View Vacancy - SH - Senior Trade and Investment Officer (Financial and Professional Services), B3 (L)

This is a dynamic role for an exceptional individual to join the team as Senior Trade and Investment Officer to help to advance the trade and investment ambitions articulated in the Department for International Trade (DIT) Regional Trade Plan for the China and Hong Kong region, which are:

Objective 1 - Driving and inspiring UK exports to China, significantly increasing the UK market share of China's goods imports, and more than double the value of UK services exports.

Objective 2 – Consistent trade policy engagement with China to achieve incremental market access, mitigate business risk and prepare for future trade deals

Objective 3 - Broadening and deepening the UK-China investment partnership, positioning the UK as the top European destination for Chinese investment and providing strong support for UK investors.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) was established by the Prime Minister in July 2016 to integrate and elevate the Trade agenda; help secure a better deal for the UK as it negotiates a successful exit from the EU; and, establish new relationships with other countries around the globe. DIT promotes British trade across the world and ensures the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us, securing and improving the economic well-being and stability of the UK, and helping to create tens of thousands of jobs every year.

Led by Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for China and Hong Kong we are one of nine global regions and part of an overseas network that operates in 108 countries. The largest DIT overseas network in the world, with 200 staff across six posts - the British Embassy in Beijing, plus Consulates in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Wuhan – DIT, as part of the One HMG network in China and Hong Kong, offers a fast-paced place to work at the heart of UK: China Government relations.

Detail:

China’s financial and professional services industry is rapidly evolving.  We require a team member to think commercially about the opportunities for the UK in this exciting sector, with particular focus on the Commercial Banking and Capital Markets sub-sectors. The jobholder will need to develop a sound understanding of these sub-sectors in order to be able to spot and develop opportunities, as well as proactively building their professional networks.

Core responsibilities of the role include:

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with key government departments and industry associations both in China and in the UK;
• Working with leading Chinese financial institutions, helping them understand the fundamental dynamics of the UK financial service sector, working closely with them to shape their overseas investment strategies, identify and evaluate investment opportunities in the UK market;
• Working with UK companies of different sizes, helping them understand the opportunities in China, helping companies work smarter and grow faster. The work should evolve to response to industry trends and management focus;
• Promoting the UK excellence as a global financial centre by working with people in the industry in different ways, including organising/supporting/attending sector focused events;
• Getting business insights, understanding market barriers and other issues related to market access, working in collaboration with partners and stakeholders in the network to overcome the challenges;
• Working with China-Britain Business Council, making sure they deliver what we have planned for the financial year, and helping them with service delivery;
• Working with other teams in the consulate to support VIP/VVIP visit between the UK and China.

 Roles and responsibilities:

Relationship Building (35%)

Based on team priorities, identify and build relationships with key companies and other organisations (e.g. intermediaries, trade associations, government departments etc) in the UK and China to understand their business/international plans and priorities. Proactively expand professional network by organising and participating in relevant sector-focused events.

Work to identify potential high value opportunities for UK export and foreign direct investment from China and ensuring these are proactively pursued to fruition, contributing to team/directorate commercial targets for the financial year.

Contribution to strategy development (25%)

Actively contribute to development of sub-sectoral strategies (Commercial Banking and Capital Markets), developing programme of focused activity/engagement for the financial year and ensuring this these plans are executed to the highest standards.

Promote the UK Market (25%)

Work with other stakeholders in the network to developing compelling, targeted pitches to Chinese companies to encourage them to do more in the UK. This may include supporting Chinese missions to the UK, with the purpose to help them explore and understand the UK market, meet key counterparts and better understand the “UK offer”. Likewise, support UK companies looking to develop/expand their business in/with China in a similar manner.

Visits Support (10%)

Contribute to the design and delivery of high-level visits programs between the UK and China. This includes involvement in visits planning, supporting, and some follow-up work, working closely with the China-Britain Business Council to ensure a “One Team” approach.

Continual Development (5%)

Commit to continual learning, making full use of on the job opportunities to deepen sector knowledge and understanding of the UK capability and UK/China business environment, as well as formal training for skills and personal competences most relevant to the job. This includes knowledge-sharing with colleagues across DIT and the wider Embassy/Consulate.

• Highly proficient in spoken and written English and Mandarin
• Proven international experience, ideally including experience/understanding of the UK and/or Chinese financial services industry;
• Excellent networking skills;
• Evidence of strong commercial acumen;
• Broad understanding of financial services industry, particularly the Commercial Banking and/or Asset Management sub-sectors;
• Well-organised, motivated and diligent;
• Good IT skills, including Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and database management.