INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

REGIONAL MANAGER – NORTH OF ENGLAND (RME/18)

Based in Manchester

CLOSING DATE: 12:00 NOON GMTON FRIDAY 18TH MAY 2018

Invest NI is an Equal Opportunities Employer

Invest NI is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community.

At this time, it particularly welcomes applications from females, from people with disabilities and from minority ethnic groups.

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CONTENTS:Prior to completing the application form we recommend that applicants familiarise themselves with the contents of this information pack. The pack includes:

o About Invest NI Pages 3

o Invest NI vision and ValuesPages 4

o Job Overview and Selection Process Pages 5 to 11

o Terms and ConditionsPage 12 to 13

o Equality Page 14

o Annex A – Interview Guidance

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About Invest Northern Ireland

As the regional business development agency, the role of Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) is to grow the local economy. We do this by supporting new and existing businesses to compete internationally, and by attracting new investment to Northern Ireland.

A non-departmental public body, we are part of the Department for the Economy, and we provide strong government support for business by effectively delivering the Government’s economic development strategies.

Invest NI offers the Northern Ireland business community a single organisation providing high-quality services, programmes, support and expert advice.

We principally support those businesses that can make the greatest contribution to growing our economy. These are businesses that have ability to grow and drive productivity in the economy and are keen to export their goods and services outside Northern Ireland.

This is an exciting time for Invest NI as the organisation enters into a new Corporate Plan period and refines its business model to meet the demands of a challenging business environment and to deliver against our new Corporate Plan, the Programme for Government and Northern Ireland Economic Strategy targets.

For more information about Invest NI please go to the Invest NI website, www.investni.com.

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Invest NI Vision and Values

Our vision and values outline what we aim to achieve and how we will act in all our dealings with customers and stakeholders.

OUR VISIONWe will champion the growth of innovation and exports to build a local economy that competes globally. We will be a world leading business development agency.

OUR VALUES

Customer focus: We are highly responsive and proactive, creating value adding relationships. We will deliver on the identified needs of our customers.

Respect: We show mutual regard for all others, value diversity and are committed to the organisation.

Integrity: We take responsibility for all our actions, in particular the management of risk, and are vigilant in managing public money. We are honest and fair with each other and our customers (stakeholders).

One Team: We are one team working to achieve shared goals.

Passion: We believe in and are enthusiastic about what we do. We have a desire to succeed, to continually innovate and look for ways to do things better.

Professional: We are clear, concise and straightforward. We continually develop and apply our skills and knowledge to provide a high quality service.

Performance: We strive to achieve our goals in line with Invest NI’s strategy, policy and procedures.

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BACKGROUND Invest NI’s operating structure is comprised of eight business groups of which the International Business Group is one.

More about Invest NI’s International Business Group

The International Business Group is responsible for:

Delivering Invest NI’s International Business strategy; Delivering an effective export development programme and support

activity to assist Northern Ireland companies seeking to trade internationally;

Leading and directing all Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) sales activity. This includes developing and leading new activity based on reduced corporation tax;

Managing key and prospective investors and stakeholders in international markets;

Developing university and technology linkages in international markets; Advising and providing support to Ministers / Government / Invest NI and

key stakeholders visiting international markets and engaging with NI Executive’s International Relations Strategy; and

NI Diaspora engagement through NI Connections.

