View Vacancy - VNM (HCMC) - Trade Manager - Clean Energy, EOThe British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow. The FCDO operates an agile workforce and to facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time, as we may reasonably require.
Job Category Department for Business and Trade roles (DBT)
Job Subcategory Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities) Main purpose of the job:This is a unique opportunity to lead on one of the UK's most interesting and innovative sectors in Vietnam-clean energy, with a particular focus on offshore wind. Vietnam has real potential to become a regional leader in renewable energy, and the Vietnamese Government has set ambitious targets to reach net zero by 2050. Offshore wind is expected to play a central role in this transition, with the government targeting 6 GW by 2030 and more than 100GW by 2050.
In this role you'll champion the UK's clean energy offer, working with and on behalf of major UK companies to promote exports and facilitate better access to Vietnam's growing renewables market. You'll lead on strategic trade and export related activities to strengthen UK-Vietnam co-operation across all elements of the clean energy and green infrastructure sectors.
You will lead on clean energy trade strategy and sector promotion for DBT. You will build and maintain excellent relationships with UK companies, Vietnamese government stakeholders, and international partners to promote UK expertise, identify commercial opportunities, and support the development of a robust and transparent regulatory environment in offshore wind and clean energy more broadly.
You will be based in Ho Chi Minh City, working closely with your counterpart in Hanoi and the Infrastructure lead in Ho Chi Minh City. You will also work closely with colleagues in the Climate team, particularly on relevant clean energy projects including those of JETP and other UK initiatives, and others at the British Embassy in Hanoi, as well as regional and global teams in the UK Government.
A key focus of the role will be market shaping - you will be supporting Vietnam to develop a modern, transparent and bankable regulatory framework for offshore wind. Beyond offshore wind, you will also support UK companies to do business in other clean energy and green infrastructure sectors. These include grid modernisation and smart grid technologies, as well as nuclear energy, particularly in safety, regulation and skills development. You will also support on green infrastructure work from time to time, working closely with your colleagues in the Infrastructure team.
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the clean energy sector, or the capability to quickly develop this knowledge. You will be able to communicate effectively to a British audience and articulate the opportunities to major stakeholders. You will be a self-starter, able to manage your own time effectively, evaluating options, impacts, risks and solutions - knowing when and how to seek advice from others. You will also be expected to make a positive contribution to the wider DBT and One-HMG team across the Vietnam network. Occasional travel to Hanoi will be required.
The DBT Team in Vietnam has a network of 2 trade teams based in the British Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City, spanning key strategic sectors for the UK.
Your primary role will be to assist UK companies in the clean energy sector to do business in Vietnam, including management of our strategic relationships with relevant Government departments and with key stakeholders in the sector. You will be expected to identify new projects needing UK expertise and work with the UK to source that expertise. You will also work on market access issues affecting British companies in this sector. Your role will involve building up an extensive range of contacts and understanding sometimes technical information.
- You will be the key lead for DBT clean energy projects in HCMC and southern Vietnam. This role is ideally suited to someone who is proactive and comfortable working under limited supervision - coming up with their own solutions to problems - but knowing when and how to seek advice from others. You should also be a strong networker who seeks out new relationships while maintaining current relationships. You will also be expected to make a positive contribution to the wider DBT and British government team which will include working closely with colleagues in the Climate team British Embassy in Hanoi and British Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City, the wider APAC region, UK Government head quarter teams, and the wider network of UK energy sector experts.
- You will be expected to liaise with numerous stakeholders including UK Export Finance (UKEF) to identify possible areas for collaboration and viable projects for UKEF funding. Similarly, you will be expected to seek out opportunities in the sector for projects under Vietnam's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), which the UK co-chairs. In this role you will:
- Deliver strategic trade opportunities (Clean Energy, Offshore Wind and Green Infrastructure) - (30%): Work with companies, organisations and individuals who may be sources of opportunities for UK companies, formulating and managing a stakeholder engagement plan for these companies. Lead on clean energy and offshore wind commercial strategy and planning. Work closely with the British Chamber of Commerce to alert British businesses to export opportunities. Develop and manage sector pipeline and stakeholder mapping strategies for the sectors to deliver DBT objectives - working with the APAC region and political/development counterparts as relevant. Deliver export wins and produce quarterly updates to review activity.
