View Vacancy – NZA – Export Support Services Officer, AO

Main purpose of job:

The Export Support Services programme is the UK’s Trade Support services programme, ensuring the delivery of a quality service to small and medium sized UK businesses looking to export to overseas. 

As the Export Support Services Officer, you will report to the Market Entry Manager, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), but work closely alongside the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) ANZ teams to assess, evaluate and triage company enquiries across a broad spectrum of sectors, and will provide market research and bespoke advice to companies interested in exporting to Australia and/or New Zealand. The role will be critical in developing and maintaining high quality market overviews and sector reports and ensuring accurate and up-to-date reporting and data management.

Your role will also support the sourcing of in-country contacts, such as distributors, buyers, or end customers for example, where connections can be made on behalf of UK businesses. 

Additionally, in this role you will support the local Overseas Referral Network (ORN). The ORN is composed of potential suppliers that may provide advice and support for UK businesses, looking to export or set up in New Zealand and Australia. Though ORN services are delivered outside of DBT, you will gain an oversight of the services delivered, monitor customer satisfaction, and will be able to add or remove companies from the ORN. 

Please note this role does have the expectation of some outside of normal working hours. 

You will have the opportunity to collaborate across our networks on a range of trade and investment campaigns, soft power initiatives, trade missions and VIP visits. You will work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds whose professional experience is the foundation of our shared capability. We deliver as one team. 

The role is part of a flexible UK team covering a wide range of trade and investment sectors across Australia, and New Zealand, and is similar in content and seniority to others in the UK government operation in Australia. Applicants for this position will be considered for other vacancies in the Network. 

If shortlisted, you can expect to be interviewed early to mid-December 2024.

Our network and team

This is an exciting time to join the UK Government’s network in ANZ. AUKUS and our Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Australia & New Zealand (entered into force in May 2023) have presented a unique opportunity to build broader and deeper economic ties with ANZ.  

The successful candidate will join a team of over 40 trade and investment experts, working across diplomatic missions in both New Zealand and Australia as part of the UK’s network in the wider Asia Pacific region of over 200 people in 22 locations.  

UK in New Zealand is an inclusive and equal-opportunity employer. We actively encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Our culture of inclusion is underpinned by our excellent staff networks which cover disability, faith and belief, gender equality, social mobility, age, race, LGBTQ+, and how to be an ally. 

We are committed to building a supportive workplace that offers continuous learning and development opportunities for all our team. We embrace flexible and remote working and have a zero-tolerance policy towards bulling, harassment and discrimination.  

We recruit people with a wide variety of experience and skills that are relevant and transferable. Government experience is not essential. If you have strong motivation and core competences, we can help you develop the network and expertise needed to thrive in our team.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

• Assessing and evaluating customer enquiries and triaging to appropriate team leads.
• Delivering high quality services to UK companies seeking to explore opportunities in the Australian and New Zealand markets including research analysis and reporting on a range of sectors. 
• Meet with UK companies via video calls (MS Teams) to evaluate their support needs. Evening calls will be required due to the time difference with the UK. Flexible working arrangements are available.
• Providing event management and logistical support for British company launches, trade missions, exhi-bitions, and conferences as well as other internal and external DIT events.
• Collaborate with Department of Business and Trade teams across the ANZ Network to gather and syn-thesis information in order to produce accurate and high quality market intelligence sector reports, which identify market trends, opportunities and general doing business advice for UK companies interested in internationalising into the Australian market. Ensure sector reports are maintained, up-to-date and ac-cessible.
• Monitoring general inboxes and triaging emails to appropriate teams. 
• Other administrative tasks based on ad hoc basis

Please note that the role holder’s job specification is subject to change in line with evolving business priorities.

The jobholder may be required to operate outside of their role should there be a crisis affecting the UK and NZ such as a natural disaster which requires the UKinNZ network to suspend some or all of usual business.

• Must be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
• Resilient self-starter – able to work at high intensity using own initiative, judgement and problem-solving skills. 
• The capacity to work collaboratively within a team but also demonstrate the ability to produce work autonomously.
• Demonstrated experience of high level research, with the capacity to analyse and collate information from a wide variety of sources and tailor information to diverse audiences.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and the capacity to build and maintain productive working relationships with range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Able to deal confidently with businesses, senior figures, Ministers, VIPs, and their offices.
• A high level of organisational skills with ability to work at pace, to deadlines, and under pressure to achieve results is essential.
• Competency and experience with Microsoft Office Suite