Department for International Trade roles (DIT)
DIT
Main purpose of role:
The Enhanced International Support Services (EISS) programme is the UK’s Trade Support services programme, ensuring the delivery of a quality service to small and medium sized businesses looking to export overseas each year. In APAC, there will be an EISS APAC Hub managing and triaging enquires who will work with EISS Market Advisors across the region to guide local delivery of the service.
The EISS Operations and Performance Manager will oversee the day to day operations of the EISS Asia Pacific (APAC) Hub, including the monitoring and quality control of services and products delivered. This hub will service up to 5000 enquiries per year and cover onwards referrals to over 13 markets across APAC. It will be the first point of contact for posts, country directors, or other stakeholders with questions on EISS.
You will have a tangible and effective input into the strategic direction of the hub, and to ensuring that delivery is aligned to key priorities as set by the director and regional trade plan. You will support the director in management of EISS programme’s over £1 million annual budget, oversee the work of 4 hub staff and support oversight over of the broader regional network of c.20 staff.
You will hold editorial oversight and quality control remit for the products, reports, and marketing produced by EISS across the region and ensure that these meet EISS standards. You will manage dynamics at play between the Hub and posts, EISS and DIT (UK’s Department of International Trade). You will make decisions on which issues to raise to DIT and EISS management, and which can be addressed at working levels.
You should have a familiarity with trade promotion and export work, as well as an ability to retain knowledge from across a broad regional scope. You will fill in for EISS director in senior engagements when necessary.
Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:
As this is a new role to 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:
Operations and Performance Management (60%)
- Working closely with the EISS Regional Manager to set up of the EISS APAC hub in HCMC and broader EISS service across APAC, including oversight of the physical office set-up, recruiting and on-boarding new hub staff, implementing global operating policies and procedures in the APAC region, and supporting managers and new EISS market advisors across the region.
- Management of the day to day operations of the EISS APAC Hub, including oversight of processes and quality control for work delivered by EISS team and Overseas Referral Network Partners
- Deploy market advice on relative strengths and weaknesses and live opportunities across the region, to ensure that the Hub meets its regional referral objectives.
- Lead in the performance management of the Enquiry Hub to ensure it operates and delivers to a consistently high standard, including line management of staff.
- Develop a performance framework, to enable effective reporting and benchmarking, helping to provide valuable insight to senior leaders, to demonstrate collective progress against EISS objectives, and to flag and address any areas of concern.
- Monitor KPI performance across APAC in terms of response times and quality performance
- Ensure local policies are reviewed and aligned to global and local restrictions and adopted by all partners on the platform.
Relationship and Outreach Management (20%)
- Create content strategy and steer delivery of EISS products and reports, and editorial ownership of all products released publicly.
- Help to build a pipeline of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) looking to operate across APAC, anticipating opportunities and challenges and suggesting appropriate responses to these.
- Act as an advocate for and expert on the EISS APAC Hub – externally and internally embedding the Hub into APAC team’s ways of working.
- Commission and evaluate market research (whether by sector, country or region) and data to support UK businesses and internal activities.
- Adopt an effective relationship management approach with UK SMEs, International Trade Advisors in the UK and colleagues across APAC.
- Actively build and deepen relationships with key stakeholders internally, within regional and global hubs and with external partners (at other diplomatic missions, government departments and suppliers) to maintain informed and current corporate knowledge.
- Support the set up of the Overseas Referral Network (a network of external providers to which UK businesses who require further support can be referred).
People and Budget Management (20%)
- Support EISS Regional Manager in delivery of people plan and development of staff skills – including training and delivery of staff learning and development.
- Be the line manager or counter-signing officer for up to 4 hub staff, and counter-signing officer of other staff in the region.
- Steer engagement with the DIT finance team in London on strategic planning exercises, including year-end processes, business planning and spending review.
- Support director in evidence based budget and resource negotiations with HQ to secure an optimal outcome for the region.
- Budget management of annual EISS APAC annual budget of over £1 million, working closely with finance across the region to ensure EISS budget is used for value for money spend, guidance is clear and adhered to, and any underspend is optimally reallocated.
- Ensure budget risks are mitigated and when necessary escalated to EISS Regional Manager.
Resources managed (staff and expenditure):
- Line manager or counter-signing officer for up to 4 hub staff, and counter-signing officer of c.10 other staff in the region.
- Budget management of EISS APAC annual budget of over £1 million (working to the EISS Regional Manager).
Essential on arrival:
- At least 5 years’ experience working in exporting, trade, or investment field. Preferably experience of working with commercially focused teams across the APAC region.
- Ability to operationalise policy in challenging markets
- Ability to work independently, positive attitude, and ability to use initiative to solve problems
- Understanding of challenges facing UK businesses exporting to the region.
- Proven track record of cross-team collaboration
- Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
- Highly organised.
Language requirements:
Language: English
Level of language required: Proficient
- A knowledge of business practices and trends across APAC
- Understanding of the UK offer, DIT, and EISS.
Seeing the Big Picture, Leading and Communicating, Building Capability for All, Managing a Quality Service
8 November 2021
C5 (L)
Fixed Term, Full-time
39.5 hours gross
12 months
Asia Pacific
Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
British Consulate General
1
VND
VND 77,825,310 per month
15 January 2022
31 March 2023
This position is being advertised as a 14 months fixed term position in Ho Chi Minh (until 31 March 2023), and will be extended subject to performance and availability of funding.
Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):
The British Consulate is committed to being a learning and development organisation and encourages all staff to pursue continued learning and development in the workplace. We offer a supportive and friendly working environment where staff work to the values of: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. Everyone is encouraged to take responsibility, be innovative and work together.
Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff who are locally recruited by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. Visa sponsorship may be possible for non-Vietnamese nationals if meet local requirements.
Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
Disabled and ethnic minority applicants will be invited to interviews if meeting the minimum requirement of the job.
Working patterns:
Some flexibility in terms of working location and hours may be possible, under discussion with line manager.
All applications must be received before 23:55 (Local Vietnam Time) on the day of the deadline indicated above.
Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core competencies listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time.
Indicated start date is provisional and subject to successful completion of reference and security checks.
To those applicants not short-listed, we extend our appreciation for considering the British Government as a potential employer.
Please check the application centre regularly for any update on your application.
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.