View Vacancy – Deputy Country Director and Business Specialist: Clean Growth/Lifesciences

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

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

DIT divides the world into 9 regions, each led by Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner: Jonathan Knott (wef Feb 2021) leads the Latin American and the Caribbean (LATAC) Region from Sao Paulo.  The Network is represented in 19 Posts with a team of over 140 staff. Chile is an important business partner for the UK and there is real potential to grow our trade and investment relationship over the coming years.

You will support companies looking to enter the LATAC region with a focus on “Clean Growth” and “Life Sciences” firms; helping them spot the opportunities and navigate the challenges.  This includes, but not limited to, companies within the following sectors: energy, mining, transport, healthcare, and life science. This will support UK commercial interests, but also contribute to UK-led efforts to increase regional ambition to tackle climate change, and to make a clean and resilient recovery from the impacts of COVID19.

You will manage and support the Infrastructure and Sports Economy Officer.

This is an exciting time to join the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in a new role created to recognise the importance to the UK and Chile of these sectors. This is a great opportunity to be part of an international team that contributes to a high profile agenda in which Ministers are closely engaged.

The successful applicant will be based in the British Embassy, Santiago and report to the DIT Country Director in Chile. They will work closely with the FCO Prosperity Team, and Head of Prosperity who leads on the Association Agreement and UK-Chile Trade Dialogue.

• As Deputy Country Director, you will be a member of the team’s leadership and will reflect this when managing staff under your responsibility with mutual respect as a key trait, displaying the leadership and communication competences and behaviours laid out in the FCDO competence and behaviours framework.
  
• You will support the Country Director on corporate, leadership and ad hoc issues as required. You may be required to stand in for the Country Director in his absence.
  
• Working to the Country Director, Chile (liaising with the Regional Leads for Clean Growth based in Rio de Janeiro and the Regional lead for Life Sciences based in Sao Paulo and the in-country Clean Growth team) you will:

– Map current Clean Growth and Life Science opportunities and UK companies active in the region;

– Work with colleagues in the in-country Prosperity and London teams, as well as external stakeholders, to build country level data on the opportunities;

– Promote the opportunities to UK companies

– Build capacity and awareness with Chilean interlocutors regarding the UK’s Clean Growth and Life Sciences offer, using marketing collateral such as sector propositions, and arranging engagements with UK companies and experts.

– Influence/inform HQ’s plans around UK Clean Growth and Life Sciences capability in sectors relevant to Chile.

– Lead on mainstreaming the Clean Growth/Life Sciences agendas with the in-country DIT and Prosperity colleagues across all sectors, working closely with them to leverage commercial opportunity for the UK.

– Work closely with the Communications team to develop a communications narrative, products and activity in order to support and publicise the UK offer and opportunities in both sectors.

• Establish a network of Clean Growth Companies working locally who can help to champion the UK’s strengths, and the opportunities to UK companies.
  
• Following scoping and mapping; prioritise, plan, deliver and monitor targeted Clean Growth and Life Sciences sector campaigns aimed at increasing the demand for relevant sector specific goods and services from the UK.
  
• Manage and lead the Infrastructure and Sports Economy Officer to promote Chilean opportunities and the UK offer.
  
• Provide DIT sector specialists, UK Regions colleagues and local partners with in-country support including (but not limited to): contributing to briefing and reporting as required, facilitating official programmes, trade missions, webinars and events (eg
  
• Work as a flexible member of the DIT and wider Embassy team to support wider post work as needed, including but not limited to, Crisis Work and other 1HMG work and activities.
  
• Be an active member of the regional DIT LATAC team, being available to support priority work in other sectors and proactively seeking to make a corporate contribution.

• Undergraduate degree and other relevant professional qualification or relevant experience.
• At least five years’ experience working in the Clean Growth sector.
• Experience of managing and leading a team.
• Experience of working in or with government departments, NGOs, and similar institutions.
• Proven track record of cross-team collaboration.
• Positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable “can-do” attitude that can see way through challenges

Language: English and Spanish

Level of language required: Fluent (at least C1 level)  under CEFR

Must have the legal status to live and work in Chile.