View Vacancy – Trade and Investment Officer, Regions

Main purpose of job:

Be part of the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) mission to drive more trade and investment between North America and the UK. With a high spending consumer market and an open, economy with world-class talent and a business-friendly regulatory environment, the UK is the leading destination for foreign investment in Europe, and the second highest investment destination in the world.  The UK is also the world’s seventh largest exporter and the second largest services exporter. 

We employ over 150 people across North America, all united by our vision of a future where we champion open and fair global trading that drives growth, creates better jobs and higher wages, and improves living standards in the UK and around the world.  We seek talented team members with the passion and drive to help us in our mission to build a global appetite for British goods and services; drive investment; negotiate trade deals and open up markets; improve international trading standards and fight unfair trading practices (see http://www.gov.uk/DBT).  

Based at the British Consulate-General in Los Angeles, you focus will be providing high level administrative support to the Directors of Trade and their teams based in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston to foster economic opportunities for the UK. You will be required to work flexibly across a range of areas and to cover for colleagues as needed. The role is part of the Directors of Trade team and is a fascinating and engaging opportunity to work in international affairs and business development.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Contribute to key strategic initiatives such as trade missions and events to foster economic opportunities for the UK and US.
  
• Assist with initiatives that emphasise maintaining a communicative, inclusive team that values learning and development and an open, respectful feedback culture.
  
• Consult with clients to manage and coordinate client events.
  
• Support high-profile visits, including UK Ministerial and VIP delegations through scheduling high-level meetings, organising activities, and preparing briefing materials.
  
• Support cross-team business development projects to advance UK prosperity and trade policy goals, including generating insight and supporting the State Level Strategy.
  
• Client engagement, including operating as central project manager for membership initiatives including on-boarding new members, maintaining the membership directory, running the programme for members, and events support.
  
• Other duties as assigned.

Essential on arrival:

• Excellent administrative skills, time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
  
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a professional and helpful manner.
  
• Ability to undertake research and follow market trends to identify new opportunities.
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Ability to be proactive and meticulous attention to detail.
  
• Ability to use a variety of online and social media tools.
  
• Must be able to participate in events and calls outside of office hours, including early calls with colleagues in the UK, and undertake travel within the US and UK 10% of the time.

Under US State Department requirements, the UK Government in the US has restrictions on the type of visas our non-diplomatic staff may hold.  If you are not a US Citizen or a US Permanent Resident, or the dependent of a diplomat (with an EAD card), you may not be eligible for employment with the UK government. We cannot accept student Visas (J, F or M) nor other forms of work Visas (I, H, P).  If you hold a work visa it is best to check on your eligibility to work for a foreign government before applying for a position. The UK Government does not routinely sponsor work visas; the job advertisement will state clearly whether sponsorship is available.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
You may refer to our website for additional information:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-the-usa. All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work. 

Language requirements: 

Language: English

Level of language required: excellent verbal and written English