British High Commission Sector Director: Mining - Department for Business and Trade Jobs in South Africa

British High Commission Sector Director: Mining - Department for Business and Trade Jobs in South Africa

Main purpose of job:

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the Trade Promotion and Negotiation organisation for the UK. We promote UK businesses overseas and attract foreign investment to our shores. We have 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries. Our aspiration is to address some of the challenges facing the UK, by helping British businesses to internationalise and grow overseas.

DBT Africa is one of the nine DBT global networks and is led by John Humphrey, HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa. The Africa Region is exciting and energising and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK the the second largest investor on the continent.

With some of the strongest growing economies in the world and booming population growth, there are numerous more opportunities for UK firms; from tech start-ups in the West to infrastructure in the East. The DBT Africa network’s role is to promote these opportunities and position the UK as the continent’s number one trading partner and investor.

You will join the Department for Business and Trade’s Africa network. This role will provide crucial leadership and expertise to enable the expansion.

Your job will be to work independently with senior level African buyers and key UK companies. You will help UK firms to create new, and expand existing business, and build up investments in Africa. This includes identifying the very best opportunities in Africa and the right strategies and markets together with UK companies, informing, challenging and helping UK companies at board level to create plans that support new effective market entry, and successful engagements with major projects.

You will guide DBT country teams to understand the UK offer, and help them to evaluate projects in terms of their best alignment to deliver outcomes that match UK interests, and to work effectively in support of UK business interests in their countries. You will leading DBT’s work with the key UK businesses in mining in Africa.

You will develop a strong understanding of the current state of mining development in Africa, the greatest opportunities for the UK, identifying new projects on the horizon as well as driving existing projects forward. You will learn to understand the key barriers to UK trade and investment, and ensure that our work in this area is prioritised effectively, and that adequate action is taken to resolve these barriers.

You will engage UK companies early on when opportunities start to arise in Africa. You will liaise with key buyers, increase their understanding of UK expertise, and help key buyers to engage with UK companies. You will create and lead a small number of very high quality events that reflect the unique quality of the UK offer in mining, and that advance our interests with key buyers.

The successful candidate will have autonomy and will be expected to bring a step change in UK business, drawing on the full set of tools available, including UK export finance, UK Government capability working with host Governments, and all the UK’s private sector USPs, to create partnerships based on sustainable growth in our trade.

This will require strategic thinking, drive, leadership and an ability to understand and link up different tools and approaches, creativity and problem solving in work with stakeholders to ensure the right outcomes are achieved, together with sales and delivery skills in working with key buyers.

The jobholder will join a dynamic team of experts from the private sector, committed to support UK business interests and Africa’s economic growth. This is an exciting time to join DBT Africa, as we deliver on our ambition to be Africa’s trade and investment partner of choice.

You will lead and deliver DBT Africa’s work in the mining sector.

You will create and deliver a sector plan focussed on outcomes and with clear priorities, goals, milestones and deliverables. You will create greater awareness in the UK, organise focussed sector events, and provide an evidence based view of the key areas for UK business engagement.

You will create a pipeline of key projects and opportunities, and ensure there is appropriate and strong support for UK companies in making progress on these projects. You will lead a pan-Africa virtual sector team working in the sector. You will work together with UK stakeholders to advance your interests.

You will lead this work, securing outcomes through the wider DBT Africa team across the continent, providing them with direction, helping to upskill them, and ensuring a consistent high standard of delivery and service.

You will lead a strong programme of relationship management with major UK companies in the sector. You will lead accounts at Africa CEO level, working with senior leaders to understand their strategy, priorities and objectives, and market access concerns, delivering additional support for them that matches their needs, helping to realise the best possible opportunities in Africa.

You will deploy support across the full range of DBT and HMG interests (trade policy, market access, export and business support, planning and strategy development, and new investments). You will also create your own relationships with buyer Governments, and your role will include some occasional travel when conditions permit to African countries.

You will use your own experience of business to role model and secure better services for UK business among the DBT Africa family. You will have autonomy to drive forward our work in this key sector, helping country teams in DBT Africa to find new opportunities, develop new deals, resolve problems, and win projects.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Team of 5 advisers, who you will matrix manage in coordination with their Country Directors.

Operational budgets for travel and subsistence and marketing and communications.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Undergraduate degree or other relevant professional qualification relevant to mining

Knowledge of mining services projects, having worked in the private sector or Government to develop mining projects, with at least five years of experience working on mining, preferably in Africa

Experience of working with government departments in Africa at a senior level to secure progress on mining projects

Proven track record of cross-team collaboration

A positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable “can-do” attitude that can see a way through challenges, keen to learn how the UK Government can progress mining projects across Africa.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Knowledge of the UK, a keen interest in UK private sector interests and mining investment in Africa

At least 5 years’ experience in leading teams at a senior level within a private sector business, operating with autonomy to deliver success and project impact

At least 5 years of leading the development of new areas of business in Africa for international companies, or at one of Africa’s most successful private sector firms

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; British High Commission Sector Director: Mining - Department for Business and Trade Jobs in South Africa

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