The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. We operate in an increasingly dynamic international environment, with a range of forces rapidly reshaping the global economy. To meet this challenge, the Government launched a new Modern Industrial Strategy in June 2025.

The Local and International Growth directorate within DBT supports economic growth across the UK by strengthening places, enabling businesses, and connecting local economies to national and international opportunity driving jobs, higher living standards and inclusive growth.

We do that by providing local policy insight and influence to shape growth policy, drive “big bet” interventions to support business growth in each area, collaborate with local partners to deliver growth outcomes, and connect DBT’s international network to unlock global growth opportunities for businesses across UK.

The Local and International Growth Scotland team plays a central role in driving trade, investment, and economic growth across Scotland. Working closely with the Scottish Government, its agencies, and local partners, the team acts as DBT’s on-the-ground presence, providing critical insight into regional opportunities, supporting Scottish-based businesses to access export markets, and attracting high-value domestic and international investment into Scotland. The team combines policy insight, international connections, and strong local partnerships to develop and promote Scotland’s competitive strengths, support investment delivery, and contribute to sustainable regional growth.

Role 1 (Sector Manager)

1. Provide Local Insight for Government Growth Policy

• Support strategic insights on local sector strengths, challenges, and opportunities. Support the production of insight reports and briefings to inform policy development and strategic planning. Share intelligence regularly with the wider team
• Contribute to the delivery of UK Government growth strategies at the local level, particularly the Industrial Strategy. Provide evidence-based recommendations to support ministerial briefings and policy documents

2. Promote Local Business Growth Opportunities

• Work with local partners and across DBT to identify and support the delivery of activities that drive sectoral growth. Support initiatives related to exports, domestic business development, supply chain mapping, and inward investment. Engage with businesses to understand barriers and opportunities for growth
• Map and promote sector-specific investment opportunities. Support the development of compelling sector propositions and case studies, working closely with the investment lead

3. Collaborate with Local Growth Partners

• Support sector leads to foster collaboration across sector and international teams in DBT. Contribute to joint initiatives and cross-sector projects. Share best practice and lessons learned to support continuous improvement

4. Integrate Domestic and International Growth Delivery

• Liaise with DBT’s international teams to provide up-to-date sector knowledge. Support the delivery of international campaigns and ensure local strengths are showcased globally. Facilitate connections between local businesses and overseas markets

Role 2 (Events and Sector Manager)

1. Provide Local Insight for Government Growth Policy

• Synthesise stakeholder views, sector intelligence and place-based insight to inform UKG growth policy and strategic positioning.
• Support the Head of Strategic Growth Policy with evidence, briefing and analysis drawn from engagement with partners, investors and local actors.
• Coordinate internal inputs across policy, sector and trade teams to ensure advice reflects on-the-ground realities in Scotland.
• Maintain oversight of engagements and follow-up to ensure policy development is informed by current intelligence and delivery insight.

2. Promote Local Business Growth Opportunities

• Support the development and articulation of Scotland’s investment proposition, including sector and place-based opportunities.
• Produce high-quality briefing, materials and narratives for Ministers and senior stakeholders to showcase growth opportunities.
• Identify and collate intelligence on priority sectors, strategic sites and live opportunities to support promotion activity.
• Coordinate investor-facing activity, ensuring opportunities are clearly communicated and effectively presented.

3. Collaborate with Local Growth Partners

• Coordinate engagement across the Team Scotland ecosystem (UKG, Scottish Government, enterprise agencies, local authorities, business groups).
• Build and sustain effective relationships with partners by managing meetings, communications and follow-up actions.
• Lead planning and delivery of joint events, visits and engagements that strengthen collective impact.
• Enable effective collaboration by aligning partner inputs into coherent engagement and delivery plans.

4. Integrate Domestic and International Growth Delivery

• Lead planning and coordination of investor visits, roundtables and strategic engagements aligned to priority sectors and growth objectives.
• Ensure strong alignment between domestic policy, sector priorities and international investment promotion activity.
• Support end-to-end coordination of engagement activity, from pipeline planning through to delivery and follow-up.
• Work across LIG, trade and investment teams to ensure a joined-up approach to attracting investment and supporting business growth.

Essential Skills

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage;

• Experience of planning and delivering high-quality events, visits, meetings or engagement activity involving senior stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver at pace.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to draft clear briefings, meeting materials and summary notes for senior audiences.

Desirable Skills

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates;

• Experience of supporting inward investment, economic development, strategic policy or place-based growth activity.
• Experience of building and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Experience of the Scottish political landscape and the devolved, concurrent and reserved competencies.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Job contact :

• Name : Chris Tait
• Email : chris.tait@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk