The British Consulate General in Casablanca is seeking a dynamic individual and team player to take up the position of Operations and Enquiry Hub Officer, grade Administrative Officer (AO), under the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The role is for a fixed-term contract of two (2) years, with a possibility for a one-time contract renewal (up to 12 months), depending on operational requirements.

About the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)

Our aim is to promote British trade and investment across the world which is vital for the prosperity of the UK. DBT brings together policy, promotion, and financial expertise to break down barriers to trade and investment in markets across the world to help businesses succeed.

DBT splits the world into nine (9) regions, each led by His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC). The Africa region is led from Johannesburg and has more than 100 staff located across 19 of Africa’s 54 countries.

About the role

This is an exciting time to join DBT, and this is a great opportunity to be part of an international team that contributes to the success of the UK’s trade goals.

The Africa Region is exciting and energising and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK the second largest foreign investor on the continent. With some of the fastest growing economies in the world and booming population growth, there are numerous more opportunities for UK firms; from tech start-ups in the West to infrastructure in the East and everything in between.

This role is part of DBT’s Export Support Service – International Markets (ESS-IM), a free government service which supports UK small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to export across the world with market-specific insight and guidance provided by DBT teams based around the world. As part of DBT’s global ecosystem of export support for UK businesses, the ESS-IM Africa Hub is the first port of call for SMEs looking to explore Africa’s extensive trading opportunities. ESS-IM is part of the UK Government’s commitment to support UK businesses to ‘sell to the world’ and grow the UK economy through exports by reaching the ‘Race to a Trillion’ challenge, laid out in the 2021 Export Strategy: Made in the UK, Sold to the World.

Based at the British Consulate General in Casablanca, the jobholder will work within DBT Africa’s MET Operations, which serves as the enquiry hub and first point of contact for the whole of the African Network. They triage and monitor enquiries and referrals from a wide range of sources, both overseas and within Africa. With excellent interpersonal skills and strong sense of initiative, the jobholder will be part of the MET Team and will monitor and triage enquiries across Africa.

They will be required to deliver within the team as much as possible, collaborating with colleagues across DBT Africa and other UK Government departments in Africa, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) when necessary. They will also need to actively engage external stakeholders in the private sector. 

Duties and responsibilities:

• Work closely with the Enquiries and Operations Manager for Africa and support the running of the Africa Enquiry Hub, acting as the first point of contact for the whole of Africa Network. Triage, assign, and manage enquiries and referrals from High Export Potential (HEP) UK SMEs to the team of International Market Advisors (IMAs) across Africa.
• Conduct criteria checks (i.e., confirm if it is a valid UK business/ Companies House registration number, economic benefit to the UK, etc.) on all UK businesses prior to assigning these to ensure the companies are eligible for ESS support.
• Support all non-HEP UK business requests with relevant market entry digital advice.
• Follow up on all enquiries shared with the team to ensure these have been responded to and categorise the mailbox accordingly.
• Enter all relevant information regarding the company and their request on the ESS tracker system daily, hyperlinking all the companies to DBT’s DataHub CRM system for ease of reference.
• Record all UK business enquiries on DBT’s DataHub CRM system, confirming responsible IMA, country of interest, and any other relevant information, including any interactions regarding the support request.
• If the company is new to DBT Africa and not listed on DataHub CRM system, add the company and link DataHub and Companies House to the organisation once the necessary eligibility checks have been completed.
• Record all the Hub interactions on the CRM system on a weekly basis.
• Weekly quality checks on the ESS tracker system to ensure quality standards are maintained.
• Attend the weekly ESS Africa team call and give feedback (a prepared 5-minute report) to the team on all enquires, i.e., the UK region, sector focus, types of enquiries, the Africa markets of interest, and any anomalies noted.
• Function as note taker for ad-hoc meetings.
• Research focus: Work with the Hub Manager to create and maintain market overviews for all countries in Africa, engaging with FCDO colleagues if necessary, in markets where we do not have a DBT presence.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in emergency planning and any other response to a crisis. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs.

Key behaviours required:

• Managing a Quality Service – Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise, and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Communicating and Influencing – Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity, and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses, and opinions of others.
• Delivering at Pace – Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
• Working Together – Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources, and support.

Eligibility:

Applicants must have a right to work and live in Morocco.

• Excellent organisational skills, including ability to take initiative and to organise and prioritise workload, organise records, and meet deadlines and changing priorities whilst maintaining close attention to detail and without compromising the quality of the work.
• Ability to adapt to a quick changing and evolving business environment, working proactively and autonomously.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a strong customer focus, able to maintain a range of contacts and work collaboratively in a virtual network.
• Ability to build effective working relationships at all levels of seniority in an international environment and within a fast paced, results orientated organisation.
• Demonstrates courtesy and consideration in dealing with all stakeholders. Able to show discretion in handling any sensitive matters, with the trust of all involved.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Arabic/ Darija, both written and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both orally and in written communication.
• Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).