View Vacancy – Trade Adviser (04/24 DKR)

Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy in Dakar is looking for a dynamic, experienced, and highly motivated individual to join our team as Trade Adviser. 

This is an exciting time to join the Embassy as Trade Adviser. The economic and commercial relationship between the UK and Senegal has strengthened considerably in recent years and has resulted in a significant increase in trade and investment in sectors as diverse as energy, infrastructure, agriculture, mining, and telecommunications. In January, the UK and Senegal signed the first economic Memorandum of Understanding and we have a series of high level events over the next year to deepen our collaboration.

As Trade Adviser, you will form part of a tight-knit, welcoming and friendly Embassy and will qualitatively reinforce the team, helping to shape and strengthen the economic relationship and identify new opportunities to match British expertise and investment with needs in the Senegalese public and private sectors.

We pride ourselves on being a good place to work, with good work/life balance, and are committed to a culture which values respect, diversity and inclusion and good collaboration and communication.

Roles and responsibilities:

Working across the Embassy, including with the Ambassador, the Prosperity, Climate & Development team and Team Leader, and reporting to the Senegal Business & Trade Country Director, you will play an important role in delivering on the British Embassy’s economic and commercial objectives. This includes identifying and realising opportunities for both new and existing UK businesses, and increasing trade between the UK and Senegal.

You will maintain a network of operational level contacts across government and private sectors, processing and sharing information with internal and external stakeholders, monitoring exports opportunities, and proactively contacting British businesses, ensuring an excellent quality service is provided to them.

Key responsibilities:

• Engage directly with British companies who have expressed an interest in exporting or investment opportunities in Senegal in order to help deliver their trade and investment aims.
• Produce good quality and detailed reports providing market insights and sector- or product-specific information and analysis, charging where appropriate.
• Engage with a multitude of Senegalese Government departments, agencies, companies, and other organisations, at all levels, to ensure maximum co-operation and understanding of their current needs and aspirations, engaging credibly to build strong and meaningful relationships with stakeholders and clients in the UK and Senegal.
• Develop a prioritised plan for key sectors and areas of opportunities for UK companies, e.g. sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, fintech, agritech, healthcare and education sectors.
• Assist in planning and running Ministerial and VIP visits and trade missions from the UK to Senegal, including planning programmes and logistics, which will require collaboration across the UK Embassy and other government departments.
• Use existing databases and platforms to ensure good recording and reporting of in-country interactions and activities undertaken by the team working on trade and investment, and on  challenges encountered by companies trading internationally.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Embassy, the DBT Africa network and DBT HQ to deliver objectives.
• Support the Country Director in preparing economic & trade briefings, reports on sector developments, trade statistics, analyses on barriers to business, and pipeline of opportunities to include in annual business planning.
• Attend various after work events, such as receptions at which many senior contacts will be present.

As a member of the Embassy, you will be expected to make a corporate contribution to the smooth running and wellbeing of the embassy, e.g. by volunteering as a member of a corporate committee.

• Relevant postgraduate degree and/or undergraduate degree and other professional qualification.
• At least three years relevant professional experience. Experience of trade and/or investment work, with good networking skills and demonstrated ability to establish and maintain contacts to deliver progress around business requests.
• You will need to be a self-starter with good sense of initiative and strong communication skills.
• Excellent drafting skills in English and fluent written and spoken English, alongside a good working knowledge of French
• Be highly motivated, a keen problem solver, show strong organisational skills and be resourceful as a dependable team player.
• Demonstrate strong work ethic, ability to work amid tight deadlines and good professional judgment.