View Vacancy – AUH/ DXB – DIT Trade Service Unit Advisor B3(L)

The British Embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have a vacancy for four (4) Trade Service Unit Advisors under the Department for International Trade (DIT).

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is the Trade and Investment arm for the UK. We promote British trade and investment across the world, support UK business overseas, and attract foreign investment to our shores. We have over 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries.

DIT divides the world into nine (9) regions, each led by Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC). The Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MEAP) region is led from Dubai and represents 12 markets with a team of some 120 staff.

The MEAP Trade Service Unit is MEAP’s universal entry point for UK business. The Trade Service Unit Advisor is a role that functions on a regional basis yet is based in UAE, providing support to both colleagues in DIT in the UAE and the wider MEAP region, whilst working with International Trade Advisors in the UK and our SMEs. The main purpose of the role is to help UK SMEs enter the MEAP market and win business.

The job can be based in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai with an expectation of some travel between the two Embassies as per work demands. 

Duties and responsibilities:

• Working with the MEAP Trade Service Unit Operations Manager, you will support the running of the MEAP Hub.
• Review and answer enquiries sent to the MEAP Hub, adopting an effective relationships management approach for UK SMEs.
• Working with colleagues, you will be responsible for various defined tasks in support of UK companies currently in-market or looking to enter the market; helping them to spot opportunities as well as navigate the challenges. This could include organising visit programmes and attending either virtual or face-to-face briefings, trade missions, and/ or exhibitions in the UAE.
• Act as an advocate for the MEAP Trade Services Unit Hub externally and internally, and embed the Hub into MEAP team’s ways of working.
• Record, allocate, track and trace, and report all SME approaches; manage follow-up actions from enquiries and facilitate consultative client discussions with DIT MEAP colleagues and other key stakeholders.
• Work with the DIT MEAP Marketing and Communications Team to create materials to promote the Trade Service Unit.
• Conduct market research either by sector, country, or region, and prepare documentation and data to support SME business and internal DIT MEAP reporting tools, including devising metrics and compiling reports.
• Provide ad hoc administrative support to the Operations Manager as required. 

The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any response to a crisis. 

Key competencies required:

• Managing a Quality Service – Valuing and modelling professional excellence and expertise to deliver service objectives and striving to improve the quality of service, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements. Effectively planning, organising, and managing time and activities to deliver a high quality, secure, reliable and efficient service, applying programme and project and risk management approaches to support service delivery.
• Collaborating and Partnering – Being a team player who creates and maintains positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the organisation to help get business done. Working collaboratively, sharing information appropriately, and building supportive, responsive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions. Being approachable, delivering business objectives through creating an inclusive environment, encouraging collaboration, building effective partnerships including relationships with Ministers and welcoming challenge however uncomfortable.
• Changing and Improving – Being responsive and innovative, and seeking out opportunities to create effective change. Learning from what has worked well and what has not, being open to change, suggesting ideas for improvements to the way things are done, and working in ’smarter’, more focused ways.
• Achieving Commercial Outcomes – Maintaining an economic, long-term focus in all activities. Having a commercial, financial and sustainable mind-set to ensure all activities and services are delivering added value and working to stimulate economic growth. Identifying economic, market, and customer issues and using these to promote innovative business models, commercial partnerships, and agreements to deliver greatest value.

• Relevant professional or hands-on trade related experience in MEAP region and/ or holds a relevant undergraduate degree.
• Experience of market/ business data analysis and interpretation.
• At least 2 years’ experience working in a trade-related and investment field or a relevant customer facing role.
• Track record of delivery through collaboration and partnering in complex environments.
• Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines without compromising the quality of the work.
• Ability to multi-task and respond quickly and flexibly to meet multiple and changing priorities.
• Strong interpersonal skills. Confident and comfortable dealing with senior officials and business people.
• Resilient, decisive with a can-do attitude, and calm under pressure and with a proactive approach to problem solving.
• Team player who is capable of working on their own initiative as well as with others, including in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Excellent communication skills in English. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
• Strong IT skills and well-versed in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams).