Main purpose of job:

This is an exciting opportunity for a committed, creative and passionate individual to join the dynamic team at the British High Commission (BHC) in Kampala.

You will lead on the BHC’s work to promote the UK’s soft power assets (such as our science, culture, sport and higher education sectors) in Uganda, and to strengthen people-to-people linkages between the UK and Uganda in these areas, working closely with the British Council. You will also help ensure that the BHC’s external communications are used strategically and effectively.

Roles and responsibilities

This role would suit someone who is proactive, creative, able to generate new ideas, and willing to take a personal lead in driving them through.

The role will be part of a small team of 3 (1 x Grade 7, this HEO role and 1 x EO), which together will lead on setting and tracking delivery of the BHC’s overall strategy and the BHC’s Public Diplomacy, which includes  work to promote the UK, strengthen people-to-people links.

This role will focus in particular on the people-to-people aspects of the team’s work. This is an increasingly important area of focus for the BHC. The UK has huge strengths in areas such as science, technology, innovation, research, higher education, culture, creative industries and sport, and world-renowned institutions including the Royal Family and BBC and global businesses. We want to make more of these strengths in Uganda: promoting the UK’s contributions in these areas; and using them to increase engagement and collaboration between institutions and individuals in the UK and Uganda, and therefore deepen the ties between the two countries. You will lead and be responsible for driving this agenda for the BHC.

Specific tasks will include:

• Mapping existing UK-Uganda linkages, and establishing an extensive network of relationships with individuals and institutions across the two countries – you will lead these relationships;
• Identifying opportunities to broaden or deepen these linkages – this could potentially involve writing grants for small-scale project funding; coordinating alumni leadership networks, arranging events; or brokering connections; Linking work back to current BHC priorities.
• Lead work on collecting and understanding perceptions of the UK.  This includes running engagement sessions, analysing survey or reports and making creative recommendations in how to change perceptions
• Research and report writing on specific public diplomacy projects, campaigns and literature reviews
• Actively contribute to ongoing campaigns – events, communications, analysis – around current BHC activities.
• Utilise regional and international soft power networks to spot trends and making proposals of how teams could use soft power hooks or events.

You will need to work closely with the British Council – who have extensive work on cultural exchange and higher education – on all of these objectives, to maximise the combined impact of our work.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

·       Potential project funds – in the order of £10,000-£100,000 p.a.