View Vacancy - Manager – Food and Drink, Textiles and Tourism (BEL18.116)

Scotland House in Brussels is part of a world-wide network, representing Scottish political and economic interests overseas. We are seeking to recruit a Manager – Food and Drink, Textiles and Tourism to represent Scotland’s Economic Development organisation – Scottish Development International (SDI) – as an integral part of Scotland House team.

In October 2016, the First Minister of Scotland announced that SDI’s resources in Europe would be supplemented to ‘double the number of SDI staff working across Europe’. This position has been identified as one of the additional staff roles which are being created across Europe. Each post is being recruited for a fixed-term appointment of 2 years.

Each post is being recruited for a fixed-term appointment for the period during which the UK Government and the EU negotiate the UK’s exit from the EU and allowing for some limited extra time after this negotiation period ends to wrap up outstanding matters that have not been completed during the negotiation period itself.

Purpose:

The recent increase in SDI staff across the EU has identified a clear requirement to put in place a managerial position which will to manage, coordinate and embed a new cross sector approach in the geography across the Food and Drink, Tourism and Textiles sectors. A significant role, the successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring that all activity is aligned to priorities in these sectors whilst also ensuring the full resources of our organisation are utilised in doing so. Successful candidates will be expected to manage pan-EU and wider EMEA staff and resources that will deliver on Scotland’s international trade priorities, whilst also exciting and enthusing customers, partners and colleagues through a much deeper knowledge and insight of opportunities in Europe which fit with Scotland’s propositions.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

To undertake the following during and in relation to the Brexit negotiation period:

• Manage the Food and Drink (approx 50% of time), Textiles and Tourism sector teams across EU and wider EMEA ensuring that operational activities are aligned to our sector plans and priorities;
• Effectively and efficiently manage these sector teams across a sizeable geography ensuring excellent communication and collaboration across teams and sectors in SDI EMEA;
• Manage the Scotland Food & Drink team of in-market specialists, providing clear direction in terms of market, sector and company priorities and ensuring market plans, insights and quarterly reports are all delivered as per the partnership agreement;
• Manage the development and implementation of our international trade activities within these assigned sectors ensuring that activity and focus is retained on those areas that align with our strategic priorities and will deliver maximum return;
• Represent EMEA on global ISMT teams for these assigned sectors ensuring insight and influence is provided regularly and in support of the annual planning process;
• Manage and maintain relationships with key sector stakeholders;
• Ensure the EMEA team is fully aligned and supportive of the differentiated model and continues to play a lead and active role in working with companies in partnership with colleagues across the business;
• Consider and represent emerging trends across assigned sectors and ensure this fore sighting is shared across the organisation including international, sector and strategy colleagues;
• Work with sector and account teams in Scotland to identify and deliver specific in-market trade opportunities for account managed companies;
• Gathering market intelligence and data through appropriate mechanisms and reporting back insights, opportunities, trends and findings to sector teams, companies and partners as appropriate;
• Help to build Scotland’s reputation and profile in-market through developing targeted activity leading to the achievement of the longer term strategic objectives for the sector;
• Support the development and maintenance of good working relationships with key partners and organisations, stakeholder networks, trade press and business contacts;
• Lead in the development of market plans, feeding into the sector operating plan, and participate/lead (as appropriate) in the project teams for all international market events taking place in EMEA;
• Highlight opportunities to expand exports as part of a cross-sector approach and work with relevant partners to deliver;
• Through a strong resonant management approach build, lead and coach a diverse team in disparate locations and support them to deliver the best they can for Scotland;
• Provide excellent administrative management of resources ensuring that value for money is achieved at all times.

Location/Mobility requirements:

• Working with a wide variety of colleagues and partners, the role will be focussed on supporting company growth within an international context, and will often be required to work autonomously away from our main office locations.
• The post-holder should expect to spend a significant amount of time out of the office in direct customer and client facing activity, as well as managing a team spread across a number of different locations.
• Travel to Scotland for management, training and sector development activities is expected on a regular basis.
• Attendance at evening and weekend events will sometimes be a feature of this role.

• Knowledge and understanding of the Food and Drink sector as a minimum, and ideally also tourism and/or textiles, or must be able to demonstrate the ability to quickly acquire the requisite level of specialist knowledge to engage credibly with senior industry representatives in the sector;
• Strong customer relationship management skills;
• Ability to manage a diverse range of customer relationships and projects;
• Strong communication skills, and must be IT literate and comfortable using MS Office platform as well as CRM systems;
• Fluency in English is required. Another European language from one of our key target markets (e.g. French, German, Spanish) would be desirable;
• Business development as well as research and analytical skills acquired in an international market development context;
• Strong team-working ability with experience of working in a multi-partnership context;