Who are we?

The British Embassy in Sofia is recruiting a Security Partnerships Officer. This is a fixed-term position until 31 March 2026.

We are looking for someone with great communication and organisational skills to join the Security Partnerships Team. The job holder main tasks will be to liaise with internal and external stakeholders, conduct research and attend different events and meetings. For this position, we are looking for someone with the ability to work effectively in a small team and who is also versatile and able to quickly adapt to changing priorities.

The team is responsible for the UK-Bulgaria security relationship, with a major focus on combatting Organised Immigration Crime (OIC) and strengthening the bilateral law enforcement partnership. The Security Partnerships Officer is responsible specifically for OIC and migration (with support from the Head of Team).

The successful candidate will contribute to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Bulgaria network to support the Embassy’s positive working environment by becoming part of the British Government’s presence in Bulgaria, and will also have access to training and learning opportunities provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, subject to budget availability.

Roles and responsibilities:

The Security Partnerships Officer will work with the Head of Security Partnerships to:

• Expand the team’s network of OIC-related experts, including with Bulgarian authorities, civil society and academia, helping to identify future opportunities for UK-Bulgaria partnership;
• Analyse the impact of previous UK support to Bulgarian authorities (including equipment donations and training);
• Establish a new UK-Bulgaria working group on combatting organised immigration crime (OIC);
• Work closely with wider Embassy teams, including National Crime Agency (NCA), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), Home Office International Operations (HOIO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure coordination with other projects and initiatives;
• Collaborate with Embassy Press and Public Affairs colleagues to effectively publicise activity (where appropriate) and demonstrate tangible results.

The Security Partnerships Officer’s responsibilities will include:

• Monitoring open-source information about migration and OIC in Bulgaria;
• Completing monthly migration reports for a UK government audience;
• Occasionally interpreting between Bulgarian and English languages in external meetings.

Our ideal candidate shows:

• Knowledge of the Bulgarian administration and interest in Bulgarian politics, especially in the field of security;
• A good understanding of the Bulgarian law enforcement system;
• Experience in doing research and writing reports, either through studies or professional experience;
• IT literacy – a good knowledge of Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and Power Point are essential);
• Good stakeholder management skills and demonstrated experience, both with external and internal partners, at different levels of seniority;
• Great organisational and time-management skills;
• Good written and verbal communication skills;
• The ability to work effectively within a small team and as part of the wider embassy structure, in accordance with embassy values, contributing to wider corporate life.
• Flexibility to reprioritize based on changing strategic initiatives.