Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
DIT
Main purpose of job:
The British Embassy is recruiting a new officer to be the main point of contact for small and medium sized British businesses looking to export to Laos.
The Enhanced International Support Services (EISS) programme is the UK’s Trade
Support programme, which aims to assist up to 5,000 small and medium sized businesses looking to export each year. An Asia Pacific EISS Hub will manage enquiries, and work with officers across the region.
The new officer will provide advice for British companies, working with them to understand their requirements, undertaking desk research and supplying relevant market information. You will be asked to cover a cross-section of industrial sectors and types of enquiry – you will need to provide credible advice to a range of companies, whilst not being an expert on every sector. You will use a wide range of external sources of information and where relevant suggest local companies suitable for Business-2-Business meetings.
You will, with support from the EISS Hub, manage the local ‘Overseas Referral Network’. This network is composed of potential suppliers of follow-up advice and support for UK businesses, who can work with companies to get them set-up in country. Your role is to source potential suppliers, meet them, and have an oversight of the services they can deliver. Though ORN services are delivered outside the British Government, you will monitor customer satisfaction and will be able to add or remove companies from the network.
Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:
Account Management and Market Enquiries
As this is a new role that will deliver a new service, roles and responsibilities may evolve and the jobholder will need to be flexible and adaptive. Below is an indication of the likely core aspects of the role:
- Increase the value of UK exports by being the main point of contact for small and medium sized businesses looking to export to Laos, providing advice on gaining entry to Asia-Pacific markets. This requires knowledge of the UK businesses looking to export and a strong understanding of local market
- Working to the direction of the Senior Market advisor (based in Bangkok), provide guidance in identifying the best way that companies can enter the Lao market, assessing their market entry needs, and advising on options for making progress.
- Produce, research and keep up to date various ‘off the shelf’ market information products. These may include overviews of key sectors of interest, as well as ‘how to’ guides relating to core aspects of setting up operations in country: such as opening bank accounts or applying for a visa.
- Ensure export account management is followed and businesses are linked in to the International Trade Advisor Network in the UK.
- Join market information and promotional events to promote Laos to small and medium sized business based across the UK and those who already have operations in neighbouring markets e.g. Cambodia and Thailand
- Recommend suitable options from the local Overseas Referral Network to UK companies after EISS service provision, ensuring regular follow-up to remain a key player in their client’s export journey, tracking the service delivery to ensure it is fit for purpose, and identify if further help is needed
Overseas Referral Network
- Work with the Asia Pacific EISS Hub to maintain and increase market intelligence to promote dialogue with clients and build relationships with business in each region, including with a view to updating and expanding the Overseas Referral Network
- Maintain a thorough knowledge of all of the business markets in the local region (working closely with other UK Embassies) and directing businesses to opportunities not just in the Lao market. It is likely that the jobholder will offer some remote support to the Senior Market advisor based in Bangkok
- Support the Embassy on wider trade and economic priorities, working closely with colleagues across the Embassy including the Ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission
- Strong skills in Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint
- Operational level Lao and English language skills (spoken and written)
Language requirements:
- Language: English and Lao
- Level of language required: Fluent written and oral
- Work experience in a customer facing and/or trade related job
- Strong stakeholder management skills, including being comfortable dealing with senior officials and business people
- Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
- Comfortable working with regional and virtual teams
- Ability to adapt and work in a start-up environment
Making Effective Decisions, Leading and Communicating, Achieving Commercial Outcomes, Managing a Quality Service
3 January 2022
B3 (L)
Fixed Term
35
24 months
Asia Pacific
Laos
Vientiane
British Embassy
1
USD
1642.22
28 February 2022
27 February 2024
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the British Embassy, Vientiane is an excellent place to work to enhance your L&D and your skill set, with a varied array of training courses (online and classroom-based) available, as well as the opportunity to bid for job-shadowing and participate in overseas workshops and courses. You will receive good training to become familiar with this role and also be expected to ‘buddy’ any new starts in the office.
The British Embassy, located close to the Patuxay Monument, is a small and vibrant place to work. There will be great opportunities for you to not only develop and build on your existing knowledge, but to understand what makes a diplomatic mission work, and to see how and why what we do here is important for the UK – Laos relationship.
We are strongly committed and support officers in their own L&D, learning from their colleagues here and in the region and there will be local and overseas training opportunities.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. You must have or be able to obtain work authorisation for Laos in order to apply.
Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Vientiane are subject to terms and conditions of service according to local Lao employment law.
Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment checks. Only short-listed applications will be called for personal interviews.
The British Embassy is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on grounds of ethnic origin, race, religious beliefs, age, disability, gender or sexual orientation.
Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.
We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.
To help us track our recruitment effort, please indicate on the application form /in your cover letter where (ngotenders.net) you saw this job posting.