%)

• Deliver strategic engagement on education and promotion of the English language together with key partners such as the British Council, leading on the implementation of the embassy’s Education Roadmap.
• Bolster UK reputation in country by leveraging soft power initiatives and UK global leadership in education.
• Provide support to Embassy leadership on education policy including attending high-level meetings to provide support to the Ambassador, Deputy Ambassador or Head of Section. This includes holding the pen on briefing for senior leadership.
• Representation at technical meetings and networking events.
• Convene UK Alumni networks in Peru and organise networking events (including farewell and welcome back events for upcoming Chevening alumni cohorts).
• Promote the Chevening scholarship at in-person events, education fairs and on social media – working closely with the Communications team.
• Report on the impact of UK education and Chevening in Peru, especially for UK priorities.

Learning and Development (10%)

• Attend learning and development events.
• Look for further learning and development opportunities.
• Actively participate in performance appraisal process and take responsibility from timely feedback.
• Identify skills and development opportunities for career growth.

Resources managed

• Programme/Project Funds depending on central funding availability.

• University-level degree in social sciences, politics, law, international relations or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience in a relevant role.
• The ability to handle sensitive information discretely.
• Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, able to build strong relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish.
• Excellent communication skills, including written analysis and giving presentations.
• Legal status to live and work in Peru in your own right, from time of application.