Visits and Events Officer (38/24 PTA)

Main Purpose Of Job

This is an excellent opportunity to play a prominent role in the work of the British High Commission in South Africa. The jobholder will work with two other Visits and Events Officers to support incoming UK visitors to South Africa during South Africas G20 Presidency year.

The successful candidate will work on the planning and logistics for:

• Visits from the UK to South Africa during South Africas 12-month Presidency of the G20, including ministers, senior officials and officials.
• High Commission events, ranging from smaller-scale receptions to high-profile public diplomacy events.

The Visits and Events section plays an important role within the Political Team, a team that has a wide range of responsibilities including foreign and domestic policy analysis and coordinating bilateral work and public diplomacy. The Political Team is a fast-paced, fun and supportive team that is at the heart of the High Commissions work. We place emphasis on networking and external engagement, to ensure we spend our time understanding South African policy, and we are responsible for organizing and hosting events, supporting visits, and advising ministers via our Headquarters in London.

Roles And Responsibilities

Visits

• You will work in collaboration with the other two Visits and Events officers, as well as with colleagues from across the UKinSA network, to provide planning and logistics support for a regular drumbeat of visitors from the UK during South Africas G20 Presidency year (Dec 2024 until Nov 2025).
• This will range from a full support package for ministers and senior government officials, to an advisory service for lower-level visitors (with the exact level of support dependent on competing priorities).
• The support you provide will include organizing recces to different venues, devising suitable transport plans with our transport team, arranging accommodation, liaising with the relevant team on security arrangements and being on standby to support during the visit itself. On the visitors arrival and departure, you may also be supporting them with check in and ensuring their luggage and passports are managed smoothly. And you will clearly communicate planning progress to colleagues throughout, so that everyone can keep track of preparations.
• You may also work occasionally with the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) on protocol arrangements, including liaison with State Protocol Lounges at South African airports and managing a roster of volunteers able to assist with airport meeting-and-greeting responsibilities.

Events

• You will support and/or lead on the planning and delivery of High Commission events, which vary in scale, seniority and public profile.
• You will work closely with our Residence team on timings and catering, you will work with suppliers to obtain quotes and delivery, and you will be responsible for designing and issuing invites and then keeping track of RSVPs.
• You will also play a supporting role for the High Commissions two largest annual events (the Kings Birthday Party in Pretoria and the Eve of Parliament reception in Cape Town) working closely with a wide range of teams to manage the preparations.
• Finally, you will work with the High Commissioners Executive Office to deliver smaller scale events, with the lead role flexing between the Visits and Events Officers, depending on workloads, and you will provide support for occasional internal staff events.

Resources Managed (staff And Expenditure)

The job holder will have no line management responsibilities, but will be responsible for tracking and accounting for spend.