This is an exciting and demanding leadership role for a talented and commercially driven individual with a passion for life sciences and healthcare to join DIT China as the team leader for the Health and Life Science team in Beijing, and play an important role in delivering the DIT China Regional Trade Plan ambitions, which are:

Objective 1 - Driving and inspiring UK exports to China, significantly increasing the UK market share of China's goods imports, and more than double the value of UK services exports.
Objective 2 – Strengthened trade policy engagement with China to achieve incremental market access, mitigate business risk and prepare for future trade deals
Objective 3 - Broadening and deepening the UK-China investment partnership, positioning the UK as the top European destination for Chinese investment and providing strong support for UK investors.

Context

The Department for International Trade (DIT), operating in 108 countries, is helping to secure a deal for the UK as it negotiates a successful exit from the EU. Establishing new relationships around the globe, DIT promotes British 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.

DIT has one of the largest representations of the 18 government departments working in China, which are coordinated and led by Her Majesty’s Ambassador who is responsible for the UK’s relationship with China. Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) is responsible for Trade and Investment work in China and the Hong Kong SAR, one of nine global regions and the largest DIT overseas network in the world. With c180 staff across six posts - Beijing, plus Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Wuhan – DIT, as part of the UK government network in China led by the Ambassador offers a fast-paced place to work at the heart of UK: China and Hong Kong SAR Government relations.

Life Sciences and Healthcare and are an important strand of the UK – China bilateral relationship. By 2020 China will be the second largest healthcare market in the world. Building on significant reforms and a growing role for the private sector in China, your headline objective is to maximise trade and investment opportunities for the UK LSHC sector. You will support the First Secretary for Health and Social Care and be an integral part of the Embassy’s ‘One Health Team’. China is vital partner for the UK in addressing twenty-first century health challenges such as non-communicable diseases, ageing societies and anti-microbial resistance. You will work collaboratively alongside colleagues who focus on UK – China health policy exchange, bilateral programmes to support the development of primary care and access to medicines, and joint UK – China development programmes to improve global health in third countries.

Detail:

Working with DIT China Network’s LSHC management team, you will be responsible for day-to-day management of the Beijing LSHC Team and supporting seamless integration with the wider network. Your expertise, strategy and resource management will be critical to our work.

You will motivate the Beijing team to deliver ambitious export targets and secure inward investment. You will take personal responsibility for managing a portfolio of key accounts. You will maintain a wide-ranging group of contacts outside the organisation and represent the Embassy in discussions with a range of external bodies. You will maintain expertise in the LSHC sector and make both policy and operational recommendations to the network. You will champion and support business environment and market access policy to strengthen the operating environment for British business. You will identify and respond to opportunities to broaden and deepen the UK – China trade and investment partnership outside the sector.

Roles and responsibilities:

Motivate and manage a team of five locally engaged staff: 20%

• Lead the Beijing team’s prioritisation of work to ensure individuals have stretching but achievable workloads. Advise team members on complex client management and operational issues
• Motivate the team to use DIT’s online platform as a basis for Client Relationship Management and develop effective supplementary tools for LSHC network where central systems do not deliver the functionality required to do our work in China.
• Ensure effective information management by the team and collaborative sharing of LSHC related trends and corporate best practice with the wider network.
• Promote a culture of support and wellbeing. Model and British Embassy values and performance competences in yourself and the team.
• Ensure team resources are delivered on time and to budget. Model financial best practice and recommend continuous cost improvements to achieve maximum value for money and deliver efficiency savings.

Deliver strategic trade and investment objectives: 50%

• Support UK businesses identify and secure export opportunities in China through market information and facilitating engagement with Chinese partners. Work with colleagues to deliver effective marketing and communication of opportunities.
• Secure Chinese investment in the UK by identifying Chinese partners and selling the strengths of the UK LSHC sector, specific investment opportunities, and the UK business environment.
• Lead a portfolio of strategies for LSHC sub-sectors and contribute to those led by others. Identify and respond to tactical opportunities, giving clear advice to the management team on the risk and resourcing implications of proposed courses of action.
• Take responsibility for the team’s delivery of a strong pipeline of export and investment opportunities with clear descriptions, qualified values and land dates. Ensure it is clearly articulated to senior managers in both China and London.
• Grow both personal and team expertise in the LSHC sector. Ensure a collective understanding of the key Chinese companies and organisations for the LSHC market, including their capability, interests, trends and opportunities for collaboration. Model and support a culture of learning and development in the DIT Network and One Health Team.
• Identify, champion and support business environment and market access policy to strengthen the operating environment for British businesses in China.
• Work seamlessly with colleagues in other teams and posts to ensure opportunities are understood and maximised across the network. Draw on their expertise and activities where they can help to support objectives.
• Collaborate with other DIT sectors to identify and respond to opportunities that broaden and deepen the UK – China trade and investment partnership outside LSHC.

Effective Relationship Management: 20%

• Champion and foster a seamless working relationship with DIT LSHC colleagues in other posts and the wider ‘One Health’ Team. Build a collaborative environment across the network where information, opportunities and best practice are understood and shared.
• Personally manage a portfolio of key accounts and support the team build excellence in account management.
• Build and maintain a wide-ranging network of relationships with senior leaders in key companies and organisations in China and the UK, including intermediaries, trade associations, and government departments, understanding their strategic intentions and business needs.
• Represent the Embassy in private and public-facing discussions with a range of external bodies and at events.
• Foster long-term, working level government-to-government contacts, and facilitate high-level engagement with more complex/senior relationships as appropriate.

High impact visits and events10%:

• Develop authoritative proposals for events, trade missions and high-level visits that support delivery of LSHC sector objectives. Ensure objectives, outcomes, impact, budgets and risks are clearly identified.
• Manage the delivery and follow-up of events, trade missions and high-level visits. Support team members solve complex issues, including engagement with senior contacts in government and business.

• Chinese LSHC sector expertise.
• Previous line-management and team leadership experience
• Track record of planning and strategy development
• Minimum of 5 to 10 years work experience in private or public sector roles
• Excellent spoken and written English and Chinese

• Knowledge of China’s business environment and market access commitments and reforms
• Experience of resource and budget management
• Experience of working in both the UK and China
• Experience of either exporting to China and / or investing in the UK
• Experience of event or project management

We offer a competitive package, which includes basic salary, good leave entitlement, and insurance plan, etc. The gross starting salary (before all deductions) is CNY 30,336/month for Chinese Nationals and an abated monthly salary of CNY 39,533/month for British Nationals and spouses/ partners (all nationalities) of diplomats who are ‘W’ (diplomatic) visa holders and meet passport criteria.

We also offer excellent development opportunities and a 22-day annual leave entitlement in pro rata. Conditioned working hours is 35 hours/ week from Monday to Friday and flexible working can be arranged upon personal needs. For more details on our Total Rewards Package, please visit our website http://www.gov.uk/government/world/china.

Staff recruited locally by the British Consulate-General is subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local Chinese employment law.

Please note that your application must be submitted before 23:55 (China Standard Time) on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”.

Incomplete application forms will not be taken into consideration, so please ensure you provide the information requested. We regret to advise that we will only be contacting short-listed candidates. Applicants called for an interview will be assessed on the core competencies listed above.

Advertised start date is provisional and subject to successful completion of reference and security checks.

You may check your online FCO application centre/email for any updates.