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CEO

Regional Business Group

Eastern/North Eastern

Entrepreneurship

North West

Southern

Western

EU Partner Delivery

Social Enterprise Hubs

Stage of Development

High Potential Start Ups

Business & Sector Development Group

Services

Manufacturing & Advanced

Engineering

Food

Life Sciences & Scaling

Internatuonal Business

Americas

Europe & Russia

India, Middle East & Africa

Asia Pacific

International Investment

Trade

NI Connections

Business Solutions Group

Innovation Research & Development

Innovation & Technology

Solutions

Skills & Competitiveness

Corporate Finance & Property Solutions

Budget & Compliance

Finance & Operations Group

Financial Management

Internal Operations

Performance Compliance & Co-

ordination

Legal Services

Business Appraisal Offers & Claims

Bedford Street Developments Ltd

Human Resources Group

Human Resources

Learning & Development

Contract Management Team

Corporate Responsibility

Communications Group

PR & Media Relations

Sectors & International

Campaigns &Solutions

Internal Communications

Strategy Group

Strategy & Market Research

Knowledge Management &

Corporate Information

Economist

Transform

UKTI Relationship

Sector & Cluster Development

The International Business Group has primary responsibility for all Invest NI’s activities in international markets. This includes securing high levels of inward investment to Northern Ireland, supporting Northern Ireland companies to access business opportunities and grow in international markets, developing university or technology linkages and building a network of key influencers. It is also responsible for assisting Northern Ireland companies to accelerate their export growth through a range of initiatives.

The Group is comprised of the International Investment Division and the Trade Division based in the Belfast Headquarters, and a network of international offices organised around four distinct geographic areas: North and South America, Europe (including Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland), India, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific.  In partnership with the staff based in headquarters, our network of international office staff is tasked with forging links with business communities throughout the region in which they operate, promoting goods and services offered by Northern Ireland companies, identifying new business opportunities and attracting new inward investment from dynamic multinational companies in key business sectors to locate in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland has already proven itself to be an attractive investment location with a number of large international corporations in the region.  Building on a strong track record of bringing in new investment, Invest NI is now preparing for a new lower rate of Corporation Tax which will enable Northern Ireland to compete for and win new investment. It will open doors and give Northern Ireland one of the most competitive and attractive investment propositions in Western Europe.  

Invest NI will be driving forward a range of activities to develop an enhanced proposition and sell the benefits of Northern Ireland to investors on a worldwide basis, including targeted communications and marketing campaigns, advertising, investor engagement and in-market events.

Invest NI is also focused on helping companies build exports in established markets such as United States, Canada, Germany, France and Netherlands and in developing new markets such as China, the Middle East, South America, South Africa and the Nordic countries.

Services in the international team are delivered through a mix of Invest NI staff and External Delivery Organisations.

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More about the Europe Division

The Europe Team has responsibility for promoting Northern Ireland and marketing it as a first-choice inward investment location for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects. It is also responsible for promoting exports to this region (Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe), focusing on a number of sectors including food, construction, aerospace, materials handling and renewables.

Currently, the Europe office network covers the following locations:

London;Belfast;Brussels;Dusseldorf;Dublin;Madrid.

These offices include Business Development Executives focused on encouraging trade and attracting investment to Northern Ireland. They are augmented by teams of ‘in market’ representatives and advisors based across other key target European locations.

More about the role

The job holder will be Invest NI’s senior representative in the North of England and will lead on all business development activities for Northern Ireland companies in the region. The primary focus of the position will be developing trade / export links for Northern Ireland companies in the region with a particular focus in key sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare but the candidate will also be required to assist companies across a range of sectors. He/she will also be expected to promote and deliver business expansion flows from the region into Northern Ireland in the form of FDI and to forge relationships at the highest level with stakeholders and business.

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Key Responsibilities

Design, develop, implement and oversee the market strategy for the North of England region to promote Northern Ireland for the purposes of increasing exports from and business expansion to Northern Ireland;

Oversee the identification of relevant business opportunities in the region for Northern Ireland companies;

Identify, network and engage with senior executives to successfully promote the capability of Northern Ireland companies for the purpose of business development;

Build and develop close links with senior business leaders in the North of England to convince them to consider Northern Ireland as part of any FDI expansion plans;

Manage relationships with companies, buyers, sector bodies and other stakeholders and influencers in the region;

Communicate Northern Ireland capability to key decision makers; Engage effectively with colleagues, companies and stakeholders based in

Northern Ireland to provide North of England market and sector briefings to ensure that activity in the market aligns with Invest NI’s corporate plan;

Build and manage strong relationships with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for International Trade (DIT) staff and where appropriate work on joint planning and delivery of events for the purposes of business development;

Oversee and manage in-market support for company visits, trade missions, events and exhibitions;

Manage visit programmes to the North of England for key stakeholders (including Ministerial delegations);

Develop and maintain a network of Northern Ireland ex-pats living/working in region and work with NI Connections to lever economic returns to Northern Ireland;

Manage relevant information sources and maintain accurate recording of customer and stakeholder information on Invest NI’s Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) and management systems.

