View Vacancy - Senior Investment Officer (CHEB18.721)

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.
Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
Department for International Trade (DIT)

Do you think you can play a key role in ensuring that the United Kingdom remains a major destination for foreign direct investment from companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein?  Would you like the opportunity to network with senior executives and entrepreneurs? Do you like rising to varied challenges? Would you enjoy working in a government organisation?

The British Embassy in Berne is looking for a Senior Investment Officer who will engage with companies interested in expanding their business to the UK. You will be an ambitious, driven and energetic individual with customer-facing or commercial experience. In this high-profile role, you will lead on the work that maximises high value foreign direct investment from Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the United Kingdom. You will be responsible for the cultivation and maintenance of senior relationships to support your clients’ investment objectives. Key sectors we work within include Financial Services, Life Sciences, Advanced Engineering, Food & Food Processing and all tech sectors including Fintech; Medtech; Agritech; IT.

This is a locally engaged, permanent & full-time position within the British Embassy, Berne, for the Department for International Trade (DIT), which reports directly to the Head of Investment.

 The work will involve travel within Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and occasionally to the UK and elsewhere in Europe, in a direct customer and client-facing capacity. Travel for training and sector development activities will be required as well as occasional business networking events outside of normal working hours.


Main Roles and Responsibilities:

  • Maintain existing relationships with the decision makers of the major companies and develop effective relationships with new companies in your designated industrial sectors.

  • As an independent officer, engage with companies and negotiate customised solutions for their business development in the UK, to achieve agreed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) targets.

  • Organise and participate at company visits with Her Majesty’s Ambassador and sector specialists; attend relevant events and promote the UK as prime location for business.

  • Track, and be knowledgeable of, UK government policy changes linked industrial strategy, post-EU exit priorities, and regulation.

  • Report regularly to the Director DIT in Switzerland & Liechtenstein with regards to your pipeline progression and successes.

  • Contribute to the smooth functioning of work within the Embassy, including participation at commercially relevant Embassy events.

  • Experience of business development, ideally in an international & B2B context;

  • Ability to develop and maintain networks with senior decision makers;

  • Strong interpersonal, networking and communication skills;

  • Good knowledge of Swiss business;

  • Ability to deliver to ambitious targets and outcomes;

  • Fluent English, plus one other Swiss national language;

  • Strong research and analytical skills;

  • IT literacy;

  • Swiss citizen or valid Swiss work permit.


  • Knowledge of the UK as a business location;

  • An understanding of the commercial environment in Europe;

  • Some knowledge of government organisations;

  • B2 level of at least one of the Swiss national languages.


 

25 November 2018
Executive Officer (EO)
Full-time, Permanent, Flexible working
40
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Switzerland
Berne
British Embassy
1
CHF
7,482
1 February 2019

This is a full-time permanent contract of 40 hours per week.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background and security clearance.

The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation for Switzerland in order to apply.

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Switzerland.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

FCO does not pay for travel related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.

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.

This opportunity is closed to applications.