Political Attaché

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

**Main purpose of job**:
The British High Commissioner in Nassau is recruiting a Political Attaché to lead on all political and public affairs for the UK government in The Bahamas.

The Political Attaché works hand-in-glove with the High Commissioner and is responsible for following the political and economic situation in The Bahamas, working with Ministries, Agencies, and key political contacts in both The Bahamas and in the UK to ensure the UK is agile and politically sensitive in its work. You will be visible externally and report internally, lead on policy priorities - currently climate change, defence, education, and trade - plan incoming visits, deliver small projects, and manage our relationship with the press.

The successful applicant will enjoy networking, write well, be agile and responsive to opportunities, and be an established professional. You will be well known in a professional capacity to the government of The Bahamas, the Opposition, and key contacts in business and the family islands.

As part of a small team, the Political Attaché also contributes to the day-to-day operations of the BHC as well as crisis preparedness and response. The opportunities for delivering exciting projects, including your own ideas, are endless; with the active support of the High Commissioner, you will need to self-manage your time and energy effectively, and maintain good boundaries.

This is a fantastic and varied job working in one of the key diplomatic missions based in Nassau. You will be the political face of the High Commission, after the High Commissioner. Political Attachés are the key person in every diplomatic mission, and you will enjoy the support and network of colleagues in other diplomatic missions in Nassau, as well as all other British High Commissions in the Caribbean. Previous incumbents have supported Ministerial and Royal visits from the UK, supported meetings with Prime Ministers, delivered projects on climate change and defence, negotiated trade deals, written briefing for UK Ministers going to the UN General Assembly and CARICOM, briefed the media, written key reports for London, travelled to the USA and across the Caribbean for conferences, gone sailing, and much more. All have left on promotion, building on the opportunity that working in a small but important diplomatic mission brings in The Bahamas, and for the UK in the Caribbean.

The job offers a wide range of responsibilities, including some travel and many opportunities for personal development.

**Roles and responsibilities**:

- ** Political Work**: This is the main priority. Political work includes political analysis and reporting and engagement with the offices of the Government of The Bahamas at both Ministerial and official level. The scope of political work spans domestic political, economic and social issues, regional, international and multilateral. Some of the activity is lobbying on issues of importance to the UK, e.g., climate change, trade, security, values, human rights, equality - including on race, sex, and gender - and reporting back on issues of importance to The Bahamas. The Officer will regularly stand in for the High Commissioner at local meetings of regional significance. The Officer will arrange and plan for official (UK) visitors, leveraging these key ‘political’ moments for the UK and Bahamas, including shaping written briefing, accompanying to meetings, drafting speeches, and providing protocol assistance and advice that is culturally appropriate.
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Policy and Project Delivery**: As a product of our political engagement, ‘delivering change’ comes in the form of negotiating changes in policy, both internally and with the Bahamian government. This can include on Trade and Investment, climate change, defence, or slavery reparations. Trade and Investment work, for example, includes effectively engaging private sector companies, trade bodies, chambers of commerce (in Nassau and the Family Islands), and trade advisors in order to provide information for potential UK investment, and to support delivery. This can take time and involves the ability to persuade others and build consensus. We sometimes use project (such as small grants) to test ideas or delivery change directly.
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Cultural coordination, and projects**: The UK wants to bring Britain and The Bahamas closer together, and the keyway to do this is through cultural projects. The Officer will lead on annual priorities, which currently include organising a university fair, working on UK university partnerships for the UK, supporting a series of food and beverage events, growing our sailing partnership, and others. The Officer will do this by connecting British and Bahamian institutions or creating projects (or issuing small grants) that deliver these outcomes directly.
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Public Diplomacy, Press and Communications**: The officer is the BHC’s point of contact for Bahamian press and media