View Vacancy - Senior Trade Adviser - ODI, Consumer and Retail (DEU18.674)
The British Embassy in Berlin is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and is now looking for a Senior Trade Adviser, Consumer and Retail to be part of the Department for International Trade Team (DIT).
The Senior Trade Adviser will lead the German consumer and retail team on the trade side and will be responsible for the strategic direction, setting priorities within the areas of retail technology, fashion, e-commerce, luxury and consumer goods. The jobholder will oversee the team’s budget and bit for additional funds as required.
The Senior Trade Adviser will be supporting British Businesses to increase exports of goods and services to Germany and more broadly assist UK business in their activities in the German market. Furthermore, the jobholder will lead on all projects regarding overseas direct investment by UK companies to Germany.
The Senior Trade Adviser will be adept at building and maintaining strong network contacts at buyers and C-level in order to develop enduring and successful commercial partnerships between Germany and British interests. The jobholder will identify and actively target German key account customers in the consumer and retail sectors.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
- To design and lead a strategic campaign to grow the value of UK exports to Germany in the consumer and retail sector;
- To oversee other campaign activities such as organisation of events at key trade fairs/missions, working closely with colleagues across DIT and in London HQ;
- To provide high quality advice to UK companies how to penetrate the German market, including identifying market opportunities;
- To support Overseas Direct Investment by UK companies to Germany;
- To build strong personal relations with key German companies to facilitate door opening for UK companies;
- To identify market access barriers and work with other Government and external stakeholders to overcome these barriers;
- To manage the Consumer and Retail Trade team;
- To undertake other duties that may reasonably be required and which are in accordance with the grading and core competencies of the job;
- Proficiency in English and German (written and spoken, minimum of C2 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;
- Good IT skills, especially MS Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel;
- Evidence of existing network in the consumer and retail sector;
- Staff management experience;
- Project Management experience;
- Nuanced understanding of the potential ramifications of the UK’s exit from the European Union and strategies to address this;
This is a full-time position of five working days 37.5 hours per week, for a contract period of two years with possibility of renewal.
Expected start date 4 February 2019, however, the successful candidate should be available to star as soon as possible.
Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Germany are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.
The British Embassy in Berlin 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 Embassy staff.
The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the Embassy, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting the Embassy’s positive working environment.
Visa/passport requirements: Must currently hold the independent right to live and work in Germany and be prepared to ensure that right remains throughout the scope of the contract.
The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance.
* 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 Embassy 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.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
