The Department for International Trade has announced it is recruiting for two new director general roles – a director general investment and a chief exports officer.
The latter role has been created to lead on DIT's export strategy, a review of which was launched last week by Baroness Rona Fairhead, minister for trade and export promotion. It will explore barriers to exporting and ways Whitehall can help.
Both positions are initially being advertised as three-year fixed term appointments, with a view to permanency and a salary of up to £140,000.
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DIT said the new recruits will "build significant new senior capability in the department as it pursues an ambitious, targeted and strategic approach to promoting exports, and supporting greater inward and outward investment".
The department was first established in July last year to create new trade arrangements following Brexit as the UK leaves those that were agreed as part of the European Union. It brought together teams from predecessor organisations including UK Trade & Investment and UK Export Finance.
Its workforce has grown by around 1,000 people over the past year.
The new director general investment will lead a global DIT team, coordinating government departments and working in partnership with the private sector to attract high quality overseas investment.
The chief exports officer will ensure new and existing exporters can access the right support to sell overseas. Export promotion was "an essential element" of the just-published industrial strategy, said the DIT.
Both will work with the department's HM trade commissioners – new global SCS posts also announced last week – to promote the UK as a top inward investment destination, and to lead export and outward direct investment promotion overseas.
Applications for the two roles close on 3 January.
On the announcement of her review, which DIT is leading on, Fairhead said: "UK exports are going from strength to strength, but the potential for further growth is huge, particularly as only 9% of UK businesses currently export."