View Vacancy – SIN – Digital Economy and Tech Lead, G7

Main purpose of job:

An opportunity has arisen for an exceptional individual to join the British High Commission on an interim basis as our Digital Economy and Tech commercial lead for Singapore. This is an important leadership role, ultimately reporting to His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) to the APAC region.  

The APAC Digital Economy and Tech team’s purpose is to facilitate commercial activity on critical technologies and promote an open and innovative digital economy. The team helps create new partnerships, foster a business-enabling environment, and demonstrate thought leadership to support prosperity and security.

This is delivered through collaboration across HMG and by engaging the best UK and APAC ecosystem partners, whilst maintaining a proactive approach to seeking out new opportunities to support delivery of our strategic priorities. Activities span digital economy and tech trade and investment, ranging from digital and digital trade policy, through to facilitating the commercial success of UK digital and tech companies in the APAC region, in line with the overarching objectives below:

Digital Economy

• Helping to develop the regional business environment and standards, including through business engagement
• Supporting the use of digital technologies to make trade cheaper, faster, and more secure for businesses engaging in trade
• Developing thought leadership on digital and tech to support policy development and share this across the APAC region

Tech Trade and Investment

• Promoting two-way tech trade and investment activity between the UK and APAC, including promoting and representing UK technology capability internationally
• Facilitating the commercial success of UK digital and tech companies scaling in the APAC region, focussing on priority technologies
• Scoping, developing and communicating longer term commercial opportunities for critical technologies in APAC, identifying and acting upon emerging trends

These objectives are delivered by a team of Digital Economy and Tech leads based across the region (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia), supported by colleagues based in the UK (in DBT and DSIT in particular), and DBT Tech Sector teams based in posts across APAC.

All staff at the British High Commission in Singapore are expected to play an active role in the life of the Mission in line with our values of Collaborative, Opportunity, Respect and Excellence. This will include being a part of the Mission’s crisis arrangements and making a regular contribution towards the collective culture and leadership of the Mission. 

Establishing new relationships around the globe, the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes UK trade to ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us, securing and improving economic well-being, stability, and helping to create tens of thousands of jobs. His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) is responsible for Trade and Investment work in the APAC region. With over 280 staff across 14 markets, DBT APAC is a fast-paced, exciting place to work at the heart of UK-Asia Pacific relations.

Roles and responsibilities the jobholder is expected to achieve: 

1. APAC Digital Economy and Tech Team Coordination

• With this role based in the same location as the APAC HMTC (His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner), COO and other regional leads, the job holder will be responsible for coordinating Digital Economy and Tech team activity across APAC, ensuring the benefits of cross-market insights and experience are shared amongst the Digital Economy and Tech team and providing leadership to DBT ‘tech sector’ teams across Asia Pacific, working closely with in-market DBT Country Directors. While doing this the role holder will ensure cross-HMG cooperation.
• This includes developing and sharing clear Digital Economy and Tech team objectives, including how these link to broader regional and wider government strategies; delivering regular team engagement; and creating an open and supportive environment for knowledge sharing and ongoing team development.

2. APAC Digital Economy and Tech Team Delivery

• Working with the cross-APAC Digital Economy and Tech team to monitor delivery against team objectives, and monitoring and evolving these in line with government strategies and departmental priorities as they continue to develop.
• Leading on trade digitalisation across APAC to support the use of digital technologies to make trade cheaper, faster, and more secure for businesses engaging in trade.
• Responsibility for the ‘DTN Projects Fund’, a programme budget available to deliver against Digital Economy and Tech team objectives, with a focus on supporting innovative projects which deliver against our strategic ambitions for digital and tech over the medium-long term.  This includes overseeing a fair process to ensure a balance of projects/initiatives are funded across APAC; identifying other funding routes which may be available to deliver against team objectives; and monitoring delivery in line with financial management requirements, regularly communicating with the APAC COO and finance team.
• Collaborating with relevant departments to ensure the Digital Economy and Tech team is joining up shared departmental interests.

3. Commercial Partner Management and Delivery

• Work with DBT APAC finance lead to oversee the commercial contract (currently with Intralink) to deliver the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme for FY 24/25.
• Working collaboratively and openly across DBT, DSIT, FCDO and HMT, being mindful of potential interactions with other commercial agreements, and ensuring delivery of the contract holds up to scrutiny and challenge whilst delivering the outcomes set out.

4. Singapore Tech Trade and Investment

• Working with the Singapore ‘tech sector’ team to identify and promote commercial opportunities for UK companies in Singapore and working with public and private sector partners to raise the profile of UK companies in market.
• Leading digital economy and tech activity to support UK tech companies enter and scale in Singapore and across the region, including through trade missions, pitching sessions and other forms of business matching activity, particularly focused on UK companies in critical technology areas.
• Building a strong network across Singapore’s tech ecosystem, including the UK community and managing the UK’s key tech industry relationships in Singapore to drive digital economy and tech trade and investment.
• Supporting the Singapore investment team to engage VCs, Corporate VCs and limited partners to support investment into UK priority technologies, including in R&D and scaling businesses, and identifying alignment of investment strategies/priorities with UK capability.
• Promoting UK digital economy and tech capability in Singapore through marketing and comms activity, including attending key events and taking up speaking opportunities to showcase the UK’s strengths and increase awareness of partnership opportunities to a wide audience.

5. Singapore Digital Economy

• Driving UK activity to support the adoption of electronic transferable records and industry adoption of trade digitalisation, working with the Singapore government and agencies; relevant partners, including the British Chambers of Commerce, ICC and Institute of Exports; trade digitalisation solution providers; and businesses seeking to adopt trade digitalisation. This will include trade digitalisation pilots (SIN-THAI-UK) and beyond.
• Identifying and developing commercial opportunities arising from the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (DEA), including potential future areas for cooperation, and leading on a number of DEA workstreams and inputting into others where there is a commercial interest.
• Providing expert digital economy and tech sector input and industry perspective on policy initiatives and collaborating closely with colleagues, in particular the Economics, Science, Innovation and Technology / Cyber Policy teams
• Working with the Economics and Trade Policy Team to jointly coordinate the implementation plan for the UK-SG Digital Economy Agreement.

6. SE Asia

• Working alongside your counterparts in Bangkok and Vietnam, you will also play a role in supporting the tech sector leads in DBT teams across the region (Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam). You will be responsible for offering strategic direction on priorities to this group and host fortnightly meetings to discuss progress, share best practice, and nurture a collaborative spirit across the region to deliver on international objectives effectively.
• You will be expected to attend and speak at high profile events across the region, and lead delegations to events including UK-Southeast Tech Week and London Tech Week.
• Providing thought leadership on emerging trends and key topics in Southeast Asia, focussed primarily on the UK’s critical technologies, working closely with the SE Asia Science and Innovation Network.
• Monitoring key digital policies affecting businesses and sharing information with the wider network and UK colleagues.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Alongside counterparts in Thailand and Vietnam, coordination of the wider group of Tech Sector leads across Southeast Asia

The ideal candidate would be an expert in building partnerships, internally and externally, as well as someone who is excited by the potential for digital and tech to improve people’s lives and deliver growth and productivity. They would have a team mind-set, with the ability to identify and drive collective action to deliver on opportunities, along with the creativity and resilience to find a way through the challenges and barriers that will inevitably arise

• Understanding/experience of the digital tech sector and/or digital tech policy
• Experience working in or with the private sector
• Excellent/highly proficient in English