Are you interested in the policies and relationships that help trade grow?

Do you thrive through delivering high-quality analytical work at pace?

Would you like to make an impact in a fast-moving, high-profile international environment?

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is recruiting an exciting and demanding role to support our work on market access, based at the British Embassy in Berlin. The Market Access Officer position is full-time for a fixed term of 12 months, of 37.5 hours per week, to cover maternity leave. We expect the position to be available for 12 months; however, the period could be longer or shorter depending on the current job holder maternity leave dates. 

DBT’s mission is to improve market access for businesses, champion free and fair trade and encourage trade and investment between the UK and Germany. This is critical to our economies, supporting millions of jobs, driving economic growth, raising wages and improving living standard across the globe, whilst at the same time promoting wider goals – e.g. tackling climate change and improving economic security. For more information about DBT’s objectives, see here.

About the position:

The successful candidate will report to the Head of Trade Policy in Berlin and work closely with a range of expert colleagues in Germany. The role offers a combination of policy and analysis, business engagement and lobbying work and is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to develop a career in economic and trade policy. 

Our Market Access Officer will support UK businesses to make the most of trade opportunities between the UK and Germany, underpinning and prioritising this work with high quality analysis. The role holder will be required to maintain a network of external contacts in the German business and policy community, as well as serving as the focal point for market access work in DBT Germany’s own network of staff.

What will the jobholder be expected to achieve?

Focusing on UK-German bilateral trade, you will:

• Identify and tackle trade barriers: investigating potential solutions, and assembling the teams and contacts needed to resolve them.

• Coordinate market access work across DBT Germany’s in-country staff, supporting other teams and sector experts as required. Work with UK Government colleagues in London and Brussels to develop local and regional plans to improve market access.  Monitor and report on developments in country, scan for potential barriers to trade (e.g. through proposed or new legislation or procedures), and assess impact on UK business interests. Build a network of internal and external stakeholders including within the business community to enable this. Contribute to broader investigations on proposed EU legislation impacting UK trade to Germany.

• Liaise with German stakeholders, updating them on changes to the UK regulatory environment, and maintain our business outreach network for this.

• Support broader teams as required, including, Ministerial visits, business outreach and engagement, as necessary, ensuring join up across the network.

• Any other duties that may reasonably be required in support of the wider work of the Embassy (replace by Consulate-General if the ad is for the Consulates), including crisis work.

The successful candidate will need to be politically aware, able to understand and interpret complex detail, be a good communicator, and enjoy working closely and collaboratively with a wider range of stakeholders in country teams, regionally and with London.

The Germany Network and DBT are a rewarding and exciting place to work, offering:

• Much scope for personal and professional development: Excellent networks and opportunities for support, including mentoring, coaching, job shadowing and secondments;

• Strong offer for learning and development, including dedicated L&D days;

• An equal, diverse and engaged workplace;

• Opportunities to actively engage in corporate activities and initiatives in the Germany Network, such as Greening the Network, Germany Women’s Network, the Social Mobility Group, the Germany People Committee;

• Work-life balance;

• Performance related bonus.

We aim to be a diverse and inclusive employer, welcoming to people of all backgrounds. The senior leadership is committed to ensuring that we are a supportive and fair place to work. 

• Fluency in English (both written and spoken, minimum of C1 level for CEFR *) and good command of German especially reading skills (at least B1 level for CEFR *) 

• University degree in relevant field of study (economics, political economy, business, social sciences, international relations etc.) or equivalent professional experience;

• Demonstrable analytical skills, the ability to make sense of complex information;

• Strong written and oral communication skills.

• Excellent interpersonal and networking skills;

• Ability to work well independently whilst using on own initiative;

• Proficient in MS Office 365 packages, especially Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook.