View Vacancy – Country Director, Switzerland & Liechtenstein, Department of Business and Trade (CHEB24.133)

Who’re we? 

The British Embassy in Berne is a part of a worldwide community representing British political, financial, and consular pursuits abroad. Along with the Division for Enterprise and Commerce in Europe we’re on the lookout for a Nation Director to guide the DBT workforce in Switzerland (& Liechtenstein). 

Beneath the management of His Majesty’s Commerce Commissioner for Europe, DBT in Europe promotes British commerce and funding worldwide, helps construct an urge for food for British items and companies globally, and works to advertise and assist overseas funding within the UK. DBT additionally brings collectively coverage, promotion, and monetary experience to interrupt down obstacles to commerce and funding and to assist companies to succeed, in addition to championing a free and honest worldwide buying and selling system with international guidelines.

Major function of job:

The UK/Swiss relationship is a precedence for each nations and it is a very important, senior management position within the British Embassy. The work attracts robust curiosity from UK senior officers, Commerce Representatives and Authorities Ministers, who will go to every now and then to advance the agenda. It is a perfect position to develop and deploy expertise in working internationally and delivering actual world outcomes with influence.

The profitable candidate will report on to His Majesty’s Ambassador to Switzerland and lead a workforce of ten DBT commerce and funding professionals based mostly in Berne (with one in Geneva). The Nation Director will likely be answerable for making certain that each one DBT commerce and funding ambitions are met. This includes managing the supply of commerce and funding companies to UK firms that want to entry alternatives in Switzerland or improve their market penetration, supporting Swiss firms contemplating investing in Britain, and monitoring market developments and tackling market entry points.

The DBT Switzerland workforce additionally play an necessary position in supporting the continued Free Commerce Settlement negotiations between the UK and Switzerland, strategically advising, the place applicable, the UK negotiating workforce and making certain provision by the broader workforce of professional and knowledgeable recommendation on a variety of related coverage areas.

The Nation Director will take pleasure in important autonomy to set the course and priorities of the DBT Switzerland workforce, tailoring the broader DBT Europe Regional Commerce Plan and its goals to the specifics of the Swiss market. They are going to be a part of the broader DBT Europe Nation Director cadre, repeatedly participating with HM Commerce Commissioner for Europe, the Regional Director for Europe West and DBT Europe’s COO. 

The Nation Director can even kind a part of the Senior Management Workforce throughout the British Embassy in Switzerland, and be anticipated to play an energetic position within the wider company management to allow the supply of UK Authorities insurance policies and companies in Switzerland. They’ll work with Economics and Science & Innovation and Local weather and Vitality colleagues on the UK Switzerland Prosperity Technique.

It is a difficult, various and high-profile position and presents an thrilling alternative for an formidable and commercially pushed skilled with wonderful administration and, particularly, management expertise with related enterprise expertise.

Roles and Tasks:

1. Management and strategic imaginative and prescient

• Lead the design and implementation of the Switzerland Nation Commerce Plan, which is an integral a part of the broader DBT-Europe Regional Commerce Plan, and the industrial components of the Embassy-wide Switzerland Nation Enterprise Plan;
• Present clear strategic course to DBT Switzerland, motivating, supporting and training a various set of workforce members to make sure supply throughout the pillars of the Switzerland Nation Commerce Plan, managing the buildings and resourcing to underpin this;
• Act as a job mannequin for different DBT Europe Nation Administrators, contributing proactively and constructively to regional initiatives and agenda-setting, taking the position of being a important good friend to Europe’s senior management the place applicable.

 
2. Promote and improve UK-Switzerland commerce and funding, and form the worldwide buying and selling system within the UK’s curiosity

• Improve market entry for UK firms in Switzerland (sensible help for UK exporters to navigate commerce guidelines; prioritise plans and progress for resolving particular person market entry obstacles);
• Establish and ship alternatives for British exports to Switzerland and assist UK companies to export by way of advertising and marketing promotion actions, proactive account administration, enhanced sectoral focus, UKEF obtainable instruments, and the Export Help Service and with Switzerland’s excessive tech and innovation sectors;
• Entice and retain inward funding to the UK from Switzerland (improve share of high-value initiatives, low carbon, capital funding, R&D and levelling-up, and energetic strategic relationship administration (SRM) of important accounts);
• Help and advance the present Free Commerce Settlement negotiations between the UK and Switzerland, strategically advising the place wanted the UK negotiating workforce and offering professional and knowledgeable recommendation on a variety of related coverage areas;
• Champion free and fair-trading techniques with Switzerland (constructing constructive relations with Swiss authorities commerce coverage groups; offering insightful intelligence on buying and selling techniques points; advocating UK positions convincingly) and defend UK’s pursuits and financial safety;
• Present evaluation and perception into the Swiss economic system and industrial alternatives to HMG clients.

3. Domesticate relationships with key exterior stakeholders

• Develop a broad and deep vary of influential and high-level contacts amongst Swiss and UK firms in addition to supply companions, authorities and wider stakeholders, with credibility at Board degree;
• Act as a key outward going through consultant of the Embassy, DBT Switzerland and the UK Authorities with strategic enterprise companions in each Switzerland and the UK, together with at high-profile occasions and different exterior engagements;
• Promote the UK as certainly one of Switzerland’s prime industrial companions, together with by way of supporting the Prime Minister’s commerce envoy to Switzerland.

4. Company management position and wider HM Authorities collaboration

• Set up trusted relationships with DBT HQ in London, DBT Europe, together with the HM Commerce Commissioner, and with colleagues on the British Embassy in Berne;
• Lead well timed and pertinent evaluation, and supply recommendation and assist to DBT and wider HMG Ministers and officers on UK-Switzerland commerce points, ministerial visits, and efficiency;
• Interact proactively with related groups throughout the British Embassy in Berne and DBT to determine  shared goals and work collaboratively to realize them;
• Play a senior management position throughout the British Embassy Berne, together with as a member of the Board of Administration and Senior Management Workforce, selling a supportive, collaborative “one workforce” tradition.

Lead on discrete initiatives or horizontal goals throughout DBT Switzerland and DBT Europe, as required.

Our Ideally suited Candidate reveals: 

• Full skilled proficiency in English and ideally additionally German, together with wonderful written expertise* (C2 Degree);
• Not less than 5 years of management expertise in enterprise/industrial setting;
• Glorious interpersonal, workforce working, and other people administration expertise with a demonstrable management monitor report. The profitable candidate will likely be a reputable senior chief able to setting the course for and creating a sizeable workforce of skilled colleagues;
• Strategic relationship administration expertise, constructing and implementing stakeholder engagement methods to realize goals; in a position to present a strong monitor report of reaching influence with senior degree determination makers (‘C-level’ executives);
• Coverage expertise and the power to shortly develop a strong strategic grip on the free commerce negotiations and oversee market entry work. The profitable candidate will likely be proactive and able to absorbing a variety of data from completely different sources and utilizing that to tell and form their pondering;
• Demonstrated venture administration expertise. The profitable candidate will likely be extremely organised, versatile, and in a position to work at tempo; and have a confirmed report within the potential to juggle a number of priorities and to take de-prioritisation choices to retain give attention to the best influence;
• Capable of display industrial judgement, with related expertise in commerce/enterprise improvement, authorities or commerce and funding promotion.