View Vacancy - Trade and Investment Country Director, DIT Jamaica

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Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
DIT

Main purpose of job:

To strengthen the UK’s trade and investment relationship with Jamaica, in line with the Department for International Trade's Strategic Goal and Regional Trade Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

Aim 1. Opening Markets, reducing market access barriers 

The successful candidate will lead work to remove barriers to trade between Jamaica and the UK.

  • You will identify issues that inhibit access to the Jamaican market for British exporters and investors (Market Access Barriers), communicate these barriers to regional and HQ colleagues including logging on the Digital Market Access Service (DMAS) and devise and deliver relevant actions on an agreed plan to address those with the highest priority. 
  • You will work closely with the High Commissioner and the DIT Regional Trade Policy team to engage with the Jamaican Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, as well as with private sector stakeholders, to encourage a favourable policy environment for UK-Jamaica trade; in particular, you will support Jamaica’s ratification, implementation and compliance of the UK-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).  You will also promote the EPA and other policy changes to business in order to increase trade and investment.,
  • You will work closely with the regional trade policy team to engage Jamaican stakeholders on the UK’s priorities for regional and multilateral trade policy, particularly those relating to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
  • You will develop the programme, undertake research and provide briefing in the event of high level visits e.g. HM Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, DIT Ministers and the Caribbean Trade Envoy.

Aim 2. Trade Support

  • You will develop and maintain a productive network of British companies with existing interests in Jamaica (investments and exports), their local partners (e.g. buyers, distributors) and potential local partners for British firms including professional associations and the Chambers of Commerce. 
  • You will log all interactions with British companies on the internal DataHub system and manage the most important relationships on a systematic account management basis. 
  • You will draw on your experience and knowledge as well as sectoral expertise from DIT colleagues across Latin America and the Caribbean, taking the lead in specific sectors across the Caribbean region, to provide high quality support to British companies, and proactively identify opportunities to deploy UK Export Finance. 
  • You will identify private sector partners capable of supporting UK companies to enter the market and, working with the DIT Latin America and Caribbean (LATAC) Enquiry Hub, refer British companies you do not have the capacity to support.

Aim 3. FDI and ODI Support

  • You will support Jamaican companies and high net worth individuals to invest in the UK and in addition support UK firms interested in investing in Jamaica. 

Aim 4. Promotion :

  • You will work with the Regional DIT Director, and the High Commissioner to position the UK as an attractive commercial partner, bring new British exporters and investors to Jamaica, promoting opportunities through the Export Opportunities platform, social media and showcasing existing successful case studies with support of the DIT LATAC Marketing Hub.
  • You will utilise the British High Commission’s (social) media reach in Jamaica to promote the UK, drawing on material produced by the DIT LATAC Marketing Hub and beyond to update Jamaican perceptions on the creativity and innovation of British industry, showcasing the UK’s unique strengths as a destination for Jamaican overseas investment and champion global free trade and UK trade values.

Delivery

  • You will work with the Regional DIT Director and High Commissioner to devise and refresh (at least annually) a Country Business Plan; a document which draws on the strategic goal and aims of the Regional Trade Plan, and sets out activities and goals relevant for Jamaica. Subsequently, you use this plan to effectively manage your resources, including the prioritisation of key tasks and activities and to forecast expenditure throughout the financial year, reconciling this expenditure in line with that forecast such that the DIT Caribbean budget is well managed.
  • You will play a wider role as a member of the DIT Caribbean team, and as one of the senior leaders in the British High Commission in Kingston, participate in activities that benefit all colleagues.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

  • Management of a Trade and Investment Officer.
  • A travel and entertainment budget of approximately £13,000 per annum.

Essential on arrival:

  • Proven knowledge of Jamaican business environment.
  • Track record of developing and maintaining a network of contacts, account management and sales and promotion experience

Desirable:

  • Graduate or Post-Graduate qualification in international business, trade or economics.
  • Strong network of Jamaican business contacts.
  • Experience of support companies to export to or invest in Jamaica.
  • Understanding of the UK economy.
  • Experience of budget management.
  • Knowledge and experience of working on trade policy.
Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together
17 May 2022
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Full-time, Permanent
Gross – 39 hours, net – 35 hours
Americas, Caribbean & Overseas Territories
Jamaica
Kingston
British High Commission
1
J$6,274,113 pa
27 June 2022

Must have the legal status to live and work in Jamaica. 

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary, eg some non-local national staff and some spouses or partners of UK diplomatic staff, will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.

Learning and development opportunities:

HM Government and the Department for International Trade are committed to supporting each of their staff to learn, grow and develop.  All staff and their managers are expected to devise a personalised Development Plan, which identifies areas for professional development and sets out a combination of formal and informal learning.  As part of its People Plan, the Department for International Trade in Latin America and the Caribbean has a Learning and Development fund to support its staff to access formal learning.


Job holder must be willing and able to undertake occasional international travel.


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.