View Vacancy – JPN (Tokyo) – Trade Adviser, AO

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.

Job Category

Department for Business and Trade roles (DBT)

Job Subcategory

Department for Business and Trade (DBT)

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main Purpose of Job:

This role will work in the Trade Team in the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), at the British Embassy Tokyo. This team supports British companies to export to and expand in Japan.

The aim of the AO roles in the Trade Team is to support UK business in Japan. You will provide market information, and support to UK businesses who want to enter and grow in the Japanese market. This will require project management of campaigns, stakeholder management in both the public and private sectors, research and awareness of industry trends, and direct advice to UK companies. You will support team leads to work with policy colleagues across government and industry to carry out specific tasks as part of broader campaigns to resolve market access barriers and shape the right market conditions for exports and FDI into Japan.

Based in Tokyo, you will work as part of the DBT team in Tokyo whose role is to build strong commercial ties with Japan. We offer a friendly and dynamic working environment, and you will work alongside colleagues in Japan and in the UK. This job provides excellent experience both of business and of government.

The British Embassy Tokyo is a busy and diverse post at the heart of the UK government’s work in the Indo-Pacific. Our work on security, digital and technology, trade and economic, and climate and energy partnerships with Japan is at the centre of the Foreign Secretary’s foreign policy agenda and our commitment to the region.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) operates around the globe, and DBT APAC is a fast-paced and exciting place to work. DBT promotes UK trade to ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us, securing and improving economic well-being, stability, and helping to create tens of thousands of jobs. His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC), based in Singapore, is responsible for Trade and Investment work in the APAC region.

What the Jobholder will be Expected to Achieve:

This role at AO grade in the Trade Team will require candidates to demonstrate the following set of skills:

You will have strong drive, determination and good organisational skills to deliver at pace – e.g. you may be required to provide logistical support to deliver events and visits that contribute to DBT’s promotion objectives or you may need to support colleagues to run recruitment campaigns.

You will have strong administrative skills – you are able to provide a high-quality service to DBT leadership in organising meetings, agenda, and logistics for stakeholder engagement. You will be good at anticipating .

You will have good troubleshooting skills – you will be determined, and use your initiative, to help colleagues solve problems e.g. administrative and HR issues etc.

You will have strong data management skills – you will be diligent and take forward data entry in an accurate and timely manner.

You will have strong communication skills – you will be able to communicate clearly both orally and in writing with internal and external stakeholders.

You will be good at establishing relationships – you will have good interpersonal skills to build and sustain a range of internal contacts across the Japan Network and external contacts as required. You will be confident in engaging with senior stakeholders.

You will understand the bigger picture – you will understand how your work and your team supports wider objectives in the Japan Country Plan.

You will make a corporate contribution – you will contribute to the wider work of the Embassy, including taking an active role in the crisis response plan and participating in crisis exercises.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Promote the UK’s strengths to the Japanese market by engaging with Japanese stakeholders, UK and Japanese governments and influencers.
• Manage and respond to enquiries from businesses looking to enter the Japanese market.
• Support the delivery of promotional events including trade fairs, campaigns, webinars, reverse pitches, trade missions and receptions.
• Undertake specific research tasks and identify potential new areas for UK companies to win contracts in short to long term.
• Develop a network of useful contacts and where delegated from more senior team members, account manage UK and Japanese companies, supporting the UK companies to win contracts/expand their business in the Japanese market.
• Support UK companies through market research to assess their marketability in the Japanese market and provide advice on exporting to Japan or developing their business in the Japanese market
• Develop a pipeline of opportunities for UK companies to win contracts with Japanese companies.
• Support visit programmes for Ministers and Trade Envoys, including logistical tasks, such as arranging transport, accommodation, meals, but also administrative and organisational tasks such as supporting the coordination of briefing, and other tasks required specific to individual visits.
• Identify market access issues that UK companies face in entering the Japanese market and working with the head of the team, develop and implement an action plan to tackle these. This will need close working with relevant stakeholders across and beyond the network including the Japanese and the UK Government departments and influencers.
• Perform regular administrative tasks, for example database entry of projects, keeping contacts up to date on the CRM systems, procurement and handling of payments etc.

All members of the Trade team will need to remain flexible to pick up new opportunities, and to support across the team and across sectors.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• Proven ability to work with business, either in the private sector or public sector.
• Proven stakeholder relationship management skills

Language Requirement:

This role requires written and spoken proficiency in both English and Japanese. Fluency (minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework*) in one language and business level (minimum of high B2) in the other.

*Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages sets the following mastery or proficiency levels:

• C2: Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express themself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
• B2: Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

• Experience working in a cross-cultural environment
• Strong industry contacts and network

Required behaviours

Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together

Application deadline

26 July 2026

Grade

Administrative Officer (AO)

Type of Position

Full-time, Permanent

Working hours per week

37.5

Region

Asia Pacific

Country/Territory

Japan

Location (City)

Tokyo

Type of Post

British Embassy

Number of vacancies

1

Salary Currency

JPY

Salary

JPY 462,200

Type of Salary

monthly

Start Date

1 October 2026

Other benefits and conditions of employment

• 1 month salary bonus equivalents payable in June and December
  (Note: Salary may be reduced due to tax status)
• Commuting allowance of up to JPY35,000 per month (paid on an actual cost basis)
• 25 days paid annual leave (calculated pro rata)
• Health Insurance and Employee pension (kenko hoken/kosei nenkin)
• Employment Insurance (koyou hoken)

Working Patterns:

The British Embassy supports and promotes flexible working as a crucial part of our inclusive offering. This role allows for flexible working e.g. start and end times, working compressed hours, working remotely on one day a week, and the possibility of a job share arrangement, subject to agreement with management.

Occasional out-of-hours working is required to support Embassy events.

This role will be offered pending successful reference and security checks and is subject to the appropriate permissions to work. Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy Tokyo is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Japan employment law.

No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in Japan with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit. Any costs related to obtaining or renewing permits and visas are the responsibility of the successful applicant.

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.

The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. To facilitate an agile workforce, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.

Learning and Development Opportunities:

The British Embassy offers comprehensive learning and development opportunities that will be fully available to the jobholder. We regularly run both work area specific training, as well as more general skills development in project management, finance, and leadership. Each year the job holder will be encouraged to use 5 development days to pursue job related and personal development goals.

All staff are required to take a role in the embassy’s crisis preparation and response. Full training will be provided for this and regular opportunities will be available to test and develop your skills.

Additional information

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.

To ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours, including through your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which provides detailed guidance on how the behaviours are defined.

Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to prepare specific examples of when they have demonstrated these behaviours in their application. Using the STAR format to provide evidence of your skills and experience in your application and at interview helps to give a structure. You briefly describe the situation in which you showed the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.

Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

For inclusivity and diversity, please remove the following personal information when uploading your CV: name, address, email address, age, date of birth, gender and nationality.

The start date mentioned in the job advert is a tentative start date and the successful candidate will be required to undergo security vetting procedures. Any offer of employment will be subject to the candidate achieving suitable clearances.

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