Duties and responsibilities include:• Support the drafting and delivery of the DIT Africa Communications & Marketing plan as part of the regional communication and marketing strategy. • Oversee (when possible) paid regional marketing campaigns to promote UK capability in priority sectors to buyers in the region. This includes the design, development, implementation and evaluation of campaigns. • Plan and lead research and insights activity, including commissioning research where required, alongside the DIT Insights & Evaluations team to inform campaigns and to adapt and improve their performance. • Deliver best practice communications and marketing support to DIT teams across the region, creating compelling content and marketing collateral to promote African markets to a UK audience, and to promote UK capability to African audiences. • Engage with stakeholders across the region and in HQ, sharing best practice to ensure a joined up approach to communications and marketing. • Help manage the regional marketing budget responsibly against agreed processes, ensuring value for money. • Lead all of Department's strategic communications strategy and activity including press, social media and markeing across Africa• Serve as a trusted advisor to HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, providing written and verbal briefings ahead of media appearances.• Help to manage local relationships with our global media buying agency and media partners. • Deputise for the DIT Africa Head of Communications & Marketing when required.• Line manage DIT Africa’s Marketing Manager and Content & Insights Manager, providing guidance and support to develop their skills.

• Press Secretary to the minister for International Trade, providing expert media advice and working as the key link between the International Trade Minister’s office and the wider department to ensure that communications output is delivered effectively. • Leading on media handling strategies for major trade policy announcements. • Line managing HEO press officers to ensure work is delivered on time and to a high standard while helping to develop their skill set.

• Providing concise and timely reactive responses to national, regional and international media, as well as providing proactive communications handling to tight deadlines.• Developing good relationships with other teams across the communications directorate and with other government departments and organisations.• Providing essential 24/7 cover as part of the out of hours duty press officer rota. • Generating creative and engaging content to help raise the profile of the department.• Producing high quality communications materials including, press release handling advice and reactive lines to tight deadlines

While at Defra, i sat on the Environment desk within press office working on a variety of issues including water services and quality and leading on all Natural England related queries. My main responsibilities include: - Drafting and writing press releases for regional, national and trade press - Providing communications advice to senior officials including special advisors and ministers through handling emails, pre-brief meetings and submissions. - I was responsible for delivering an end of week Natural England media update note, highlighting what press office has been working on that week. - I wrote and managed content for the Natural England blog, highlighting key stories and coverage - I was responsible for reviewing technical publications, ensuring appropriate communications handling is in place - Selling in stories to national and regional press to ensure widespread coverage. - Working with news desk to provide support on journalist queries that relate to my policy areas, helping to ensure reactive lines are provided quickly and are accurate and concise.

This six-month internship provided me with an invaluable opportunity to enhance and develop numerous skills. These included: - Drafting and writing press releases for both internal and external sources including local and national newspapers - Experience in using content management systems such as GOSS ICM - Creating and managing content across multiple social media platforms and web channels - Recording, editing and producing quality short videos for social media platforms - Interacting with numerous stakeholders and high-level individuals on a daily basis including elected members, senior officers and the press - I was also responsible for the publication of a weekly e-newsletter and had to ensure that content was relevant and informative