View Vacancy – Senior Strategy Lead, Grade – HEO, Mumbai

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment and educational details, experience segment and the behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only for all the required details. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Main purpose of job:

This role will sit within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Chief Operating Officer South Asia team, working to the Senior Leadership Team and other decision makers to support strategic decision making and business planning. The jobholder will identify and implement changes to work towards changing priorities in India and other countries in the region. A key priority for the role will be to improve availability, accessibility and use of data across the DBT South Asia network, supporting how the network determines its priorities, and informing resourcing and other strategic decisions. The role will also be responsible for reporting, to all seniority levels across the network and to HQ.

We reserve the right to review, revise or amend the roles and responsibilities from time to time reflecting the changing needs of business.

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

• The role should broadly oversee all strategic activity in the South Asia trade region. The jobholder will build on work currently underway to improve availability and accessibility of data to the DBT South Asia network, by understanding the needs of the network, learning from other DBT regional networks and leveraging knowledge and skills in DBT HQ.
• This will include:
  • Building and developing dashboards using Amazon QuickSight for senior leadership team and individual teams, working collaboratively with existing teams to discover user needs and identify where data tools can support decision making or reduce manual processes.
  • Analysing data, both internal and external for cluster and regional investment teams as well as SLT.
  • Ensuring decision making is more data driven, by building dashboards and other tools to for use by SLT and other decision makers to ensure robust and consistent data and is used to inform decisions.
  • Proactively seeking information from a breadth of sources that helps senior decision makers to inform priority sectors and regions/cities for the trade and investment pillars. You will be comfortable assessing external information from relevant media sources and academic papers, South Asia and wider DBT produced analysis and internal and external stakeholder engagement to provide robust recommendations. If necessary, you will commission DBT HQ to produce bespoke analysis, and work alongside the team throughout the process before ensuring insight is shared clearly with the relevant teams.
  • Seeking and implementing solutions that increase the level of collaboration between policy, investment, and exports, identifying crossovers and interdependencies to recommend ways of working that compliment shared objectives.
  • Develop processes and tools that improve consistency across posts of how pipelines and key accounts are managed, introducing processes that standardise and wherever possible automate the briefing process.
  • Develop and implementing our new SRM framework, which advises how both the HMTC and HC should engage with key businesses to maintain vital UK relationships.
  • Responsibility for the strategic relationship management list and briefing packs to ensure relationships are maintained and handled consistently across teams and different departments.
  • Support trade and regional investment teams’ specific strategies, as well as other areas such as a marketing and communications strategy.
  • May be required to cover for the SEO Head of Private Office and Strategy and the HTMC’s Private Secretary
• The specific objectives of the role will evolve to reflect the needs of DBT South Asia and steers/requests from SLT.
• There will also be scope for the successful candidate to shape the role, in consultation with the line manager and SLT

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

The role may be responsible for some task management for members of the COO and private office teams, including upwards management to the new Head of Strategy and Private office, as well as the COO.

Language requirements:
Language: English
Level of language required: Proficient or Fluent (preferred)

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

The jobholder will be encouraged to undertake an internal 6-week training course to ensure they are proficient in SQL and QuickSight. They may also be offered the opportunity to travel to the UK to spend time with the analytical team to develop skills and build connections essential for the role.

The candidate will have opportunity to provide ad hoc support on investment and export projects to develop their understanding of UK activity overseas to assist with their work and future career aspirations.

Working patterns:

One day within a five-day working week can be spent at home if desired; the other four must be spent in the office, travelling for work, or in meetings outside of the office. A working pattern more aligned with UK hours may be considered to allow for collaboration with teams at DBT headquarters

Essential on arrival:

• A bachelor’s degree in data science or a similar field, with two additional years of experience in an associated role.
• Experience of producing robust data analysis and representing data through visualisations.
• The ability to think strategically and innovatively to solve complex problems.
• A clear understanding of global trade trends and how they influence the UK’s position.
• An up-to-date knowledge of sectors where the UK holds a comparative advantage and UK government priorities,
• The ability to lead projects and collaborate with stakeholders with different interests to develop and improve systems.
• A desire to identify and develop skills required to complete a project.