Srr - Senior Trade Advisor, Retail and Food & Drink

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

The British Embassy Riyadh has a vacancy for a Senior Trade Advisor, Retail and Food & Drink under the Department for International Trade (DIT) for a fixed-term contract of two (2) years.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is a Department of State within the British Government. DIT has responsibility for the promotion of international trade overseas and works with UK based companies to ensure their success in international markets. DIT in Saudi Arabia has a network of three trade teams based in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar. The teams work closely together to deliver services to our customers.

A core feature of the Vision2030 strategy is the Kingdom’s ambition to develop its tourism and cultural offer. This combined with a growing local and expat population and coupled with the importance that KSA consumers place on having quality retail, food and drink choices, provides excellent opportunities for UK retail, food and drink companies, who are recognised for their quality and innovation. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is currently under negotiation, will also help to facilitate more frictionless trade and provide further export opportunities to both Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region.

The jobholder will be required to develop and maintain contacts with key figures and companies within KSA, including with the government. The jobholder will primarily be responsible for driving forward trade promotion activity to support exports of retail, food and drink into Saudi. They will also be required to identify and analyse regulatory and market access barriers, which will need to be unblocked to stimulate further growth across the sector. The jobholder should also be flexible in responding to changes to sector priorities based on operational requirements as guided by the DIT KSA Director.

**Duties and responsibilities**:
The primary objective of this role is to drive retail and food and drink export growth, and build the UK’s food and drink reputation within KSA. As such, the jobholder will be responsible for broadening opportunities for food and drink producers and manufacturers within the Kingdom. You will understand market forces and trends, and identify and build relationships with key players across DIT and wider UK HMG, retail and hospitality sectors and other key contacts in KSA.

You will be expected to:

- Provide expert support and advice to UK companies wishing to enter the Saudi market within the retail, food and drink space.
- Research and understand the KSA market, its trends and the key players, and their requirements.
- Deliver against UK Government trade strategies and export targets, and advance the interests of UK retail, food producers, and manufacturers.
- Build new strategic relationships with KSA organisations that increase UK retail, food and drink trade by identifying export opportunities and economic partnerships.
- Lead on the development of partnerships and networks with Saudi Arabia with stakeholders such as chambers of commerce, regulatory bodies such as the Saudi Food & Drug Authority and industry bodies.
- Collaborate with colleagues from DIT and across UK Government and Saudi governmental departments and agencies on retail, food and drink policy
- Lead and drive forward key events and activities that support UK retail, food and drink companies and manufacturers, including webinars, conferences, roadshows, trade missions and Ministerial visits.
- Work closely with the market access team in region and in the UK, alongside the Regional Agri-Counsellor, to identify market access barriers in the agri-food and drink sector.

The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis affecting UK citizens.

**Key behaviours required**:

- Managing a Quality Service - Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
- Seeing the Big Picture - Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
- Delivering at Pace - Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
- Working Together - Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience
- Commercial experience, ideally in Saudi and/ or the UK. Knowledge of trade and investment concepts.
- Ability to plan strategically, assimilate information from a range of sources, and see the bigger picture to spot opportunities.
- Proven experience of working pro-actively, independently, and towards performance targets within a team setting, contributing to the overall goa