View Vacancy - Deputy Head of Trade and Investment, British Trade Office, Guadalajara

Main purpose of job

The Department of International Trade (DIT) of the Government of the United Kingdom aims to secure UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade by:

• bringing together policy, promotion and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment, and help businesses succeed
• delivering a new trade policy framework for the UK as we leave the EU
• promoting British trade and investment across the world
• building the global appetite for British goods and services

The UK’s Department for International Trade in Mexico is recruiting for the position of Deputy Head of Trade and Investment at the British Trade Office in Guadalajara to contribute to this ambition.

The position will report directly to the Head of Trade & Investment Officer at the British Trade Office in Guadalajara.  It will be a full time position starting in June 2019, subject to security clearance. 

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

The Deputy Head of Trade and Investment at the British Trade Office in Guadalajara will mainly:

Support the development and promotion of business opportunities throughout Mexico for UK companies from the Food and Drink (50%), Luxury Retail (20%), Agri- tech sector (5%) by:

• Proactively seize market opportunities for UK companies with a focus on the Sector and Regional strategy for the delivery of the established targets for each Financial Year.
• Providing advice to UK companies in their export journey to Mexico with market intelligence, regulatory information and business advice. 
• Opening opportunities in the different distribution channels in the country to increase the number of UK products in each sector.
• Develop and manage relationships with key stakeholders (distributors, importers, main supermarket stores, HORECA, department stores, government agencies, etc) to increase the awareness and desire for UK products.
• Support the long term work on SPS negotiations to bring down the non trade barriers and guarantee market access of UK product.
• Working closely with the Marketing and Communication team and contribute to communications and marketing activities to promote the UK capabilities and achieve the highest impact possible for the correct audience.

Investment and ODI Promotion (10%)

• Collaborate with the Inward Investment team to promote Mexican investment into the UK, focussing on Mexican companies headquartered in the state of Jalisco.
• Collaborate with the Strategic Partnership team in the development of Food and Drink, Agri-tech and Luxury Retail ODI projects.

Embassy objectives in the state of Jalisco (10%)

• Assist other Embassy teams (eg Programme, Political, Consular, and Corporate Services) in fulfilling their objectives in the state of Jalisco.
• Deliver work in line with Embassy Values (Honesty, Respect, Inclusion and Professionalism)

Procurement of the British Trade Office in Jalisco (5%)

• Liase with the Embassy IT team to ensure the proper functioning of the systems of the British Trade Office in Guadalajara.
• Liaise with the Embassy's Corporate Service team to ensure that maintenance work of the office is carried out periodically and office supplies are purchased.

Essential on arrival:

• A business related degree.
• 3 years experience in trade with knowledge of legal, tax and business regulations.
• Experience in acquiring and interpreting business data and market intelligence.
• Proactive and generation of new ideas and methodologies to achieve an outcome.
• Excellent communication and relationship building skills internally and externally.
• Resilience and working under pressure with minimum supervision.
• A positive, honest and loyal team player willing to contribute to the overall objectives.
• Organised and efficient in work and time management.
• English and Spanish professional proficiency (min. TOEFL 600 / IELTS 7).