LEI Senior Trade Officer - UKTI Team FCO

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Brussels, Belgium

The Trade & Investment team of the British Embassy, Brussels, part of UK Trade and Investment (www.ukti.gov.uk), is recruiting a locally engaged Senior Trade Officer.

Increasing British exports is a top priority for the British Government. So this is a high profile role and represents an excellent opportunity for a dynamic and creative professional with relevant business experience.

Main role

As part of a small team, you will have a leading role in developing and delivering the trade business plan for Belgium and the wider UKTI Benelux team. Your objective will be to increase and promote UK trade to Belgium and the wider Benelux by implementing the UKTI strategy (www.ukti.gov.uk/uktistrategy).

Responsibilities will include:

• Providing professional advice and support to UK companies wishing to develop business in Belgium;
• Organising events in target sectors, either independently or in close cooperation with partners;
• Building and maintaining a network of stakeholders and partners in Belgium as well as in the UK;
• Account managing major British companies present on the Belgian market;
• Attending events such as seminars and receptions;
• Contributing pro-actively to the Commercial Diplomacy Agenda of the British Embassy;
• Line management responsibilities;
• Deputise for the Head of Section on trade issues.

Skills Required

Essential:

• Good knowledge of the Belgian and UK business scenes;
• Ability to deal with customers at the most senior levels of decision making;
• Excellent organisational, presentation, drafting and networking skills;
• Strong account management experience and excellent customer relation building skills;
• Flexibility, a pro-active and entrepreneurial attitude and the ability to work independently as part of a small team;
• Effective time management: able to handle the multiple priorities of the role within the agreed deadline;
• Fluent written and spoken English, business level knowledge of French and Dutch;
• Good IT skills (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook);
• Flexibility for occasional out of hours work and travel to the UK.

Desirable:

• Experience in a business development or trade/investment promotion discipline;
• Experience of dealing with business in an international context;
• Experience in organising events.

We offer an interesting, responsible and challenging job in an open modern management culture, a friendly team, excellent working environment, and attractive learning and development opportunities.

This position will be filled on a fixed term contract.

Gross monthly salary: €3444.87

Applications (CV plus covering letter in English) should be sent to brussels.recruitment@fco.gov.uk and you should include your full name in the email message title. The closing date is Monday 25 June 2012. Short-listed candidates will be invited to interview at the British Embassy in Brussels or can be interviewed via Skype/telephone.

We expect to hold interviews at the beginning of July with a view to the successful applicant starting work as soon as possible, subject to administrative processes and security vetting being completed. Due to the volume of applications received, only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted.

The British Missions in Brussels are an equal opportunities employer. Applications are welcome from all suitably qualified applicants regardless of age, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. We aim to reflect the diversity of society.