- Deliver successful trade related promotional activity (40%): Work with the wider Trade Team as required, including providing support to trade missions, VVIP visits, seminars, webinars, receptions and other events to promote the UK - leading these events when required.
- Lead Market Shaping, Trade Policy and Market Access work (30%): Develop and deliver the market shaping strategies for offshore wind, as well as grids, nuclear and other renewables in Vietnam, to help enable UK firms to participate fully in the market. Develop a clear understanding of the non-tariff barriers for UK companies seeking greater market share in the Clean Energy and Offshore Wind sector in Vietnam, and work with the trade policy colleagues and the wider network of UK energy sector experts to devise and implement strategies to address market access barriers and advocate with local Government to remove those barriers.
You will maintain a list of ongoing issues, with background and suggested next steps and regular engage with DBT HQ in London about these issues - proactively providing them with updates.
Essential qualifications, skills and experience - Proactive self-starting approach to work with the ability to deliver effectively with limited day-to-day supervision in a fast-paced environment;
- A network of industry contacts in the clean energy sector in Vietnam, or the ability to develop such a network;
- Strong interpersonal and networking skills;
- Experience in delivering public events;
- Comfortable working with senior business contacts and stakeholders;
- Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines;
- IT proficiency, including Office and the ability to learn FCDO applications/systems;
- Experience working with the Vietnamese government and local authorities, ideally in clean energy and offshore wind.
Language requirements:Proficiency in English and Vietnamese
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience - Familiarity with UK business and UK culture;
- Experience working internationally.
Required behaviours Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Seeing the Big Picture
Application deadline 3 September 2025
Grade Executive Officer (EO)
Type of Position Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
Working hours per week 39.5
Region Asia Pacific
Country/Territory Vietnam
Location (City) Ho Chi Minh City
Type of Post British Consulate General
Number of vacancies 1
Salary Currency VND
Salary VND 40,446,000 (gross)
Type of Salary monthly
Start Date 20 October 2025
Other benefits and conditions of employment This vacancy is advertised as a fixed term role of 12 months with possibility of extension, to be based in Ho Chi Minh City.Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):We encourage all staff to develop their capabilities, through both formal training courses and informal opportunities such as job-shadowing, coaching and on-the-job training. All staff are encouraged to share their skills and experience with colleagues, through informal training sessions or coaching/mentoring. We have an active L&D committee who organise a varied programme of learning for all staff.
All staff are eligible for 5 Learning and Development days a year.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to developing its staff. There will be opportunities for formal training alongside collaborating with a wide range of colleagues delivering on-the-job learning.
- Working in a diplomatic mission
- International policy skills course
- UK Diplomatic Academy foundation learning
- Regional and London-based formal learning opportunities
- There will be frequent learning and developing opportunities for you in this role including in soft skills and thematic issues.
Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff who are locally recruited by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law.
No accommodation or relocation expenses are payable in connection with this position. Visa sponsorship may be possible for non-Vietnamese nationals if meet local requirements. Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
Disabled and ethnic minority applicants will be invited to interviews if meeting the minimum requirement of the job.Working patterns:Full time - 39.5 hours per week with one hour lunch. Mon-Thursday 08:30-16:45, Friday 08:30-15:00. The Embassy has a smarter working policy and is committed to offering flexible working patterns balanced with the operational requirements of the role. In crisis/emergency situations you may need to work as required to support the Embassy response, sometimes on a shift pattern working which may result in unsociable hours and/or weekend working.
The FCDO also operates an agile workforce. To facilitate this, you may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as we may reasonably require.
Additional information Employment offers are subject to successful clearance of pre-employment and security checks. Staff recruited by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law.
The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
All applications must be received before 23:55 (Local Vietnam Time) on the day of the deadline indicated above.Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.
All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the online application form completely including the employment and educational details, experience, professional skills and behaviour-based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the applications and incomplete form in any respect may not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.
Please ensure that your application is authentically written based on your own experiences. If AI tools are used, their usage must only be limited to specific tasks such as ensuring formatting consistency and keyword relevance. The core content, personal narratives, and responses to behaviour and skill-based questions must genuinely reflect your professional journey, experiences, and achievements. We place great importance on originality and individual effort throughout the application process. Any form of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
Only shortlisted candidates for interview will be contacted. Interviewees will be assessed on the core behaviours/qualifications listed above. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via the system in due time. Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a 'reserve list'. If during the reserve period of 6 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate".
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