View Vacancy - AUS - Director of Investment, Australia and New Zealand C5(L)

Applications are invited for the position of Director of Investment, Australia and New Zealand for a fixed-term contract of 2 years.

The job holder may operate from the DIT office in Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne) or in New Zealand (Auckland).

The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) works with UK-based businesses to ensure their success in international markets and encourages the best overseas companies to look to the UK as their global partner of choice. DIT operates in 100 international markets and across the Australia and New Zealand network offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Auckland.

The Director of Investment is responsible for strategic planning and day-to-day management of the work of DIT’s inward direct foreign investment and capital team in Australia and New Zealand. This involves support – both directly and through the team – of Australian and New Zealand companies wishing to invest or expand in the UK – including the strategic account management of major existing inward investors – and the promotion of investment opportunities in UK infrastructure to Institutional Investors, including the major Super and Sovereign Wealth Funds.

The job holder will work directly to the Director General DIT Australia and New Zealand based in Sydney.

Position responsibilities include:

• Strategic planning: the Director provides strategic direction to the inward investment effort in Australia and New Zealand. This requires close liaison with DIT’s HQ in London on business planning and resource bids and the implementation of new strategic and change initiatives. The Director is then responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the inward investment team to ensure that resources are deployed effectively to meet agreed targets and wider objectives.
• Delivery: the Director will have an important client-facing role in his/ her own right which will involve interaction with senior executives in a wide range of businesses including major existing investors in the UK, early stage companies with innovative technologies and products and the key institutional fund managers. It will also involve support for the team in their interactions with these businesses to ensure high standards of key account management.
• Networking: the Director will need to develop and maintain close and effective working relationships with DIT HQ and regional offices, other inward investment agencies (e.g., those representing the Devolved Administrations and London & Partners), and key multipliers (e.g., the Australian British Chamber of Commerce) and service providers. The successful candidate will also engage with senior management at the British High Commissions in both Canberra and Wellington in support of the UK Government’s wider prosperity agenda.
• Staff and resource management: the Director is responsible overall for a team of 8 people and the direct line management of 4 full-time staff. This involves the leadership of a diverse team based in a number of different locations (which requires, inter alia, the proper implementation of appraisal and other management processes). The Director also has overall responsibility for the accurate forecasting and managing of budgets.

The successful candidate will have an undergraduate degree or higher and a minimum of 5-10 years of relevant work experience in a leadership capacity.

The ideal candidate will also have an established network of contacts in the Australian and New Zealand business communities and an understanding of Australian/ New Zealand business culture. They will also have experience leading diverse business development, client services and project teams.

The successful candidate must also be able to demonstrate strengths in the following competences (and provide evidence of this in previous jobs at interview):

• Seeing the big picture: Ability to think strategically and set direction. Scanning the political context and taking account of wider impacts to develop long term implementation strategies that maximise opportunities to add value and support economic, sustainable growth.
• Making effective decisions: Ability to problem solve and make sound judgements. Creating and contributing to a culture of innovation and allowing people to consider and take managed risks. Creating evidence based strategies, evaluating options, impacts, risks, and solutions.
• Leading and communicating: Leading and communicating with clarity, conviction and enthusiasm. Establishing a strong direction and a persuasive future vision; managing and engaging with people with honesty and integrity. Managing talent and ensuring a diverse blend of capability and skills is identified and developed to meet current and future business needs.
• Collaborating and partnering: Creating an inclusive environment, encouraging collaboration and building effective partnerships. Working collaboratively, sharing information and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions.
• Achieving commercial outcomes: Maintaining an economic, long-term focus in all activities. Promoting innovative business models and commercial partnerships to deliver greatest value; ensuring tight commercial controls of finances, resources and contracts to meet strategic priorities. Delivering results against challenging targets and objectives and to budget (value for money).
• Delivering at pace: Delivering timely performance and focus. Building a performance culture with a firm focus on prioritisation and addressing performance issues resolutely, fairly and promptly.