View Vacancy - Senior Business Development Executive (CHEB514)

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.
Other British Government Departments (Partners across Government, including UK Visas)
SDI (Scottish Development International)

The British Embassy in Berne is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. We are seeking to recruit a Senior Business Development Executive - Life Sciences (LS) to represent SDI - Scottish Development International - which is an integral part of the Embassy.

In October 2016, Scotland’s First Minister 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.

The main purpose for this position is to increase and widen the on-the-ground support available to Scottish companies who have the ambition, capacity and capability to export their products and/or services into Europe. Additionally to support Scotland’s foreign direct investment activities and identify new opportunities from the region.

 

Main Roles and Responsibilities:

 

Trade 

  • Provision of trade advice and guidance to Scottish companies wishing to access markets in Switzerland / Alsace / Northern Italy (and potentially parts of Southern Germany) within the Life and Chemical Sciences Sector, particular focus on international pharmaceutical and biotech customers;
  • Support Scottish companies with their market entry and growth strategies;
  • Develop and maintain market-specific partnerships, relationships and networks with Swiss procurement and supply chain decision makers, key industry organisations, stakeholders and networks in the region;
  • Work closely with DIT, trade associations and sector and account teams in Scotland to identify and deliver specific in-market trade opportunities for Scottish account managed companies;
  • Identify and attend sector specific trade shows, exhibitions and conferences in the region to promote the Scottish Life Sciences proposition as widely as possible;
  • Gather intelligence, scope / explore new LSCS opportunities and report on trends and findings to sector teams and companies as appropriate. Also look into cross-sector opportunities;
  • Raise the profile of Scotland as a drug discovery / development destination, leading to increased trade to Scottish CROs / CMOs;
  • Strategic engagement with global pharma;
  • Support SDI`s sector strategy development through networking and promoting links into Switzerland’s LSCS institutions and incubation hubs, with a view to promoting exchanges of best practice and collaboration;
  • Develop a deep understanding of routes to market, business environment and regulatory framework in your (sub) sector & market(s).

 

Foreign Direct Investment 

  • Manage corporate HQ relations with a portfolio of established investors, including regular contact with senior executives in those companies, in order to identify new opportunities or threats for investment in Scotland; Proactively contribute to investor account teams and account plans;
  • Explore potential inward investment opportunities around e.g. clinical trials, precision medicine and translational medicine, and develop and present value propositions to consultatively sell the benefits of locating in, and doing business with, Scotland;
  • Create and project manage virtual teams geared around specific inward investment opportunities for Scotland and leverage the support of internal resources and collaborative partners, from ‘Prospect’ through to ‘Validated Project Success’. Personally contribute thereby towards assigned inward investment project and job creation targets;
  • Work closely with DIT, trade associations and sector and account teams in Scotland to maximise effectiveness.

 

Other

  • Support and leverage visits into the region by Scottish Ministers and senior colleagues to ‘open doors’ and strengthen business relationships at the very highest levels with existing investors, new prospects, customers and stakeholders;
  • Act as an ambassador of the Scottish economy.
  • 10+ years international business experience in the Pharmaceutical / Biotechnology sector or in the pharmaceutical contract services industry;
  • An experienced networker with established relationships with pharmaceutical / biotechindustry leaders is extremely desirable;
  • Understanding of the organisational structures of the pharmaceutical / biotech industry, and the outsourcing / procurement decision-making process for contract services;
  • Research and analysis skills, acquired in an international market development context;
  • Sales orientation and proven ability to achieve results / success within a Consultative Sales / Strategic Sales environment;
  • A degree (or equivalent level of experience) in LS, marketing / sales or business management;
  • Knowledge and experience of working in Switzerland / Central Europe;
  • Experience of working in an international trade and investment environment;
  • Ideally existing knowledge of the Scottish Pharma services subsector or must be able to demonstrate the ability to quickly acquire the requisite level of specialist knowledge;
  • Dynamic self-starter, with a high level of initiative, resilience, project and personal management skills;
  • Strong customer relationship and project management skills;
  • Strong communication skills, and must be IT literate and comfortable using MS Office platform as well as CRM systems;
  • A team player ethos and ability to work successfully within a geographically dispersed ‘virtual team’ to achieve common objectives;
  • Fluency in German and English, ideally also French and Italian;
  • Swiss citizen or valid Swiss work permit.
  • Previous experience of working within an international trade and investment promotion related role.
26 November 2017
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Full-time, Flexible working, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
40
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Switzerland
Berne
British Embassy
1
CHF
7,948
1 February 2018

This is a full-time position, for a fixed term contract of 2 years.

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background and security clearance.

The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorisation for Switzerland in order to apply.

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Switzerland.

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.

FCO does not pay for travel related expense incurred in interviews (including Security Check) or accept any financial risk, including cancelation or reschedule costs. The FCO will not meet the costs connected with relocation if offered a position.

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.