Trade Commissioner, Export

The Embassy of Switzerland in Washington DC is looking for a qualified candidate for a permanent position as Trade Commissioner for the Swiss Business Hub USA (SBH USA). This is a locally recruited position within the SBH USA location at the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington DC, starting on or about September 1, 2024.

The SBH USA is part of the official representation of Switzerland in the United States, representing Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), Switzerland's official agency for Export and Investment Promotion.

The objective of this position is to enable new business in the USA for Swiss Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) seeking to gain entrance into the American market. Specifically, this position envisions support for Swiss SMEs with a focus on the Machine-, Electro- and Metal industries (MEM) and infrastructure projects. The ideal candidate will pursue the stated objective by providing the SMEs with our services, which include market surveys, business partner search, legal- tax- and regulatory advice as well as trade fair services and general support in the market.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Proactively support Swiss SMEs with their internationalization projects in order to successfully enter the US market
• Research the needs of the Swiss SMEs and translate these needs into action points to achieve goals
• Manage the export promotion mandates, from the first contact with the Swiss SME to understanding their needs and offering our services, from coordinating key activities to timely concluding the projects
• Identify business opportunities and qualified business partners for Swiss SMEs
  
  

create relevant content in support of SMEs (reports and social media)

• Continually develop and expand the network of trusted experts used by SBH USA
• Ability to 360° organize events and networking activities as needed on the East-Coast, Mid-West and Texas regions
• Visit Swiss companies in Switzerland as well as the US in order to understand challenges and continuously scan for new opportunities
• Develop a strong sector competence to add value to all activities and partners at the SBH USA
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Business Administration, Foreign Trade or International Business
• Minimum of 5 years working experience in the field of export or investment, such as in a consulting firm or in an international industrial business development role
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) in English.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, including comfort interacting with different hierarchical levels in an international setup
• Based in Washington DC but will collaborate closely with the entire US team (LA, SF, ATL, NYC and Boston). Willingness and flexibility to travel is expected
  
  

Additional Skills (not Required)

• Experience with government relations
• Knowledge of one of the Swiss National languages
• Possessing a developed network (industry experts, associations, consultants, law firms)
  
  

We Offer

A fascinating role at the intersection of private and public business in Washington DC in an exciting global environment

Competitive salary and benefits package

401 k plan

20 days paid vacation

Mix of American and Swiss holidays

Location in Washington DC, close to Red Line Metro

Parking on Embassy grounds

To Apply

Please send your resume, a letter of interest and salary expectations in electronic format (pdf file not to exceed 5 MB) to job-cgny@eda.admin.ch by July 30, 2024. Please write into the subject line "SBH -Trade Commissioner" to ensure timely processing of your application. Please do not contact the Embassy directly. Only those who are chosen for an interview will be contacted.