Head of Food - Toronto, Canada - Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Verified Company

Toronto, Canada

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Main purpose of job:

Be part of the Department for Business and Trade's (DBT) mission to drive more trade and investment between North America and the UK.

With a mature, high spending consumer market and an open, liberal economy, world-class talent and a business-friendly regulatory environment, the UK is the leading destination for foreign investment in Europe, and the second highest investment destination in the world.

The UK is also the world's sixth largest exporter and the second largest services exporter.

Based at the British Consulate-General in Toronto, the primary objective of this role is to drive food and drink export growth and build the UKs food and drink reputation in Canada contributing to the Government's plan for growth and levelling up agenda.

You will be a key part of delivering joint DBT and DEFRA export and trade objectives for food and drink, and support the trade policy and market access teams in post.

You will be responsible for trade promotion in priority subsectors, strengthening commercial and government relationships in order to:

identify market opportunities and demand trends; enhance the UK reputation for safe and high-quality products; increase the UK's market access and ensure key UK food and drink exporters are kept informed of and contribute to trade policy conversations.

Roles and responsibilities:

Support UK food and drink businesses in key subsectors (meat, dairy, beverages) to export to Canada through direct engagement, education and business development; identification of market opportunities and barriers; and advising on navigating the regulatory landscape.
Position UK agrifood companies to be ready to take advantage of new/ future market opportunities presented by the removal of Canadian (Federal and Provincial) market access barriers, TCA, CPTPP accession and the FTA.
Build positive relationships with potential Canadian business partners (importers, distributors, retailers etc) for UK food and drink companies to inform both trade policy and promotion work.
Manage and oversee strategic accounts, particularly government buyers, to identify new food and drink export opportunities.
Identify opportunities in market to showcase UK food and drink and support growth of exports, including through FCDO gastrodiplomacy pilot.
Work with the marketing and GREAT teams to increase awareness of UK food and drink brands and deliver sector focussed campaigns.
Working with Agriculture Attaché, support and contribute to the development of market access barrier resolution plans and input into trade policy lobbying strategies.
Identifying market access barriers from industry and networks, and identifying areas of support to contribute to MAB's resolutions; maximising the trade potential which will result in export wins from these resolved MAB opportunities

eg:

relabelling issues of product stopped at customs that only government has the authority to resolve; impact of TRQ's being filled and subsequent impact on UK exports; ensuring access is maintained eg MEAT Guide to educate UK industry on specific entry requirements.

Horizon scan for changes to regulations or policies on the importation of food and drink and consult industry on potential for these to result in additional barriers to entry.
Work closely with Liquor Boards to maintain and grow UK access to the government controlled beverage alcohol market in Canada.
Provide input on Food and Drink sector for DBT North America integrated sector and business planning process, including liaising with other DBT sector and regional leads.
Develop and execute UK trade missions to Canada, buyer trips to the UK and provide support for Ministerial and senior official visits.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Line management of one Food and Drink Trade Officer.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

Demonstrated professional experience in a business development, economic development or trade promotion role, idealy in a related sector.
Thorough knowledge of the food and drinks industry, major companies and trends in Canada and prefereably in the UK.
Excellent stakeholder management abilities.
Excellent interpersonal, presentation and networking skills.
Excellent management and collaboration skills with the ability to deliver results.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Excellent organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
Ability to multitask and complete work while traveling.
Must be able to attend events outside of office hours and undertake travel in Canada and internationally up to 20% of your allocated work hours.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience

Knowledge and experience working within the Canadian or UK Food and Drink sector.
Postsecondary education in business, economic development, marketing, international trade, international relations or a related