Deputy Director of Trade

About the role

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 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 seventh largest exporter and the second largest services exporter.

We employ over 130 people across North America, all dedicated to increasing economic growth to ensure businesses thrive, markets are competitive, and consumers are protected. We seek talented team members with the passion and drive to help us in our mission to build a global appetite for British goods and services; drive investment; negotiate trade deals and open markets; and promote free trade, economic security and resilient supply chains (see www.gov.uk/DBT).

Based at the British Consulate in Chicago, the Deputy Director of Trade will lead Financial and Professional Services trade and investment activity across the US Midwest, while supporting the Director of Trade with regional delivery, senior stakeholder engagement, team coordination and strategic priorities. The role will focus on Financial and Professional Services, including FinTech, asset management, insurance, legal, accounting, consulting and wider professional services. The postholder will build relationships with senior US and UK business leaders, identify investment opportunities into the UK, support UK companies entering or growing in the US market, and develop partnerships with professional services firms that influence corporate international expansion decisions. The postholder will also support regional leadership across the Chicago consular region, including senior visits, briefings, performance oversight, regional strategy, state-level engagement and cross-sector priorities.

You will be part of the North America team as well as a valued contributor to the Chicago based DBT team including support for the cross sector priorities. You will also work closely with colleagues based around the US and UK.

Responsibilities

• Lead DBT's Financial and Professional Services activity across the US Midwest, with a particular focus on Chicago and Illinois as major centres for client engagement, senior visits and professional services networks.
• Provide high-quality account management to priority US investors and prospects in Financial and Professional Services, identifying opportunities to maintain, expand or establish a UK footprint.
• Build and manage a disciplined pipeline of high-value investment opportunities, ensuring activity and evidence are recorded accurately in agreed systems.
• Support UK Financial and Professional Services companies, including FinTech and professional services firms, to develop US market entry strategies, grow market share and address relevant trade policy or market access issues.
• Develop strong relationships with professional services multipliers, including law firms, accounting firms, consultancies, advisers, trade associations and business networks, to generate intelligence, referrals and commercial opportunities for DBT's wider sector teams.
• Design and deliver targeted events, roundtables, trade missions, matchmaking activity, senior visit programmes and stakeholder engagement that promote UK capability and deliver measurable trade and investment outcomes.
• Support the Director of Trade with regional strategy, planning and delivery across the Midwest, including business intelligence, regional briefings, core scripts and senior-level engagement.
• Lead or support senior official and Ministerial visits, including programme design, stakeholder engagement, briefing coordination, tasking, follow-up and read-outs.
• Help strengthen team delivery by supporting performance oversight, CRM/DataHub discipline, key account management, pipeline management, onboarding, mentoring and capability-building.
• Support state-level engagement and trade policy priorities, including UK-Illinois activity, regional market access intelligence and collaboration with sector, policy and economic colleagues.
• Work with marketing and communications colleagues to promote the UK-US trade and investment relationship and showcase UK strengths in Financial and Professional Services.
• Represent DBT and the British Consulate-General externally, including at business events, stakeholder meetings and occasional speaking engagements.
• Contribute to wider Consulate priorities, corporate activity, inclusion, wellbeing and crisis response when required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Resources Managed

• Support the Director of Trade with coordination and leadership of the Chicago trade and investment team, including direct or matrix management of a small number of officers as agreed.
• Manage or contribute to management of events, travel and programme budgets, ensuring activity is prioritised and delivered in line with financial guidance.

Qualifications, skills and experience

• Professional experience in Financial Services, Professional Services, economic development, international business, trade and investment promotion, government or a related commercial field.
• Strong understanding of the Financial and Professional Services sector, including major companies, market trends and relevant business networks in the US Midwest and/or the UK.
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships with senior business leaders, advisers, trade associations, government stakeholders and internal partners.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills, including the ability to support, influence and motivate colleagues through direct and indirect leadership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including briefing, presentation, stakeholder engagement and external representation.
• Strong organizational skills, judgement and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work under pressure.
• Ability to multitask and complete work while traveling.
• Must be able to attend events outside of office hours and undertake travel in the US and internationally up to 20% of your time.
• Fluency in English.

Required behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Pay and schedule

Grade: Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
Type of Position: Full-time, Permanent
Working hours per week: 40
Location: Chicago
Type of Post: British Consulate
Salary: $100,600 gross per annum
Start Date: 28 September 2026

All selected candidates are subject to background checks and will require a security clearance prior to starting work.

You must have the right to live and work in the US in order to take up this role, whether in your own right or as a dependant, and be able to demonstrate that when required. If you are not a US citizen, dual US citizen or US Permanent Resident, it is your responsibility to check your eligibility to work for a foreign government in the United States, and specifically to work in this role at this location, and provide proof of your eligibility via an Employment Authorisation Document or other relevant document when required. The UK Government does not routinely sponsor work visas; the job advertisement will state clearly whether sponsorship is available.

You may refer to our website for additional information: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-the-usa.

Core hours and hybrid working

While many jobs in the US Network are able to offer flexibility in terms of working hours, core business hours are 09:30 to 15:00 (in the local time zone) Monday through Friday.

Employees will be expected to work from office full-time during the first 90 days of employment. After this time employees may work from home no more than 40% of the working week, subject to operational needs.

All working hours and hybrid working are position specific and subject to change at any time, without notice. If you have any questions, please address them with the hiring manager.

Benefits

The British Embassy and its US Network is committed to all employee's ongoing learning and development needs. We offer a comprehensive platform for personalised learning for everything from soft skill development (communicating with impact, handling difficult conversations, time management) to more technical or professional skills necessary to complete your job (software training, formal qualifications etc.).

The UK Government operating in the US offers a substantial benefits package including generous leave, a choice of medical insurance, 401(k) matching up to 7%, extensive learning opportunities and a great work/life balance.