JOB DESCRIPTION

View Vacancy – IQB – Media and Communications Officer (AO)

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. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

Job Category

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

Job Subcategory

Communications, Press and Media

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

The British Embassy in Baghdad is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual for the position of Media and Communications Officer, Grade – AO.

The Communications and Media Officer plays a central role in the British Embassy Baghdad’s Press and Public Affairs team, supporting delivery of the UK’s objectives in Iraq through effective communication and engagement. We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive individual who will lead on managing the Embassy’s social media presence, support on editing and filming, monitor print and online media, and provide media support for high-level visits and events. The role also involves developing and implementing creative campaigns, producing timely analysis and reports on media trends and public sentiment, and supporting the Chevening scholarship programme. The jobholder will work closely with political, programme, and operational teams, as well as external stakeholders, both inside and outside the Embassy, requiring strong organisational skills, cultural awareness, and the ability to communicate in both English and Arabic.

Duties and responsibilities:

Social Media Management

• Lead the Embassy’s social media presence across platforms, ensuring content is timely, engaging, and aligned with UK priorities.
• Generate creative content ideas, maintain a content calendar, and engage with audiences where appropriate.
• Produce monthly social media reviews with actionable insights using analytics tools.
• Create, film and edit products for Embassy social media, inside and outside the Embassy.

Campaigns and Initiatives

• Develop and deliver creative campaigns and initiatives that support Embassy objectives and UK priorities in Iraq.
• Lead on events that align with UK in Iraq priorities and are part of our public diplomacy work.
• Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to ensure successful implementation.
• Evaluate impact and report on engagement and lessons learned.

Chevening Programme Support

• Provide logistical and administrative support for the Chevening scholarship programme, including interview scheduling, security access, and applicant coordination.

General Communications and Translation Support

• Assist with press and public affairs activities, including translation of content between English and Arabic.
• Attend events outside the Embassy where comms support is needed.
• Support media arrangements for visits and events, working with stakeholders inside and outside the Embassy.
• Monitor print and online media daily, providing timely updates and summaries to inform Embassy decision-making.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific responsibilities could change in the future, and this would be at the discretion of the line manager and Senior Management. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as and when required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any response to a crisis.

Key behaviours required:

• Seeing the big picture: Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
• Communicating and influencing: Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
• Working together: Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
• Delivering at pace: Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

Eligibility:

If you are selected for this position, we will be able to employ you as long as:

• We can obtain the appropriate level of local and UK security clearance for you; and
• You have (or be willing to obtain) the right to live and work in Iraq. Candidate”s residence permit and work permit, and the expense to obtain them, will be their own responsibility – the Embassy does not provide residence or work permits. If you have any questions about residency and/ or visa requirements, you should contact the relevant Iraqi Government Ministry.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Excellent written and spoken English and Arabic.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work proactively and collaboratively with internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with social media platforms and analytics tools.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience in Videography and Photography
• Ability to use graphic design and video editing software.
• Good understanding of the Iraq media landscape and audiences.

Required behaviours

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

Application deadline

1 December 2025

Grade

Administrative Officer (AO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Fixed Term

Working hours per week

38

Duration of Post

24 months

Region

Middle East & North Africa

Country/Territory

Iraq

Location (City)

Baghdad

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

USD

Salary

1982

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

15 January 2025

Other benefits and conditions of employment

Working hours and remuneration:

The Embassy aims to offer an attractive working environment and remuneration package for this role, including up to 21 days of annual leave (calculated pro-rata).

The role grade is AO with a base salary of USD $ 1982 per month. This base salary is paid 13 times a year. In addition, the role attracts a security allowance payable as part of this package. This security allowance is subject to review and may be altered or withdrawn at any time.

No accommodation nor relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position.

This position is for a full-time employment on a Two year contract (with possibility to extend) Employment is also subject to a 90-day probationary period.

Conditioned working hours are 38 hours per week. Normal working hours are Sunday to Wednesday from 08:00 to 16:00 and Thursday from 08:00-14:00. The jobholder will be required to be flexible in their approach to hours worked as these will be dictated by operational needs and may involve working out of hours (evenings/ weekends/ holidays) or emergency on call hours.

The job holder will be required to travel outside the Embassy and work outside of advertised hours might sometimes be required. The successful candidate should be flexible to ensure that Embassy objectives are met.

The Embassy encourages a culture of continuous learning. Training will be given in the role. All employees have access to the Civil Service-Learning platform, which gives access to training to improve job specific skills. Employees are entitled to a minimum number of annual training days.

 

Additional information

Application process:

Interested candidates must include to their online application form

1) An updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).

2) A covering letter/ motivation essay stating how you meet the requirements of the role; and

3) Specific examples, in the relevant sections of the online application form, of how you meet the key behaviours and skills required.

The online application form, CV, cover letter/ essay, and examples must be in English.

Applications that do not include these this information will not be considered.

Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

All applications must be received before 23:55 Iraq local time on 01 December 2025

Applications received after the stated deadline will not be considered.

Internal candidates (i.e., those who are currently employed by the British Embassy Baghdad/ British Consulate General Erbil) applying for this position should consider informing their current line manager upon submission of their application.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, only those shortlisted for the next step in the recruitment process will be contacted.

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful at interview may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of six (6) months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

The start date mentioned in the advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security-vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances and reference checks.

The recruitment process, including security clearance, is expected to take around 2-3 months. The security clearance process includes checks available in country and in the UK, dependant on the security level required for the role and the candidate’s profile and UK footprint. You may experience some delay in the progress of this recruitment campaign, and we are working hard to minimise any disruption.

The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require. The British Embassy Baghdad is an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to inclusivity, a diverse workforce and valuing difference. Staff recruited locally are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local employment law.

 

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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements