View Vacancy - Director of Investment

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
DIT

Main purpose of job:

To lead the UK’s inward investment team in Canada & deliver high value inward investment from Canada into the UK.

To lead the UK’s Department of International Trade network’s promotion of the UK’s industrial strategy in Canada, including collaboration with partners from the UK in Canada’s science, innovation, and public affairs networks.

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

This is a crucial leadership role working for the UK’s Department for International Trade, based out of the UK’s Consulate-General in Toronto. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong track of management excellence and leading high performing and inclusive teams. They will lead the inward investment and business development team against the backdrop of the UK’s exit from the European Union, the economic recovery from COVID 19 and ambitions to retain significant FDI flows.

The role is also responsible for DIT’s promotion of the UK’s Industrial Strategy in Canada, leveraging the strategy to collaborate with UK and Canadian partners to promote the UK as the No. 1 inward investment destination in Europe. The role includes regular travel across Canada, to the UK and occasionally the USA.

Specific responsibilities include:

  • Lead, motivate and develop the cross Canada inward investment team based in UK Consulates in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver ensuring individual and team high performance against stretching performance metrics. Actively role model and promote diversity and inclusion.
  • Ensure that client-facing teams have the knowledge, tools and resources necessary to deliver effectively in their roles. Ensure the Canadian inward investment team’s operating model is fit for purpose and aligned to the UK’s latest inward investment strategy.
  • Monitor and understand trends, sentiment and the business environment in Canada, work with the teams to develop and implement strategies to attract foreign direct investment ((FDI) into the UK, and report regularly on performance to stakeholders. Use those insights to help inform policy-making that improves the business environment in the UK.
  • Lead the account management of existing and potential investors from Canada, ensuring effective account management systems are in place and sharing the responsibility of managing specific accounts with other senior leaders across the Canadian network (Deputy Trade Commissioner, Consuls-General etc.).
  • Promote the UK’s Industrial Strategy, Green Industrial Revolution and wider policy agenda to very senior Canadian investors and clients, providing trusted and credible insights into the UK investment climate. Collaborate closely with representatives for the UK in Canada’s science and innovation, and public affairs networks. Maintain and cultivate relationships with key industry associations, professional service providers, UK devolved administrations and other important internal and external stakeholders that influence UK and Canadian business.
  • Deliver high impact, high value advice for, and organisation of, senior official and Ministerial visits to Toronto and Canada. 
  • Lead the relationship for the inward investment team with DIT HQ in London and with US counterparts.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Leadership of 15 staff across Canada. Direct line manager for 5 senior investment officers, countersigning officer for 10 officers and associates.

Stakeholder in C$2M DIT Canada budget.

SRO for inward investment business development activity from multiple funding sources (Foreign Office, DIT, UK Science and Innovation Network, Prosperity Fund, regional marketing budget).

  • At least 10 years progressive experience in either a business or economic development role (local, provincial or federal role).
  • At least 5-7 years’ leadership experience.
  • An in depth knowledge of the UK and the Canadian economies.
  • An understanding of international relations and UK Government policy.
  • Ability to build, manage and foster a highly-productive, team-oriented, agile culture
  • Ability to influence others and gain buy-in at the team, peer and executive level.
  • An excellent network of industry contacts and the ability to develop new networks, including demonstrating the ability to develop strategic relationships with senior industry figures
  • Proven experience delivering creative and innovative solutions to business challenges.
  • Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills.
  •  Must have the legal status to live and work in Canada. 
  • Understanding or experience of the UK-Canada trade and investment relationship.
  • Language: French not essential but preferred
17 January 2021
Grade 7 (G7)
Full-time, Permanent
37.5
Americas, Caribbean & Overseas Territories
Canada
Toronto
British Consulate General
1
CAD
$112,000
15 March 2021
The British Embassy Network offers a strong benefits package.  This package includes generous vacation and leave time, flexible working patterns, and enriching learning and development opportunities.

Learning and development opportunities:

This is a stretching D6L role responsible for leading a high performing inward investment team in a bilateral trade and investment partnership of critical importance to the UK’s current and future prosperity. The successful candidate will already have strong leadership, interpersonal, communication and analytical skills and will be encouraged to develop these further through DIT and FCDO induction support and access to Canada and North America DIT network learning opportunities.

Courses and other opportunities to be completed in the first year include:

  • FCDO and DIT induction.
  • Familiarisation visit to DIT HQ in London and a regional organisation.
  • Shadowing a DIT operation in a North American post.
  • Trade Policy training. 

Opportunities also exist for senior leader mentorship.

Working patterns: 

Flexible working is a requirement of this role as inward visitors, business travel and large scale events may require evening or weekend work. Start and finish times can be flexed to accommodate this and additional hours are compensated through time off in lieu, which together with a generous annual leave allowance ensures there are opportunities to take a break after busy periods. Many of the team work also from home when this fits with their schedules.

The British Consulate-General in Toronto:

Toronto is North America’s 4th largest city, the provincial capital of the province of Ontario and the media, financial and business capital of Canada. It is North America’s second largest financial services sector (with two of Canada’s banks in the global top 20 bank list) and an emerging hub for the next generation of Canada’s entrepreneurs, start-up and scale up companies.

Toronto is the largest Consulate-General in the UK in Canada network and the 3rd largest non-sovereign UK post in North America. Led by the Consul-General and Head of the UK’s Department for International Trade network in Canada, the leadership is responsible for 25 trade and investment officers based in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver as well as those staff working on the UK-Ontario bilateral relationship.

The Consulate-General hosts representatives from the UK’s Devolved Administrations and their business development organisations including the Visit Britain, Scottish Development International and Invest Northern Ireland.

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.