Senior Trade Adviser

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

The Department of International Trade at the British Embassy in Cairo has a vacancy for a **Senior Trade Adviser** who will lead the **Infrastructure and Mining sectors**, job grade Higher Executive Officer (HEO).

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic self-starter, with excellent commercial awareness and creativity, in order to help UK companies capitalise on the opportunities Egypt offers for trade and investment.

**Main purpose of job**:
To deliver the trade promotion elements of the DIT Country Plan for Egypt, and DIT Regional Trade Plan for Africa. Using leadership and commercial expertise, you will design and implement a strategy to promote trade with and investment into Egypt, resulting in increased exports of UK goods and services to Egypt, and expanded UK business investment in Egypt.

**Main duties and responsibilities**:
1. Maintain a high and up-to-date level of **expertise **on the Egyptian market, building relationships with key buyers and the Egyptian Government, and drawing on a wide range of data and evidence.

2. Using this expertise, and the deep evidence base that you will help develop, identify **priority sectors **in Egypt where UK companies can add and derive most value. Check and challenge assumptions around these sectors on a regular basis.

3. Lead on designing and delivering a **targeted strategy** to increase British exports to, and investment in Egypt, in Infrastructure and Mining sectors. You will do this by:

- Working with DIT sector leads to understand HMG priorities and expertise within set specific sectors;
- identifying and generating trade and investment opportunities;
- providing British companies with professional advice and high-quality market analysis;
- facilitating introductions and providing other support required for those companies to enter the Egyptian market and win contracts, such as organisation of business missions, PR and media campaigns to increase the demand for UK goods and services in Egypt;
- promoting the financing products offered by UK Export Finance, the British government’s Export Credit Agency, to support British companies win contracts;
- working closely with the Senior Trade Policy Adviser to identify issues faced by British companies active in Egypt in the sectors you are responsible for, develop, and implement clear strategies to resolve them.

4. Develop a targeted **stakeholder engagement **plan for your priority sectors. This will include creating and maintain your own strong network of business and public sector leaders, but also recommending and drawing on stakeholder engagement from other British Government colleagues (e.g. British Ambassador, Country Director, DIT Africa Senior Leadership Team).

5. **Collaborate closely **with other UK government departments both in Egypt and in the UK, including but not limited to the Defence, Development and Political Teams in the Embassy, as well as the British Council. Provide advice and guidance to those colleagues on trade, investment and trade policy issues, ensuring that delivery of commercial opportunities is complementary to the UK’s wider policy objectives in Egypt.

6. Contribute fully and flexibly to **DIT corporate objectives and the work of DIT Africa**:

- Report contact with UK companies and monitor/record follow up activity though DIT systems, working with the DIT Country Director and Deputy Country Director to ensure targets are met.
- Ensure all export opportunities are captured and advertised to British businesses.
- Support the work of the DIT team, including through ad-hoc translation and interpreting, maintaining trade statistics, assisting British (and, where relevant, Egyptian) companies with visa enquiries, budget management, business planning finances and inputting management information.
- Lead on responses to DIT parliamentary questions, Ministerial correspondence and public enquiries.
- Promote and share successful campaign approaches;
- Encourage collaboration with other DIT teams in relevant markets across Africa.
- The above list is not exhaustive and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs._

**Key behaviours**:

- ** Working Together** - Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
- ** Communicating and Influencing** - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
- ** Managing a Quality Service** - Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
- ** Delivering at Pace** - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

Essential qualifications, skills and experie