View Vacancy - Programme Leader - Department of International Trade

The main purposes of the job is to drive forward the Department for International Trade’s work to increase trade between Colombia and the UK. Following the UK referendum on exiting the EU in 2016, the UK Government created the Department for International Trade (DIT). DIT’s role is to secure UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade.

We do this 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 team in Colombia is currently focussed on infrastructure, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, and defence and security. Increasingly we are seeing opportunities in new sectors, such as renewable energy and low emission vehicles, food and drink, technology and the creative economy.

The financial services sector is key to the UK economy, and is a major growth area for UK companies in Colombia. Over the past 18 months, DIT has driven an energetic programme of engagement between Colombia and the UK on insurance, green finance, asset management and fintech. This requires a strong knowledge of the Colombian financial services market, and regulation of that market, as well as links to important UK bodies such as the London Stock Exchange Group, the City of London and major UK players in the financial sector. Infrastructure and Financial Services are two of the highest potential sectors for the UK in Colombia, and this is reflected in the relative seniority of this position.

Several major UK infrastructure companies have come to Colombia in recent years, attracted by the Government’s flagship infrastructure programme and the opportunities for investment, structuring, design and delivery of PPP infrastructure projects such as hospitals and schools as well as roads, railways and airports and urban regeneration projects. The UK is one of the largest foreign investors in Colombia, and even more so in the infrastructure sector. It is important that we build on these strengths and identify opportunities to help UK businesses to go further, in particular by addressing technical and regulatory barriers, and building capacity in the infrastructure sector in Colombia based on the UK experience of PPPs in particular.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Drive forward the team’s work on Financial Services, Infrastructure and UK export financing (UKEF) while also spotting new opportunities as they arise and working with the team to be sufficiently flexible to respond to new opportunities.

• Work closely with the Country Director, the Deputy Director and sector leads, as well as with teams across the Embassy and across the Latin American region to generate maximum impact for the UK in Colombia. Support the DIT team to identify and work on policy interventions, institutional strengthening and market access barriers, as well as using traditional trade promotion tools (events, conferences, missions etc) to grow UK-Colombia trade.

• Provide evidence-based advice about the sectors with the greatest growth potential based on economic evidence from UK Government sources and analysis of UK and Colombian Government priorities for future growth (the UK’s Industrial Strategy and Colombia’s Plan de Desarollo Nacional).

• Lead on UK Export Finance (UKEF) for exports or projecst which meet the minimum criteria of 20% UK content.

• Present the UKEF offer across a wide range of sectors and use market intelligence to help deliver the UK offer.

• Work with wider economic teams within the Embassy to harness positive commercial outcomes from their work.

• Form part of a strong regional DIT network across Latin America and the Caribbean to share success stories and work together on increasing UK presence in the region.

• Other tasks as required by Embassy senior management.

Budget Management and Expenditure:

• Assist in decision-making about how the budget is spent and exercise budget discipline in all areas of activity.

• Regional funds are also available and the Programme Leader will need to bid for these to secure further funding for Colombia programmes as necessary.
  

 Team and Personal Learning and Development:

• Assist the Country Director and the L&D officer to deliver an L&D package that meets individual and team needs.

• Demonstrate strong leadership on continuous learning and development within the team.

Resources Managed:

• Overall team budget for staff and programme costs: £350k

• Line management responsibilities for at least one intern and possibly one other member of the team.

Languages: Advance level of English and Spanish. Spoken and written.

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a related discipline;

• Three (3) or more years of experience engaging successfully with the infrastructure and/or financial services sector with a strong record of delivering measurable results

• Solid knowledge of Colombian and UK industry and Government industrial policies particularly in relation to infrastructure and financial services

• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication and relationship skills

• Ability to develop and work through a strong network of national and international stakeholders

• Strong judgement and confidence to take decisions without direct supervision

• Proven track record of working effectively in a team environment