Communications Officer

View Vacancy - Communications Officer, British Embassy Helsinki (FIN24.179)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

Job Category 1 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Policy & Political roles)

Job Subcategory 1 Communications, Press and Media

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities) 1

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy Helsinki is part of the UK Government’s global network representing British political, economic, and consular interests overseas.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, creative, and highly motivated individual to play a key role in delivering the Embassy’s communications strategy and wider objectives . Reporting to the Head of Political and Communications, the successful candidate will be expected to secure wide-ranging media coverage for the Embassy, develop and deliver communications campaigns across UK Government priorities and be the key media adviser to the British Ambassador.

The jobholder will have a strong understanding of the British Embassy’s goals across all business areas and be responsible for designing and implementing a series of campaigns to support these, including trade and investment, defence, and security, consular and science and innovation.

The successful candidate will build and maintain strong contacts with the Finnish media, proactively seeking out opportunities to highlight UK Government priorities , including by arranging interviews for the Ambassador. They will also provide insight into the Finnish media landscape, highlighting coverage of the UK and other issues of interest to the Embassy team and offering advice and opportunities to build UK in Finland’s profile and reach.

The jobholder will line manage a Public Diplomacy officer, working closely with them to ensure that Communications priorities are factored into all public engagement and activities.

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

Communications planning

• Develop and deliver a series of priority communications campaigns across the whole year, enabling delivery of the Embassy’s top priorities. Deliver impactful activities and outputs for each campaign and keep the Ambassador and Embassy colleagues updated on progress.
• Engage with colleagues across the Embassy to understand their priorities and help them develop communications to support delivery.

Communications adviser to the Ambassador

• Work closely with the Ambassador to understand their communications priorities and forward plan a series of activity across social and traditional media.
• Keep the Ambassador briefed on the media landscape and help her develop a range of senior media contacts.
• Support the Ambassador in preparing for interviews and other media interventions and provide feedback and advice to ensure communications opportunities are maximised.

Media relations

• Build and maintain a range of senior media contacts across the whole Finnish media landscape and lever these to organise opportunities for Embassy engagement.
• Develop productive relations with Finnish government communications leads, including sharing best practice.
• Help wider Embassy team members build relations with media contacts in specific fields (e.g. business, foreign policy, science and innovation).

Amplifying Embassy activity

• Deliver excellent and positive coverage of Embassy activity, deploying most appropriate channels to ensure visibility and engagement. Tools will include press releases, op-eds, on the record interviews, social media clips and background briefings.
• Make sure that communications goals are integral to all Ambassadorial and Ministerial visit plans.
• Supervise or deliver communications support to visits, including through photography, filming content and editing/ publishing content on social media channels.

Learning and evaluation

• Systematically evaluate all significant communications interventions and present the Ambassador and London colleagues with qualitative and quantitative assessment.
• Highlight success and share best practice from communications activity, including as part of the Nordic-Baltic network of British Embassies. Apply learning to future engagement.

Line management

• Provide support and guidance to the Public Diplomacy Officer, ensuring they have access to learning and development opportunities. Work together to ensure Communications and Public Diplomacy work are coordinated and forward planned.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 1

Essential on arrival:

• Strong written and oral communication skills, in Finnish and English (both C1 level);
• Enthusiastic, creative, and able to spot opportunities to engage with impact;
• Able to build and influence a wide network of stakeholders, building productive relationships with key partners who can help deliver our objectives;
• Understands the Finnish media landscape, and able to monitor, analyse and report on developments and trends;
• Can work independently and with a high degree of autonomy over the portfolio;
• Able to forward plan activity and engagement and demonstrate a track record of delivery; Systematically evaluates outcomes and applies learning to improve future engagement;
• Experience of working in communications or the media;
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in a related field.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 1

Desirable:

• Video editing and other technical skills;
• Experience of programme/project management and delivery;
• Experience of managing a budget;
• Good understanding of the Finnish and UK political landscapes.

Required behaviours 1 Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together

13 May 2024

Grade 1 Executive Officer (EO)

Type of Position 1 Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week 1 36.25h

Region 1 Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Country/Territory 1 Finland

Location (City) 1 Helsinki

Type of Post 1 British Embassy

Number of vacancies 1 1

Salary Currency 1 EUR

4,608 EUR (monthly gross)

Start Date 1 17 June 2024

Other benefits and conditions of employment 1

This is a full-time permanent contract, 36.25 hours per week. Working hours are Monday – Friday.

Staff may be required to work beyond conditioned hours during the week, or at weekends, in such case they are entitled to take time off in lieu. TOIL hours must have prior approval.

The appointment is subject to professional background check, security clearance and the successful completion of a probationary period.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Finland are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Finnish employment law and FCDO guidance for Country Based Staff.

Visa/work permit requirements: Candidates must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Finland and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the legal requirements to live and work in this country.

Additional information 1

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

The British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.

*Please refer to the “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages”. We are looking for a C1 level or equivalent. For more information, please click on the following link CEFR . Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.