Market Access Officer at British High Commission Nairobi

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)  

You will work within the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) and as an integral part of the British High Commission Nairobi Trade team in the pursuit of the objectives set out in DBT’s Trade Plan for Africa and the Country Plan for Kenya. As Market Access Advisor, you will lead the team’s work to identify market access barriers, analysing and prioritising these issues and then developing and executing influencing strategies in order to remove them. You will also work on campaigns to support the improvement of Kenya’s broader business environment and on the delivery of the UK-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement.

We are the department for economic growth. We support UK businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. We promote UK businesses overseas and attract foreign investment to our shores. We have 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries. Our aspiration is to address some of the challenges facing the UK, by helping British businesses to internationalise and grow overseas and as well as helping African businesses better engage with the UK and the world.

DBT Africa is one of the nine DBT global networks and is led by John Humphrey, HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa. The Africa Region is exciting and energising and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK one of the largest investors in the continent. With some of the strongest growing economies in the world and booming population growth there are numerous more opportunities for UK firms. The Network’s role is to promote these opportunities and position the UK as the continent’s number one trading partner and investor.

DBT in Kenya is based at the British High Commission in Nairobi. We are a core part of the wider economic-focused Prosperity Team comprising DBT, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), all working to alleviate poverty, improve economic development, and enhance investment and trade between the UK and Kenya.

Roles and responsibilities

• Developing a market access strategy for Kenya: you will work with the pan-African market access team, trade advisers, UK businesses and the British Chamber of Commerce Kenya to develop and implement a market access barrier resolutions strategy for Kenya.
• Market access analysis and prioritisation: you will be responsible for identifying and prioritising policy and regulatory trade barriers (cross-cutting and sector specific) that are/likely to impact UK-Kenya business investment and international trade growth, including monitoring and analysing changes in relevant Kenyan law. In addition, you will update the information on the Departments internal monitoring systems. You will work closely with the DBT team and wider BHC to develop strategies to address trade barriers facing businesses.
• Manage key stakeholder relationships: you will develop and maintain relationships with existing and incoming business stakeholders, cross-High Commission teams, as well as officials and senior representatives of the Kenya government and relevant government agencies, facilitating meetings for His Majesty’s High Commissioner where appropriate.
• Support delivery of the UK-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement: you will support in the preparation and delivery of key events under the Association Agreement, including committee and council meetings. You will advise on motivations on policy decisions, implementation and advising on the wider economic and political context. This may also include providing support on engaging the Government of Kenya to work with the UK Government on trade policy issues.

The role will require strong interpersonal and organisational skills, with the ability to influence and build relationships; the confidence to negotiate between senior internal and external government stakeholders will be of particular benefit. It will require close teamwork with UK High Commission colleagues, lending corporate support where necessary.

The jobholder will be a confident self-starter, a team player with excellent communication skills, and the ability to network with a wide range of contacts at senior levels in government, international agencies and the private sector. In addition, they will be expected to provide high quality analysis and advice on sector-specific developments.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

• Degree in business, economics, management, finance or related field
• At least 3 years’ experience in government services and/or supporting private sector companies/organisations in doing business
• Current knowledge of Kenya’s economy, government and business environment
• Great communication and presentation skills
• Excellent drafting skills
• Fluency in the language of business and investment
• A positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable “can-do” attitude that can see way through challenges.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, ability to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries, to build networks across the region.
• Knowledge of, and a keen interest in sustainable trade and economic development (additional training will be given)

Language requirements:

• Language: Fluency in English (both oral and written)
• Level of language required: Fluency in English (both oral and written)

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

• Knowledge of the UK economic and business environment
• Existing relationships across Kenya’s economy, government and business sector
• Knowledge of Trade Policy