View Vacancy - VNM - Trade Officer (Agri-Tech)

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is a new Department within the British Government and is responsible for promoting British trade across the world.  DIT in Vietnam has a network of 2 trade teams, based in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, working very closely together to deliver services to our customers.

The primary role will be to assist UK companies in the Agri-Tech sector to do business in Vietnam, including management of our strategic relationships with relevant Government departments and with key stakeholders in the sector.

The UK has 3 of the top 5 global universities, 20% of the workforce in science, over 100 science parks, well established R&D sites and the world’s best and most complete data-sets relevant to agriculture. In 2013, the agri-tech sector employed over half a million people in the UK contributed £14.3 billion to the UK economy.

Working with your manager and colleagues, you will identify and develop an extensive range of contacts in businesses, trade and other government organisations in the Agri-Tech sector. You will seek out opportunities, ways to improve, processes and service to stakeholders, making decisions and managing priorities with minimum supervision. You will also be a part of the wider DIT network in Vietnam and will be based at the British Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City.  You will need to be a self-starter, able to manage your own time effectively, evaluating options, impacts, risks and solutions – knowing when and how to seek advice from others. You will also be expected to make a positive contribution to the wider DIT and One-HMG team.

You will develop key account management strategy to help identify and build a robust pipeline of ‘value’ opportunities for UK firms, and also carry out planned marketing activities to promote UK expertise in the sector.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Identify companies and individuals who may be sources of opportunities for UK companies, formulating and managing a stakeholder engagement plan to visit these companies. Work closely with the British Business Group in Vietnam (BBGV) to identify and advertise ‘value’ and ‘volume’ to alert British Businesses to opportunities in the Agri-Tech sector. 
• Take the initiative in controlling day to day stakeholder management, identifying, planning and organising outreach to the sector’s stakeholders. Also, managing the customer relationship management system (CDMS) – entering new contacts, updating existing ones and recording Interactions, to handle routine commercial correspondence, telephone & commercial enquiries, preparation of DIT notices and updating contact lists.
• Use knowledge and experiences to proactively contribute and collaborate with colleagues and customers to produce and update a sector business plan to deliver DIT high level objectives. Use project management techniques, identifying innovative solutions to problems as well as use tested methods such as Inward/Outward trade missions, seminars, official and ministerial visits. 
• Work with the wider Trade Team on other sectors as required, including providing support to trade missions, seminars, webinars, receptions and other events to promote the UK – leading these events when required.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and Vietnamese
• Ability to effectively and credibly deal with companies/organizations at a senior level through all forms of communication and a proven track record of fostering business relationships
• Excellent research and report writing skills – with an ability to identify relevant information and provide clear, concise summaries
• Proactive, self-starting approach to work with the ability to deliver effectively under limited day-to-day supervision in a deadline-sensitive, fast-paced environment
• Good IT skills