View Vacancy - DIT Commercial Officer (Education)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is responsible for promoting UK trade with the rest of the world. Colombia is a high potential future market. Working with British Embassy Bogotá, regional and UK colleagues, as well as the Colombian private and public sectors, the successful applicant will contribute to UK economic growth and jobs across one or more sectors. This will be done principally by supporting UK exports to Colombia.
Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:
The Commercial Officer will (subject to reasonable change) be responsible for:
1) Executing well-planned interventions (meetings, introductions, events, marketing, partnerships, government engagement etc.), resulting in the delivery of a highly ambitious export value target (UK exports to Colombia supported by the UK government) across the sector(s) for which the officer is responsible;
2) Project managing a diverse “pipeline” of Colombian demand and UK supply, in conjunction with UK and regional sector team colleagues, in line with DIT high value campaign guidance to support future UK exports, moving quickly from identification of major opportunities to commercial wins.
3) Building a network of potential Colombian buyers of UK products and services and UK companies, including account managing a number of UK or Colombian entities, applying account management guidance and excellent customer service to increase the probability of commercial wins;
4) Refering a minimum number of Export Opportunities for UK exporters for upload to the Export Opportunities online platform;
5) Briefing Embassy, DIT, FCO and Colombian Government mid and high level officials, as well as high level businesses on UK Government objectives, focused on their economic and commercial impact.
6) Sound management of DIT Colombia resources the officer is responsible for, including forecasting and reviewing the budget allocated to the officer’s sector(s) at least quarterly to ensure that all delegated funds are between 99 and 100% spent by the end of the financial year;
7) Supporting the wider work of the DIT Colombia team and other Embassy sections (when required), including regional engagement, internal coordination and planning, events, analysis and briefing;
8) Working in close partnership with other Embassy teams, as required, including helping to secure secondary benefits (commercial wins) from FCO Prosperity Fund programmes, ensure that UK companies’ concerns about the Colombian business environment are suitably addressed and enhance the reputation of British industry in Colombia;
9) Identifying and taking-up opportunities to improve existing skills and/or develop new ones;
10) Fulfilling the requirements of performance appraisal process, including establishing and executing a personal development plan; and
11) Performing other reasonable tasks as requested by the Director and Deputy Director of DIT Colombia.
- Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent).
- Evidence of delivering positive results through collaboration and networks.
- Evidence of evidence-based decision-making.
- Three or more years professional experience.
- Postgraduate studies in economics, trade, business administration or international relations related subjects.
- Evidence of professional experience in the Education sector.
- Evidence of working effectively with the public sector, especially the British or Colombian public sectors.
- Evidence of working in or excellent knowledge of the UK and/or the Colombian public sectors.
- Evidence of excellent written and oral communication (English and Spanish).
- Experience of both the UK and Colombian business environments and cultures.
- Experience of project or programme management.
- Understanding of key drivers of public and private sector decision-making.
- Good judgement, ability to take initiative and prioritise effectively.
- Proficient user of MS Office.
- 35 working hours a week from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on Fridays.
- 14 public holidays per year
- 15 days annual leave plus 4 compensatory days pro-rata on first year
- 15 days salary in December pay and 15 days salary in June pay (pro rata in first year).
- The British Embassy is committed to the ongoing training and development of its staff, and training will be provided as appropriate
- The Embassy is committed to creating a diverse working environment, free from discrimination, where everyone is included and treated fairly, based on merit alone.
This opportunity is closed to applications.