HM Trade Commissioner Africa (4664549)

Department for Business and Trade

Role: HM Trade Commissioner Africa

Salary: £125,000 + allowances

Location: Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) helps UK businesses to export and secures inward and outward investment. Their work is of crucial importance in leading the UK’s strategy as an independent trading nation. Their aim is to grow UK exports every year until over a trillion pounds of goods and services are sold annually to the world by 2030.

We are recruiting a visionary, commercially minded leader for an exciting and high-impact role enhancing the UK’s trade and investment relationship with Africa, enabling UK businesses to grow by selling their products overseas.

This role is at the heart of the UK’s Growth mission, Industrial Strategy and trade agenda

His Majesty’s (HM) Trade Commissioner will be required to help foster and enhance the economic and commercial relationship between the UK and Africa by boosting trade – for example helping to remove trade barriers, supporting British Business and strengthen economic ties.

You will cultivate impactful and powerful strategic relationships with major stakeholders from the UK and across the region, including: senior business leaders, ministers and government officials, as well as UK Ministers and senior officials across all of government. This entails working in and with the media, developing policy and finding solutions to barriers facing UK business.

As the role presents a unique challenge, we are looking for candidates with appropriate commercial and leadership experience. Your experience of leading complex, diverse and demanding organisations, preferably involving a matrix management environment and significant budget responsibility, will be crucial to your success here.

The ideal individual will also have strong commercial acumen, understanding the pressures facing businesses overseas, combined with a sound judgement and diplomacy - demonstrated by a track record of working successfully in an environment with very senior stakeholders.

You will also have excellent collaboration and influencing skills sufficient to lead the regions trade and investment on behalf of the UK government and will be comfortable in a high-profile and public-facing role – including involvement in media and public events. Successful candidates will undergo Developed Vetting prior to appointment.

This is a high profile and impactful post, offering real challenge, autonomy and an opportunity to make a real difference to the UK’s position in the world.

For further information about the role, please look at our specialised microsite: DBT-HMTC | Welcome | Hays UK or contact Andrew Timlin (07887777735) or Owen Quant (07867695217)

Closing date: 13^th April 2025

Contact information

Department Business and Trade

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