View Vacancy – Business Development Executive (FRA21.383)

The British Embassy in Paris is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. It is also part of the UK’s France Network (including offices in Lyon, Bordeaux and Marseille and representation to international organisations in Paris (OECD and UNESCO) and Strasbourg (CoE)) and is now looking for a Business Development Executive. 

The Welsh Government (WG) is committed to fostering and growing trade and investment and other opportunities between Wales and France, the EU and the rest of the world. The WG Office opened in the autumn of 2018, based at the British Embassy in Paris, and forms part of an overseas network of 20 Welsh Government Offices, including European Offices in Brussels, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Dublin.

Wales has undergone a rapid change in its recent history, moving from an economy based around heavy industry and the coal industry to a diverse, high-tech, high-value modern economy. The majority of trade is with Europe and our commitment to Europe and our European partners remains strong and unchanged, despite the UK leaving the European Union.

The Team have lead responsibility for strenthening trade and investment links between Wales and various regions in France, with a focus on Brittany and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and on promoting partnerships as well as cultural, sports, tourims and other links, such as in relation to UNESCO and the OECD.

The role of Business Development Executive is to identify and develop foreign direct investment (FDI) leads, as well as trade opportunities for Welsh companies, working in collaboration with colleagues in the Embassy. Expected outputs are the identification, and subsequent pursuit, of quality FDI leads, business networks, and profitable trade opportunities.

 The role will also have the wider representational responsibilities in a broad range of matters, from education to sustainability, to climate change and tourism. The successful applicant will help promote links between Wales and France across these areas, as well as more generally in governmental, academic and cultural fields. It will contribute to strengthening bilateral and multilateral relationships.

Roles and responsibilities:

The three core ambitions of the International Strategy for Wales are:

1.     To raise Wales’ profile in France – and build on the reputation as a place buzzing with creativity where people are free to innovate and experiment

2.     To grow the economy by increasing exports and attracting inward investment, creating new jobs and opportunities for people in Wales.

3.     To establish Wales as a globally responsible nation. The Well-being of Future Generations Act underlines our commitment and sustainability.

The key responsibilities of this role are to:

• Identify, develop and deliver new, quality inward investment projects;
• Develop strong networking and partnership relationships with decision makers and intermediaries across France;
•  Work with the Head of France, and other members of Team Europe and colleagues at the Embassy, to identify, develop and help to deliver incremental investment from existing investors;
• Work closely with trade development colleagues in Wales to provide information and guidance for Welsh exporters, including advice on local trading conditions, market intelligence, key sector contacts, and bespoke research;
• Take responsibility for information management across the WG’s activities in France, by logging and updating budgets, business cases, reports and FDI project pipelines;
• Work with trade development colleagues to help organise and deliver trade missions, liaising with UK Government networks, as well as local trade organisations and groups as appropriate;
• Attend and utilise conferences, events and seminars that offer opportunities to promote Wales as a business-friendly location, sharing feedback and intel with appropriate contacts in Wales and across the WK overseas network;
• Support and/or lead on bespoke events, seminars, Ministerial visits and other PR activity to promote Wales and the Welsh Government across France, as business requires;
• Lead on all communication for the WG Office.

• Fluent French and English (both written and spoken, C1 level for CEFR framework);
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• 3-5 years professional experience in international business, preferably with a proven track record of fostering strong business (and other) relationships
• Ability to engage with companies/organisations at a senior level
• Excellent information management and communication skills
• Strong networking skills
• Knowledge of the business environments in Wales, the UK and France
• Familiarity with current economic, political and cultural context in Wales, the UK and France
• Ability to act as a credible representative for the WG in a wide range of public settings, in any of the fields for which WG has responsibility.
• Complete proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, as well as social media networks.
• Ability to undertake occasional travel within France and the UK/Wales as required.