Research and Project Officer  

This is a new position to assist in the support and management of the BCCP/UKTI Overseas Business Network Initiative (OBNI) project. The OBNi aims to support British small and medium size enterprises seeking to do business in high-growth, hard-to-access markets across the world (including the Philippines), and brings together overseas British chambers and business groups in 41 markets worldwide, facilitated and led by a partnership of the British Chambers of Commerce, UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Main purpose of the role:
The successful applicant will be a key figure in ensuring that support for the Project is developed from the initial stage through to successful implementation and delivery. The job holder will work closely with the Project Manager at BCCP, the UK Trade and Investment team at the British Embassy when appropriate, British and Philippine companies, BCCP members, and external organisations. They will also be required to work collaboratively with other colleagues within the BCCP as and when required.

Primary objective:
To assist the Project Manager in helping UK SME based companies understand the Philippine market in order to be able to enter the market. This will involve conducting research on market review, business opportunities and government regulations. It will also involve organising the logistics for market visit programmes and Trade Missions for UK companies. This role is key in assisting the Project Manager in promoting the project and collecting data and information to support UK SME’s in visiting the Philippine market.

Responsibilities:
• Handle Business Support Service (BSS) Projects for UK companies with the supervision of the Project manager.
• Assist the OBNi team in conducting secondary research on sectors, gathering information online or via phone calls and arranging direct meetings with relevant parties.
• Assist the OBNi team in populating, organising and maintaining an up-to-date electronic reference library in advance of enquiries, to include updates on the Philippine regulatory/law environment for businesses, and any other ad-hoc research as required.
• Assist the OBNi team in developing and executing marketing strategies/campaigns to promote the British Business Centre using multiple platforms.
• Provide the Project Manager with administrative support on conducting events relating to Trade Missions, to include logistics preparation for trade events or arranging meetings with local government/companies for business networking purposes.
• Assist the OBNi team in carrying out regular communication with local businesses in key sectors and build a network of contacts with UK and Philippine companies and organisations.
• Input the UK companies’ data to the Service Deliveries template/ sheet on a monthly basis.
• Act as the main contact point for enquiries and manage the input of clients into the BCCP’s knowledge database.
• Manage the diary of bookings for the BCCP Business Centre.
• Upload content for external communications, such as Open to Export and the OBNI section of the BCCP website.
• Represent and attend events on behalf of BCCP at external and internal events, as and when appropriate or delegated by the Project Manager or Board.

We are looking for a candidate with background on any of the following fields: communication, business, marketing, economics and research. Candidates with 4 – 6 year professional experience who have been exposed to international non-profit works and to a cross-cultural environment are preferred.

The applicant should be a self-starter, versatile and can multi-task to deliver quality and timely results. In addition, the successful candidate should exhibit the following characteristics:

• Excellent communication skills (both oral and written) in both Filipino and English.
• Research and analytical skills.
• With background on communications and digital marketing.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Proactive with the ability to use initiative.
• Knowledge and experience of using Social Media.
• Organisational skills.
• Excellent knowledge of Word, Excel and Powerpoint, with the ability to use databases. Use of Adobe Photoshop or InDesign is a plus.
• Attention to detail with data entry.
• Ability to learn new skills and absorb information quickly.