View Vacancy - Country Director - Department for Business and Trade (06/23 YAO)
Main purpose of job:
This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Our aim is to promote British trade and investment across the world which is vital for the prosperity of the UK. DBT brings together policy, promotion and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment in markets across the world to help businesses succeed. This is a great opportunity to be part of an international team that contributes to the success of the UK's trade goals.
The the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the Trade Promotion and Negotiation Organisation for the UK. We promote UK businesses overseas and attract foreign investment to our shores. We have 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries. Our aspiration is to address some of the challenges facing the UK, by helping British businesses to internationalise and grow overseas.
The UK government is committed to ts presence in Africa. This role offers applicants the opportunity to help shape this new, long-term UK partnership for prosperity and stability with Africa. You will join the the Department for Business and Trade’s Africa network, providing crucial leadership and expertise. You will be networked closely with colleagues from across HMG working on prosperity issues as DBT can only successfully deliver our commercial ambitions by working seamlessly as part of joint and coordinated prosperity teams alongside our Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) colleagues.
Roles and responsibilities:
You will be the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Country Director, leading and overseeing the team within a larger Embassy operation supporting our trade and investment relationship with Cameroon.The primary objective of your role as Country Director is to encourage private sector led growth, by protecting and promoting investment and leveraging the strengths of businesses in order to support the poverty reduction, investment and broader economic objectives of Cameroon, as well as supporting the UK’s investment ambitions in Africa.
The Africa Region is exciting and energising and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK the second largest investor on the continent. With some of the strongest growing economies in the world and booming population growth, there are numerous more opportunities for UK firms; from tech start-ups in the West to infrastructure in the East. The Network’s role is to promote these opportunities and position the UK as the continent’s number one trading partner and investor.
- Support British companies to win new business in Cameroon.
- Provide strategic direction for DBT activity in Cameroon, identifying and regularly reviewing priorities for trade, outward investment, trade policy and market access work streams with both embassy and DBT leadership teams, ensuring that these are fully aligned to the Africa Regional Trade Plan.
- Lead the DBT team in Cameroon, ensuring that each team member has a clear sector and/or thematic focus and objectives, and a clear pipeline of deals and activities in place to achieve those objectives.
- Be an integral part of the Embassy’s senior leadership team, ensuring that DBT and wider embassy goals are aligned, and advising the Ambassador on commercial matters.
- Ensure the Trade Commissioner for Africa based in Johannesburg has a strong insight into DBT’s strategy for Cameroon, and identify where he can advance specific opportunities.
- Develop and maintain a network of high value trade and investment relationships in Cameroon, including in Cameroonian government and the local British and Cameroonian business community.
- Organise visits and trade missions, including by trade ministers and the Trade Commissioner
- Represent DBT Africa and HMG at events to promote Cameroon to new investors and also create and manage an events schedule in support of your country business plan, leveraging the HM Trade Commissioner, Deputy Trade Commissioner and Heads of Mission. You will need to be a confident public speaker, networker and relationship builder
- Promote, where relevant, the financing products offered by UK Export Finance, the British government’s Export Credit Agency, to support companies win contracts
- Identify market access and other issues faced by existing UK investors in market and work with the trade policy team to implement campaigns to solve them. Promote Cameroon to new investors, including identifying events that can be use to maximise the visibility of the UK offer, and partner with the Cameroonian investment promotion function
- Liaise with other areas of UK government, and provide advice and guidance on trade, investment and trade policy issues, ensuring that commercial offers are complementary to our political and programme support
- Manage the local devolved budget, ensuring that financial and staff resources are deployed effectively in support of DBT priorities, the achievement of challenging targets and the identification of future opportunities
- Engaging with the Government of Cameroon, other State entities and the local private sector to promote British business partnership opportunities, including lobbying and market access support
Resources managed:
- 1 DBT staff member
- A university degree in a relevant area or other professional qualification
- Experience of working with Government departments and/or public sector agencies
- Private sector experience, or within a private-sector orientated part of UK Government and a strong understanding of the Cameroonian business environment and economy
- Excellent organisational and self-management skills to respond effectively to tight – and changing – deadlines and priorities
- Relevant work experience, a track record of delivery through collaboration and partnering in complex environments
- Campaign or project management experience, strong eye for business in identifying potential business partners; capacity to identify gaps and barriers for market creation opportunities in the assigned country
- Strong interpersonal and leadership skills including to build credibility with senior government/business representatives
- Building the skills and capacity of teams including the ability to mentor and coach others to achieve results
- Experience in managing budgets
- A positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable “can-do” attitude that can see way through challenges
- Fully fluent in English and French
Language requirements:
Language: English and French
Level of language required: Fully fluent
- Knowledge and/or experience in the trade and investment sector in Cameroon
- Experience in client facing roles (managing businesses, understanding issues and pursuing strategies together, investment appraisal, deal pipeline preparation, deals brokering)
- Excellent drafting skills
- Experience working internationally
- Strong evidence of working strategically in bilateral and multilateral fora
- Experience of working with Government departments and/or public sector agencies
Learning and development opportunities:
The successful applicant will have access to a range of Learning and Development opportunities with in-house and e-learning, with the potential for overseas training. From time to time there will be requirements to assist other teams within the Department, building overall resilience and broader experience.
- Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
- The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
- Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Yaounde are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Cameroon.
- All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;
1.Obtain the relevant permit
2.Pay the fees for the permit
3.Make arrangements to relocate
4.Meet the costs to relocation - Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
- Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
- Please note: Job grade AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
- Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
- Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of your application.
- Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a reserve list. If during the reserve period of 6/12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
