Main purpose of job:

The Operations Assistant role is an exciting opportunity to support the delivery and success of an innovative and high-profile UK Government programme that is developing the South African tech ecosystem.

We are looking for an organized and enthusiastic individual to provide a broad range of administrative, project management and communications support across the DAP UK-South Africa Tech Hub team. The role will be based in Pretoria, South Africa. The DAP UK-South Africa Tech Hub is part of the wider Digital Access Programme, which focuses on inclusive digital transformation, and of a global network of international tech partnerships developed by the UK government to build digital ecosystems that will facilitate sustainable economic growth and development. The successful candidate will be part of a small team of locally engaged staff, based across the British High Commission in Pretoria and the British Consulate-General in Cape Town. The successful candidate will support the Director and Deputy Director of the UK-South Africa Tech Hub with administration and project management.

The responsibilities of the Operations Assistant will include responsibility for event management, financial management, liaison with programme partners and stakeholders, and delivering a strong communications strategy. In addition, providing an excellent level of administrative support to the Tech Hub team, particularly during surge points e.g. key events, campaigns spikes in programming activity pressures.

This is a great opportunity for a highly motivated individual who has the ability to successfully manage a diverse set of tasks. Reporting to the Deputy Director, the candidate will be required to work both independently and as part of a team and deliver high quality work. This includes, developing effective relationships with key stakeholders and monitoring project activity, outputs, and outcomes. You will need to be adaptable and open to taking on new challenges. There will be opportunities for learning and development in addition to the FCDO’s internal online training platform. As with any role, there will be occasions when the work is reactive to instructions and tasking. All staff are expected to be flexible team players willing to turn their hand to any task.

The ideal candidate will have experience in administration and project management.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• IT literate, and able to learn how to use new IT systems quickly.
• Strong administrative and/or project management experience.
• Well organised with good attention to detail.
• Able to work flexibly and pick up corporate processes quickly.
• Able to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Events planning experience.
• Confident at decision making, within agreed boundaries.
• Able to communicate effectively at all levels, both verbally and in writing, with internal and external stakeholders.