Senior Congressional Advisor -
Foreign and Commonwealth Office -
Washington -
Closing Date : 23 Mar 2017
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Background
The British Embassy is looking for a dynamic and driven individual to join our political team as the Senior Congressional Advisor. The successful applicant will oversee the three person congressional team and direct the Embassy’s work with Congress, ensuring that we have the right contacts, in the right places and that we understand how developments on the Hill might affect British interests. This is a fast paced job which is ideally suited to an ambitious and motivated individual.
The British Embassy is looking for a dynamic and driven individual to join our political team as the Senior Congressional Advisor. The successful applicant will oversee the three person congressional team and direct the Embassy’s work with Congress, ensuring that we have the right contacts, in the right places and that we understand how developments on the Hill might affect British interests. This is a fast paced job which is ideally suited to an ambitious and motivated individual.
The successful applicant will be a self-starter who is proactive in building networks (although the ideal candidate will join us with established contacts on the Hill) and will be committed to delivering results – including overcoming obstacles where necessary.
The job offers unparalleled levels of access to senior stakeholders in the British government from the Prime Minister down and includes daily interaction with the Ambassador. It also leads on building the relationship between the British parliament and Congress. The successful applicant will need to be confident around senior stakeholders and to be a credible interlocutor for our senior contacts in the American political system.
The role will require someone who can work across the Embassy, supporting and advising numerous teams whose business means they need to be plugged into Congress (from trade relations, to energy and even issues such as Northern Ireland). They will see opportunity in collaboration with others, will think creatively and will be a natural networker.
The Congressional team sits within the Embassy’s Political Team: the job holder will play a key role in reporting on the 2018 midterm elections. They will need to have a good grasp of US politics and the different dynamics at play.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Draw up and lead on the delivery of a Congressional Engagement Plan for the Embassy (and our wider US network of posts) to ensure that we are talking to the right people to achieve delivery of the UK’s priorities in the US.
- Coordinate Congressional meetings for the Ambassador, senior Embassy officials and visiting Cabinet Ministers;
- Manage a three person Congressional Unit ensuring suitable support and development opportunities to all members of the team;
- Ensure that staff across the Embassy fully understand the role that Congress plays in policy making and how to ensure that British views are heard during that process, including facilitating theright relationships to make that happen;
- Support the Political Team in identifying and building relationships with rising congressional starsand contribute to political reporting and advice to senior British stakeholders in areas of interest to the UK;