View Vacancy - Head of Germany Life Sciences Team and Senior Business Development Manager (DEU18.063)

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Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)
Department for International Trade (DIT)

The British Consulate-General, Düsseldorf is looking for a Head of Life Sciences and Senior Business Development Manager for the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s trade and investment team in Germany. This exciting opportunity is for 12 months (with potential scope to extend), to cover the parental leave of the current jobholder.

In this position you will report to the Department of International Trade, which promotes inward investment to the United Kingdom, supports the development of British exports and is responsible for the development of future trade policy. You will also be part of the United Kingdom’s diplomatic network in Germany, comprising the British Embassy, Berlin and the Consulates-General in Munich and Düsseldorf.

As Head of the UK Government’s Life Sciences Team in Germany, your primary role is to promote the UK as the most attractive inward investment market in Europe. This involves identifying and actively targeting key Life Sciences customers in the German market. You will manage projects, provide advice and assistance to potential and existing German investors in the UK and bring investment projects to a successful conclusion. This is a hands-on role that requires a combination of strategic thinking with a strong practical commitment to results. You need to be able to see the big picture and organise successful operational delivery.  

You will also oversee the small team which works with UK companies seeking to export Life Sciences products and services to Germany. This involves supporting that team in strategy development and implementation and in harnessing synergies between the export and investment sides of the business.  

In addition, as Senior Business Development Manager, you will lead investment campaigns for the Chemicals and Food and Drink sectors in Germany. You will oversee the work of the Business Development Manager leading on investment campaigns for the German Financial Services, Agricultural Technology (Agritech) and Retail sectors, supporting them in strategy development and implementation.  

You will also have the opportunity to contribute to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany Network and to support a positive working environment, in which personal and professional learning & development are encouraged. As one of the most senior members of the Consulate-General staff, you will contribute to the smooth operation of the whole team of around 25. This includes deputising for the Consul-General as required in chairing team meetings and representing Düsseldorf at weekly Germany Network meetings. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

  • To identify and actively target Life Sciences, Chemicals and Food & Drink key account customers in the German market which have the potential to invest in the UK and/or to expand their existing activities there;  
  • To build strong customer relationships with these companies. This includes working credibly with senior decision makers, as well as having strong organisational skills to track investment prospects;  
  • To advise and provide assistance to potential and existing German investors in order to bring investment projects to a successful conclusion in cooperation with UK partners.
  • To promote the UK as a location for investment through the organisation of and participation in focused public relations and networking events, leveraging other resources including the British Ambassador and Consuls-General Dusseldorf and Munich;  
  • Line management of two job holders: the small team covering Life Sciences exports from the UK to Germany; and the Business Development Manager covering the Financial Services, Agritech and Retail sectors for investment to the UK. This includes performance management, supporting staff members’ own Learning & Development and supporting the team to deliver their business plans.

  • Fluent English and German (both written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR framework*).
  • Good knowledge of the German and UK Business Environments;
  • Excellent interpersonal and networking skills;
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
  • Excellent time management and prioritisation skills;
  • Ability to research and analyse complex information;
  • Self Starter – ability to work well on own initiative;
  • Staff management experience;
  • Good IT skills, especially MS Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
  • Experience of the German and/or UK Life Sciences sector and / or the Chemicals and Food & Drink sectors;
  • Experience in business development and key account management
  • Project Management experience;
  • Experience of Customer Relationship Management software.
4 March 2018
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Full-time, Temporary, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
37.5
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Germany
Dusseldorf
British Consulate General
1
EUR
€75,108 gross per annum
23 April 2018

This is a full-time temporary position of 37.5 hours per week to cover maternity leave of the current jobholder. We expect the position to be available for 1 year, however the period could be longer or shorter depending on jobholder’s maternity leave dates.

The British Consulate General in Dusseldorf has a strong ethos of Learning and Development, including our Learning and Development Week. In addition, there will be many opportunities to attend external seminars and events on relevant issues. This is in addition to the induction programme offered to all British Consulate General staff.

The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the British Consulate General, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting the British Consulate General positive working environment.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance. The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorization for Germany in order to apply.

Staff recruited locally by the British British Consulate General in Germany are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.

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

* Please note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment  indicates Level C2 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.

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.

Please be advised that the British Consulate General will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

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.