Who are we

The British Embassy in Sweden is part of a worldwide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas. The Embassy works with Sweden in partnership, prioritising cooperation in defence and security and building on our shared values, to identify and explore new opportunities in trade, investment, and innovation, and to uphold European security and the rules based international system. The Embassy also provides focused consular services to British nationals. The Embassy cares about its people and seeks to enshrine excellence, respect, integrity and kindness in everything it does.

We are now recruiting an ambitious and innovative Chief Talent Officer for UK’s Global Talent Taskforce in Europe, a senior engagement role supporting the UK Government’s growth priorities and Industrial Strategy. Working with Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) Global Talent Taskforce (GTT) and colleagues across the Europe Network, you will build and manage relationships with high-potential individuals and organisations, helping them to deepen their commercial, investment or personal links to the UK.

What will you be doing?

Based in Stockholm, you will work with colleagues across the Europe Network, HMG partners across the region and Department for Business and Trade’s Global Talent Taskforce (GTT), a shared unit between No.10 and the DBT.

You will identify and engage priority individuals across key sectors, including founders, investors, senior executives and leading researchers. A core part of the role is building credibility with the private sector and interacting confidently at C-suite level, ensuring senior stakeholders understand the UK offer and can access the right support through GTT’s bespoke account management.

If you enjoy connecting people, building elite networks, shaping senior-level engagement and delivering practical outcomes, this role offers a strong platform to support inward investment, innovation and growth links between Europe and the UK. Frequent travel across Europe will be expected, so flexibility and enthusiasm to do so is essential. 

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the UK Global Talent Taskforce’s international engagement in Europe, and support across the region by identifying, engaging and supporting key individuals who are seeking to expand their interests in the UK, ensuring they have a clear pathway to deepen their commercial, personal or investment footprint via the GTT’s bespoke account management function.
• Work closely with and actively convene senior stakeholders including Ambassadors, deputies, DBT leadership to shape priorities, agree engagement plans and deliver GTT objectives across Europe.
• Chair a cross-government Regional Talent Steering Group (DBT, FCDO, DSIT, GREAT) to ensure coherence of UK messaging, barriers resolution, and alignment on priority individuals.
• Represent ‘Team UK’ at high profile engagements and deliver bespoke talent engagements in market, including panel discussions, VIP roundtables, major industry and academic gatherings, and investment focused events.
• Report key intelligence and leads back into the UK HQ team to support the development and refinement of the GTT offer. This includes utilising existing partnerships and events to refer key individuals into the GTT pipeline.

What will success look like in your first 12 months?

Build and operationalise a high value European talent pipeline for the GTT.

• Establish and manage a strategic network of top founders, technologists, life sciences leaders, and clean energy innovators across priority markets.
• Identify a minimum of 100 elite individuals across the year and maintain a strong pipeline of priority individuals e.g. founders, C suite business leaders and world leading academics or researchers, with a credible interest in the UK. Mapping tailored pathways which lead to tangible outcomes which may include increased time spent in the UK, increased investment (including office openings or expansion of footprint) and/or relocation.

Deliver end to end GTT international engagement activity in European priority markets.

• Lead the delivery of the GTT engagement function by designing and executing bespoke account management support for high profile individuals considering UK expansion.
• Produce structured engagement plans for senior HMG Ministers or officials to lead, and keep GTT HQ sighted on any policy or practical barriers. The role will coordinate and deliver a programme of in-market engagements (including roundtables, bilateral meetings and ecosystem events – 2 per quarter as a minimum) in priority markets to build relationships and progress priority individuals through the GTT pipeline, supporting at least 25 bilateral talent engagements for senior HMG ministers or officials across the year.
• Advise on briefings, facilitate introductions, ensure robust follow-up with key connections, and report outcomes to the HM Trade Commissioner for Europe, and GTT HQ in London.
• Equip colleagues across the Europe network with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to actively champion the GTT’s objectives, including delivering targeted briefings, developing playbooks, and embedding consistent messaging so teams can identify high potential individuals and opportunities in their own markets.

Strengthen UK position overseas through proactive promotion and high-profile representation, supporting at least 3 annual HMG communications campaigns.

• Represent ‘Team UK’ at major Europe ecosystem events alongside senior UK leaders. This includes designing a forward look of key engagements HMG should be present at, including industry gatherings, academic summits, investor roundtables, VIP/VVIP engagements, and identifying comms and marketing opportunities to promote consistent UK messaging and high-quality follow up.
• Manage a set programme budget for engagements in market; however, they will also be expected to work in partnership with private sector partners to secure sponsorship for events and activities.
• Influence should be tracked through opportunities and insights generated with UK brand building outcomes, reported quarterly.

Produce a comprehensive annual report, and shorter monthly reports, on progress with actionable intelligence and insights to shape UK policy for the GTT strategy.

• Lead the identification of structural obstacles (visa bottlenecks, regulatory challenges, research collaboration barriers) and work with GTT HQ to develop solutions or pilots improving the UK’s attractiveness to top global talent.
• Provide regular reporting on high-quality intelligence, from conversations with founders, investor sentiment, global mobility trends, and European strategies, to support refinement of the GTT offer.
• Develop deep partnerships with influential European institutions, top VCs, accelerators, universities, major tech companies, philanthropic bodies, to create long term pipelines of exceptional individuals into the UK.
  

Our ideal candidate shows:

• Full professional proficiency in English (both written and spoken, minimum of C1 level under the CEFR framework*), with exceptional communication skills and the ability to produce high-quality written material, present complex ideas confidently, and influence senior stakeholders;
• Proven experience building and managing networks of entrepreneurs, high-net worth individuals, researchers, business leaders or other influential stakeholders, and delivering high-profile engagement activities such as industry events, roundtables, conferences or stakeholder forums;
• Proven experience building and maintaining trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including CEOs and ministers, with the ability to build credibility quickly and engage effectively across different sectors and audiences;
• Experience working in or alongside start-ups, scale-ups or the wider innovation ecosystem, with an understanding of what high-growth businesses and influential individuals seek from government engagement;
• Experience of strategic delivery of key projects or policies across the region, ideally in areas such as trade, investment, business growth, innovation, economic development or public policy;
• Experience working across geographically dispersed or virtual teams – evidence of autonomy and self-motivation to deliver but collegiate in your approach;
• A strong motivation to support UK Government growth priorities and the objectives of the Global Talent Taskforce;
• The ability to confidently and credibly represent the UK’s brand, values and economic ambition in high-profile settings;
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly regionally and within Europe;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 applications.