Business Development Manager, Invest Northern

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

**Main purpose of job**:
The recently released “10X Economy” by DfE sets out the overall vision for the future of Northern Ireland’s economy. Achieving the vision requires a new approach to trade and investment which has been outlined in “Trade and Investment for a 10X Economy”. At its core our ambition is to harness trade and investment as a catalyst for inclusive, green growth in Northern Ireland to support our economic transformation over the next decade. We want to use trade and investment as a key driver to increase wealth, prosperity and living standards in Northern Ireland.

Invest NI’s international offices and overseas representatives are responsible for supporting Northern Ireland companies in developing business opportunities overseas, increasing export sales and developing collaborations. They are also responsible for marketing and promoting Northern Ireland as an inward investment location.

Invest NI currently has a presence in North America and is seeking to expand its operations in Canada. Invest NI is now looking to appoint a Business Development Manager for Canada. Reporting to Invest NI’s Regional Director for Canada, this newly created post will be based in the British Consulate General Toronto to focus on trade and export development work. The post-holder will help the Regional Director in key target business sectors such as Life Sciences and Healthcare, Heavy Equipment, Aerospace, or Technology identify and develop business opportunities. When carrying out their work, the post-holder will be required to forge effective working relationships with a wide range of Northern Ireland and Canadian companies, stakeholders, including the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), Chambers of Commerce, industry bodies, and local councils in Northern Ireland.

A large part of the role will include undertaking research, conduct desk based business development work to identify sales opportunities, provide market access advice to new market entrants to assist the Regional Director formulate a strategy to export to Canada for companies. As well as one to one support for Northern Ireland businesses, the post-holder will work with the Regional Director to organize and support activities such as marketing events and conferences, represent Invest Northern Ireland at business conferences, arrange meetings for clients, manage logistics plans (including Trade missions, VIP visits, and senior official visits from Northern Ireland), maintain data on the internal CRM system and prepare activity reports which summarize information and work progress in Canada.
The post-holder will also work with the Regional Director and the wider team on promotional initiatives including social media campaigns.

The post-holder will be required to undertake travel from time to time, either within Canada, to the US and the UK.

**Roles and responsibilities**:
The key deliverables of the post-holder include the number of business introductions made and business opportunities identified and referred to Northern Ireland companies in the key target markets, which lead to new export sales.

Trade & Export development
- Conduct strong and effective business development activities and proactively identify relevant business opportunities, throughout a range of sectors for Northern Ireland (NI) companies through market intelligence, connections and research;
- Support Northern Ireland companies interested in Canada by providing information required to make informed business decisions by handling market research and assessment enquiries, conducting visits, arranging business development meetings and writing appropriate reports. The post-holder will be able to leverage Invest NI’s appointed Trade Advisory Support providers in Canada in the delivery of support services to NI client companies and in relation to sector relevant market research;
- Identify and articulate specific business opportunities to colleagues in Northern Ireland, and work with NI companies to help them respond to these opportunities;
- Identify and attend sector trade exhibitions and conferences, deliver in-market physical events and virtual webinars, arrange and attend client and customer meetings to promote industry excellence and highlight key market opportunities for NI companies;
- Work with colleagues in Northern Ireland to deliver visit programmes for NI companies, providing added value for participating companies by introducing them to your network of contacts and setting up 1-2-1 meetings for them while in market.

Effective Relationship Management
- Build strategic relationships with targeted companies, stakeholders and influencers in the region and enable Northern Ireland companies to engage with them;
- Develop close working relationships in Canada with other partners including Department for International Trade (DIT), British Chamber of Commerce and other in-market industry trade bodies who