Main purpose of job:
The British Embassy in Seoul is recruiting a Trade Diplomacy Officer to help the UK deliver on its trade policy and market access priorities in the Republic of Korea.
The successful candidate will sit in the Trade Diplomacy team which covers trade policy, market access, and the current UK-ROK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations and implementation. The officer will work closely with teams across the whole Embassy, including the political and economic diplomacy sections, as well as the Department for Business and Trade.
The successful candidate will also work closely with teams based in the UK to provide support, guidance, research, as well as leading in the delivery of visitors – including Ministerial – to the country.
The FCDO operates an agile approach to delivery. Staff members’ roles and responsibilities may evolve in response to changing contexts and organisational needs, and they may be required to undertake additional responsibilities as reasonably required.
The British Embassy has a strong corporate culture with good learning & development opportunities, and the successful candidate would have the opportunity to play an active role in Embassy life.
This role will run until 31 March 2026 with a possibility of extension (but this cannot be guaranteed).

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:
The British Embassy Seoul operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.

Trade Policy / Free Trade Agreement / Market Access
Support the Trade Diplomacy team deliver against the UK Government’s growth mission through:

• Supporting the FTA negotiations through logistical and policy support, working closely with the UK negotiating teams and colleagues across the Embassy.
• Working with business and the Korean government to resolve trade barriers that are affecting UK companies in ROK. You will engage with businesses and the Korean government directly to progress resolution of these barriers.
• Undertaking research and analysis on the UK, ROK, and wider regional trade policies (e.g. updates on Korea-EU FTA/Korea’s Economic Partnership Agreements) and developing reports that can be shared across the Embassy and with colleagues in London. You will use English and Korean information sources to help build the team’s understanding of trade policy.

Protocol and Logistics

• Provide logistical and protocol support and guidance to large, visiting delegations of UK trade negotiators and policy leads in Korea, working closely with Senior Officers and other teams across the Embassy, and where necessary, support Korean delegations visiting the UK.
• Support arrangement of bilateral meetings from ministerial level to working level.

Budget Management and Administrative Support

• Lead Trade Diplomacy team’s budget management and payment for team activities, including project funding, working closely with the corporate service team and the Trade Diplomacy Counsellor, ensuring team members are well-informed of available budget and expenditure.
• Support Trade Diplomacy Counsellor with ad-hoc team related administrative tasks.
• Help Senior Officers with logistical and administrative arrangements for events and meetings.
• Support the team by raising purchase orders and handling payment processes for events/meetings/project funds including on the FCDO’s finance platform.
• Provide ad hoc support to all parts of the team, including across Trade Policy, Market Access and the FTA.
• Manage Trade Diplomacy team’s contact database and team folders up to date.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

• Proficient in English and Korean language (both professional level)
• Experience working at pace and ability to adapt quickly
• Experience in international relations and/or international trade work
• Strong IT literacy 

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience 

• Experience in similar, administration roles
• Experience of working with the Korean government, including MOTIE and/or MOFA
• Logistical, event, and project management skills
• Budget Management experience

Required behaviours  Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Seeing the Big Picture, Working Together

Duration of Post  6 months