Main purpose of job:

The British High Commission is seeking a highly organised, proactive, and professional Trade and Investment Officer.

This is a leadership role within DBT Africa, responsible for leading reporting and key aspects of our exports and investment delivery across DBT Africa, ensuring alignment with DBT’s new target operating model and wider UK Government priorities. This role will drive operational excellence, stakeholder engagement and knowledge management in DBT country teams working across Africa. It will champion digital transformation, innovation and data best practice across the organisation, helping to embed new processes and upskill our diverse teams across the continent. 

You will be an active member of the DBT Africa Hub and will take a collaborative approach, getting buy-in from and working closely with colleagues at all levels and locations in the Network.

Roles and responsibilities:

Digital Transformation Leadership

• Provide leadership of DBT Africa’s data transformation, as the organisation shifts to more rigorous use of a CRM system, driving adoption and optimisation of a range of Government digital tools and dashboards for performance tracking and reporting such as the DMAS market access database.
• Embed best practice across the organisation, upskill colleagues and hold teams accountable for proper usage.
• Ensure integration of data analytics into decision-making and delivery processes, including working with the central Trade Policy team to develop the metrics of linking market access barrier resolution to future export wins.
• Act as a data champion within the organisation, supporting teams get to grips with new processes, helping them understand new systems and ways of working and maximise the benefits for their work.

External engagement and working with partners

• Represent DBT Africa at meetings with businesses and external events as required, promoting the UK’s trade and investment agenda.
• Work with external partners, such as Chambers of Commerce across Africa to embed new ways of working and support British SMEs access opportunities across the continent.

Exports and Investment Delivery

• Lead DBT Africa’s highest priority export and investment campaigns, liaising with teams across Africa and in the UK to ensure delivery of milestones and accurate tracking of and reporting on results.
• Liaise with DBT HQ on key aspects of exports delivery, challenging and shaping work to ensure it is fit for purpose. Build relationships with DBT sector teams to support export campaign delivery.
• Upskill the network on key areas of exports best practice, including due diligence on the supply chain and integration of market access/shaping considerations, manage a repository of resources and information to support teams deliver.
• Deputise for the Director of Trade and Investment and work with them and the DBT Africa SLT to embed the organisation’s new operating model and ways of working.
• Take responsibility for the network’s new approach to SRM, including managing relationships with large, high-value UK exporters across Africa.
• Support the Director of Trade and Investment to increase work on driving investment into the UK, including managing the Expand Your Business system.
• If needed, support the Trade Policy and Market Access regional team to drive performance on market access resolution.

Impact Measurement & Reporting

• Manage the organisation’s performance, supporting country teams to manage their pipelines and market access projects, track results accurately and hold teams accountable for reaching their targets and providing accurate forecast data.
• Own lessons-learned reporting and feed insights into future strategy.
• Hold teams (including senior leaders) to account for results, delivery and regular usage of tools and systems. The role holder must be confident working with senior leaders in the organisations and providing challenge where required.

Knowledge Management

• Maintain GDPR-compliant institutional memory and a central library of briefings, market guides, induction material, and sector and trade policy presentations.

Corporate Support

• You will be a key member of the Corporate Hub and may be required to monitor the HMTC mailbox during periods of reduced or unavailable cover.
• Your role may evolve in line with developments in business need.

The requirements of the role may change and evolve over time according to organisational requirements.

• BCom in International Business, Economics, Management, or Information Systems, or an equivalent degree
• Proven leadership in international trade and investment promotion and a strong commercial and business facing background
• Experience working with diverse teams across Africa and in the UK
• Ability to communicate and implement change across a complex, geographically diverse organisation, ensuring staff members at all levels are on board
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills across government and the private sector
• Comfortable working as part of a matrix organisation, holding teams to account including those at senior levels
• Knowledge of digital tools for data analytics and performance reporting, with experience of using CRM systems
• Ability to analyse and process data, summarising trends and flagging risks to the senior leadership team
• Excellent communication and reporting skills for senior leadership and external partners.
• Understanding of compliance frameworks (GDPR and local laws)
• Interest in and willingness to travel across Africa and to the UK, and to adapt at times to an evolving set of organisational requirements