Job Description

About The Ditchley Foundation

Ditchley is an independent and politically neutral non-profit organisation, which works towards the renewal of democratic societies, states and alliances to help sustain peace, freedom and the rule of law. It does this by bringing together people across divides of expertise, generation, geography and political opinion to work on complex global challenges.

At Ditchley we create the space and time for frank conversations and strategic thinking. We organise our programme of private, high-level conferences, summits, and other smaller convenings mainly at Ditchley Park but also at Ditchley London and occasionally in the US, Canada, and Europe, operating under the broad themes of Geopolitics; Technology; Energy Security and Climate Action; and Democracy. In those areas we convene influential and thoughtful people to think new things and make new connections to address the complex challenges facing democracies.

Our main route to impact is through the people we bring together - opinion formers and those working on and taking decisions that affect real-world outcomes. To that end, our expertise creates and consolidates influential cross community networks across themes, challenging established thinking and helping form new coalitions for change. Our main locus is the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe, but our perspective is as global as the challenges that relationship must address.

The role

The Programme Officer roles will support senior staff in building Ditchley's network of thinkers, connectors and decision-makers, and designing and delivering Ditchley's programme of events. To do this, they will:

Research potential participants in our convenings, maintain databases, develop approach strategies, arrange and participate in meetings up to a very senior level, and schedule and conduct calls

Capture new ideas and continually refresh Ditchley's understanding of the fields we're working on, helping the senior team shape the key questions our convenings look to address through desk work, conversations within our network and around our events, and attendance at external events where relevant

Produce draft background papers and take notes for Ditchley events, brief senior staff, and carry out other administrative and support tasks as necessary

Work with the Programme Support team to deliver administrative and logistical aspects of Ditchley events

Conduct pre-event and post-event calls with selected participants in our convenings

Facilitate and lead small-group discussions to encourage strategic thinking and networking among community members

Manage intern tasks with the support of senior staff, and support our intern alumni programme and wider youth engagement

Attend the Ditchley Foundation Annual Lecture and assist with any aspects of event organisation and delivery that may be required

Although each Programme Officer will have an area on which most of their time is spent, based on their background and expertise, and will have one line manager who will be responsible for helping them balance and manage workload, they will be expected to work flexibly across multiple different lines of activity for different senior team members. We expect these roles to mainly support work across geopolitics (particularly European politics and transatlantic relations) and climate and energy security, but they can additionally expect to work on issues around media freedom, defence, and trade and economics, amongst others.

These roles will be strongly developmental for the right candidates. Ditchley will offer you a unique experience where you can expect to have contact with very senior and influential people with a regularity that greatly exceeds that in any other early-career role. The breadth and depth of our programming, allied to the small size of our organisation, means that you will have the opportunity to build an understanding of the fields we work in and the linkages between them. After two years in the role you can expect to have significantly improved your strategic thought, your geopolitical and geoeconomic awareness, your interpersonal and communication skills, and your drafting, and to have built up an international network of contacts across the fields that you have been working on. You will have seen real impact in action, and understand how change is achieved on the complex issues that matter to our world

Essential criteria

:

Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to capture and communicate complex issues and questions concisely

Ability to quickly grasp new concepts and respond flexibly to changes in programming

A high degree of social and emotional intelligence, and a willingness to work co-operatively across multiple programme areas: Ditchley is a small organisation, and we expect our staff to integrate and co-operate effectively across the team

Ability to empathise with different viewpoints and perspectives, and to foster collaborations and partnerships among stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, nurturing a cooperative and inclusive environment

Good research skills, and forward-thinking mindset to anticipate future trends and emerging issues in Ditchley's thematic areas

Able to work in person at Ditchley three days a week (shared on-site accommodation can be provided for overnight stays where necessary to support events) and to potentially travel domestically and internationally

Degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience

You must additionally have at least one of the following:

Understanding of European and US politics, including domestic issues

Understanding of the politics and economics of climate action

Understanding of energy security and related technological and geopolitical issues

Desirable experience and qualities would include:

Specific knowledge about one or more European countries

Languages other than English

Experience and interest in using database and AI tools

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 30,160.00 per year

Benefits:

Company events Company pension Discounted or free food Free flu jabs Free parking Health & wellbeing programme Housing allowance On-site parking Sick pay
Application question(s):

Please indicate if you can attend first round interviews virtually on 17th June Second round interviews for successful candidates will be on 25th/ 27th June at Ditchley Park, please confirm you availability and preference Please provide a covering letter with your application.
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Oxfordshire OX7 4ER

Application deadline: 12/06/2025