Main Purpose of Job:

The Deputy Head of Trade roles will support the Head of Trade in delivering campaigns that support UK companies to export to or expand in Japan. 

We are advertising for two roles at SEO grade, each leading one of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Japan’s three trade teams. 

One role is a new permanent position, overseeing our trade work in UK industrial strategy sectors, including digital and tech, and life sciences. This role will support specific export campaigns, working closely with policy colleagues to grow and shape emerging markets for the benefit of UK companies. 

The other is a temporary 6 – 7 months paternity cover, overseeing our trade work relating to SMEs and new market entry, with responsibility to enhance and improve our Export Support Service (our front door to UK SMEs interested in the Japanese market). This role will also have responsibility for brand UK sectors, such as food and drink, consumer and retail, creative and education; other emerging opportunities, such as automotive, and maritime; and major UK company accounts, such as in financial, professional and business services.

Each role will focus on:

Setting and delivering the team strategy:

• Lead a team of four to five trade officers to deliver on the trade team’s vision – to support UK companies to succeed in the Japanese market.
• Together with the Head of Trade, develop and deliver a strategy for the team’s sector focus; and a system for scoping and building up new area of opportunities.
• Set the strategy and delivery priorities for the team.

Leading sector work in a specific area:

• Scope and lead delivery of one or two sectors under their portfolio, with responsibility to support UK businesses from that sector to succeed in Japan.

Supporting the Head of Trade, as Deputy Head of Trade

• Support the Head of Trade across all aspect of her role, including representation, direction setting, resourcing, cross-sector approaches, stakeholder management, visits and events, planning, reporting and performance.

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:

Leader of one of Department for Business and Trade (DBT) three trade teams within the Japan Network:

• Lead a team of 4-5 trade officers to deliver on the trade team’s vision – to support UK companies to succeed in the Japanese market, including through:
  • Positioning the UK as a key partner to Japan and creating strategic alignment to smooth market access
  • Enabling connections and partnerships between UK and Japan industry to ensure that UK companies are in the right place to benefit from our market shaping work
  • Providing direct support to UK companies to help them to export to and expand in Japan
• Set the strategy for the team, and empower each member to deliver to their full potential
• Build the team’s sectoral approach, ensuring that we are prioritising the right areas, maintain strong networks, and deliver an excellent programme of work and events
• [For the SME-focused role] Enhance and improve the Export Support Service (our front door to UK SMEs interested in the Japanese market), ensuring that we are optimising the value-add of this service, by using data, digital tools, and partnerships

Trade work:

• Lead a sector, including setting the strategy, working across the Japan network to shape market conditions, and building the right knowledge and networks, in order to deliver strong support to UK companies in the Japanese market
• Through frequent business engagement, understand Japanese buyer needs and connect to UK company capabilities
• Identify and help to solve market access barriers for UK companies
• Provide thought leadership in the form of presentations, speeches, and social media
• Working with comms colleagues, develop and deliver a campaign to raise the profile of UK industry
• Manage high-value UK company accounts, to support high-value exports to Japan
• As appropriate, promote utilisation by companies of the UK-Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

Deputy Head of Trade:

• Support the Head of Trade to provide direction to the 15-person trade team, including leveraging resources, improving capability and driving performance, to ensure that the team’s work delivers on Ministerial directives
• Support cross-sector approaches on areas such as income generation, external stakeholder management and regional (cross Asia-Pacific) priorities 
• As a DBT section head, manage growth-related visits of ministers and officials
• Support the management of a wide range of business stakeholders, including Trade Envoy to Japan, Chambers of Commerce, British Market Council
• Support business planning, reporting and performance management of the entire trade team
• Deputise for the Head of Trade where necessary

Resources Managed (Staff and Expenditure): Management of the team of four or five people

• Proven ability to work with business (either in the private sector or public sector)
• Proven stakeholder relationship management skills
• Proven ability to lead and manage a team

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.