Overview
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is the Trade Promotion and Negotiation organisation for the UK. 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.
DIT Africa is one of the nine DIT global networks and is led by Emma Wade-Smith, HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, based in Johannesburg. Emma is supported by two Deputy Trade Commissioners, Rebecca Fisher Lamb (based in Nairobi) and Alastair Long (based in Cairo).
The Africa Region is exciting and energising and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK the second largest investor on the continent. With some of the strongest 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. The Network’s role is to promote these opportunities and position the UK as the continent’s number one trading partner and investor.
UK in Kenya
Kenya has shown impressive rates of economic growth and levels of innovation over the last decade, attaining lower middle-income status, and a diversified economy. This has helped reduce poverty rates, improve access to basic services and led to Kenya being dubbed the ‘Silicon Savannah’. Kenya has also made impressive strides on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index. Kenya’s long-term development blueprint, ‘Vision 2030’, aims to create “a globally competitive and prosperous country with a high quality of life by 2030” and is aligned to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The current Government has identified priority growth area to accelerate economic growth, focussed on: manufacturing, food security and nutrition, universal health coverage, and affordable housing, jointly referred to as the ‘Big Four Agenda’.
The UK has a long-standing and valued relationship with Kenya, increasingly focused on mutual prosperity. The UK is one of the largest investors in Kenya and there are opportunities across all sectors for the UK to bring its expertise to market.
DIT in Kenya
DIT in Kenya is based in Nairobi, and forms a core part of the British High Commission. On a daily basis, you will report to the Country Director for Kenya, with additional strategic direction provided by the Department’s Director for Investment for Africa, based in Cape Town. You will be a key part of the wider Prosperity team comprising DIT, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for International Development (DFID) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) colleagues, all working to improve economic development, investment and trade between the UK and Kenya.
The Role
The UK government has committed to radically expand its presence in Africa. The primary objective of your role as Sector and Investment adviser is to encourage private sector led growth, by protecting and promoting investment and leveraging the strengths of businesses in order to support the poverty reduction, investment and broader economic objectives of Kenya, as well as supporting the UK’s investment ambitions in Africa.
Working in support of Kenya and the UK’s prosperity agenda, your objectives will be:
Sector Adviser
- You will lead on sector priorities, as determined by the Country Director, to ensure it is focused on clear business objectives to maximise our impact and effect. You will work closely with UK and Kenyan businesses and business support organisations to mobilise business behind the opportunities you and the team have identified.
- You will lead on the following sectors: education; healthcare and life sciences; manufacturing; and also lead on Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
- You will create a strong pipeline of export and investment opportunities in your sectors, and develop priorities for engagement in collaboration with colleagues in DIT, DFID and FCO.
- You will be expected to undertake research and networking with government and business to scope and deliver on trade and investment opportunities across your sectors,
- You will contribute to the development of strategies to maximise the opportunities for business to engage in the value chains represented by developments across your sectors of responsibility.
- You will undertake outreach to exporters, importers and investors to monitor and identify the challenges faced by companies in your sectors, and work closely with the Market Access lead to overcome those barriers.
- You will develop and maintain a network of high value trade and investment relationships in Kenya, including in the Government of Kenya and the local British and Kenyan business community.
- You will work with the BHC’s Prosperity Strategy to develop a deep understanding of their suite of programmes and ensure full DIT support and collaboration on the relevant programmes, balancing resources and priorities to best effect. As part of this you will work closely with colleagues across FCO, DFID and Other Government Departments (OGDs) at post to identify synergies and opportunities for collaboration on areas of mutual interest that will deliver the BHC’s Prosperity Strategy.
- You will also work with the Regional UK Export Finance (UKEF) lead – based in Nairobi – to promote, where relevant, the financing products offered by UKEF (the British government’s Export Credit Agency), to support companies win contracts.
Investment Adviser
- You will also support DIT Kenya’s Investment Lead on the ODI agenda across Prosperity Teams in Kenya, through building, leveraging and maintaining important client facing relationships with investors.
- You will promote Kenyan investment opportunities to firms and international investors, raising the profile of investable opportunities among private investors.
- You will use the above relationships to help HMG in Kenya to lobby for key reforms to the Kenyan business environment by identifying ‘high value investment barriers’ and will promote Kenyan investment opportunities to firms and international investors, raising the profile of investable opportunities among private investors.
- You will increase the demand for investment in key sectors of strategic interest for Kenya and UK – including those you lead on – as well as other potential international investors.
- You will facilitate their dialogue with the relevant government departments, agencies and regulators.
- You will work closely with colleagues in the prosperity programmes team, maintaining regular dialogue and collaborating when the opportunities arise.
Your role will be partly funded from UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). This reflects your main objective as poverty reduction in Kenya, enabled by private sector led growth. You will work closely with the ODA Strategy Programme Manager and the ODA Compliance Officer to ensure adherence to ODA rules and UK legislation, developing metrics and sharing lessons learnt and best practice with the wider Africa network.
Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?
- You will establish a world-class investment support function in Kenya
- Map existing British businesses in Kenya and prioritise relationship building with those with greatest investment in jeopardy or in progress that UK Government can support
- Address business environment in Kenya that inhibit investment and convene working groups to address them, using VIPs (Ministers) and HMG senior officials to unblock issues where relevant
- Be an integral part of the BHC Nairobi Prosperity team, working closely with colleagues from OGDs to advance UK commercial interests
- Work with private sector partners to develop a deal flow of investment in Kenya that promote mutual prosperity
- Promote Kenya to potential new investors, managing an events schedule that ensures maximum visibility of the UK offer, and partner with investment promotion agencies to do this.
- Build strategic relationships with business and other interlocutors to support your objectives.
- Undergraduate degree (post-graduate or other relevant professional qualification preferred)
- Relevant work experience in the private sector, or within a private-sector orientated part of Government or International Organisation
- Experience of working in or with government departments, NGOs, and similar institutions
- Proven track record of cross-team collaboration
- Proven client facing experience, for example with an investment promotion agency or professional services firm
- Fluency in the language of business and investment
- Knowledge/experience of international development, or a willingness to learn
- 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 development (additional training will be given)
- Excellent drafting skills
- Experience of the following: business development, understanding issues and pursuing strategies together, investment appraisal, deal pipeline preparation, deal brokering, advisory
- At least three-five years professional work experience
- Commercial experience, including building deal pipelines
- Experience in managing budgets
- Knowledge of the investment services contract and delivery mechanisms
- Experience of working in organisations with a matrix management structure
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