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PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Candidates must demonstrate:

1. A recent successful significant sales / business development track record in either the Life and Health Sciences or Manufacturing sectors in the North of England;

2. Recent experience of building, maintaining and utilising a strong network of contacts in either the Life and Health Sciences or Manufacturing sectors in the North of England for the purposes of business development;

3. Recent experience of effectively managing multiple projects/initiatives and the associated resources including budgets, to ensure that tight deadlines and customer expectations are met;

4. Evidence of strong relationship management and interpersonal skills with proven ability to effectively negotiate and influence to achieve successful outcomes;

5. Applicants must possess a full driving licence and have the use of a car for business purposes or have access to a form of transport which will permit them to meet the requirements of the post in full.

Recent has been defined as ‘within the past 8 years’.

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THE SELECTION PROCESS

Application Forms

To ensure equality of opportunity for all applicants:

The space available on the application form is the same for all applicants and must not be altered or re-formatted;

We will not accept CVs or any other supplementary material in addition to completed application forms;

Applicants must complete the application form in Arial size 10 font, or block capitals using black ink;

We will not accept any applications which are received after the closing date;

Invest NI will organise a Criminal Record Check on successful applicants to be carried out by AccessNI. The category of AccessNI check required for this post is Basic Disclosure Certificate. You should not put off applying for a post because you have a conviction and any disclosure will be seen in the context of the job description, the nature of the offence and the responsibility for the care of existing clients and employees. We deal with all criminal record information in a confidential manner, and information relating to convictions is destroyed after a decision is made;

For more information, the address of the AccessNI website is: http://www.accessni.gov.uk/. Applicants who are being considered for appointment will be asked to complete the AccessNI application form. Please note that a request to complete this form should not be seen as a guarantee of an offer of appointment. Failure to complete the application form and return it within the specified time will be regarded as ‘no longer interested in the position’ and your application will be withdrawn.

Criminal Record information is subject to the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders (NI) Order 1978.

All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.

Completed applications, which demonstrate the experience and skills sought, must be submitted to the Monitoring Officer by 12:00 Noon GMT on Friday 18th May 2018.

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Shortlisting

A shortlist of candidates for interview will be prepared on the basis of the information contained in the application.

Shortlisting will be conducted against criteria 1, 2, 3 and 5 in the Personnel Specification as set out above. Invest NI will not make assumptions from the title of the applicant’s post or the nature of the organisation as to the skills and experience gained, and it is not appropriate simply to list the various posts that an applicant has held.

Only those candidates who, from the information supplied on the application form, most closely match the Personnel Specification criteria will be shortlisted.

Interview and Assessment

Invest NI may conduct preliminary interviews with those candidates who are shortlisted in order to establish a list of candidates for final interview and assessment. 

Invest NI reserves the right to interview only those applicants who appear, from the information available, to be the most suitable.

The panel’s decision at every stage of the selection process is final.

Timescale for Interviews

Following shortlisting, successful candidates will be invited to take part in an interview and assessment. It may not be possible to offer alternative dates.Candidates successful at shortlisting will be informed of the relevant dates as soon as possible.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Canvassing

Canvassing in any form is not allowed.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The appointment is full-time.

The salary range for the position is £47,749 - £52,334 per annum. (Grade 7 Pay Scale August 2016). The entry point on the salary range for the successful candidate will be the minimum of the range.

The person appointed will be expected to take up the position as soon as possible.

Appointment is subject to receipt of two satisfactory references and a background check carried out by Access NI.

Prior to taking up his/her new duties, the successful candidate must: Supply a copy of his/her birth certificate. Enter into an agreement setting out the terms of his/her appointment.

Location

The primary location of the role is in Manchester. It is envisaged that the successful candidate will be required to undertake regular travel for business purposes across the north of England, wider Great Britain and in Northern Ireland.

Hours of Work

Employees work a minimum 37 hour week, Monday to Friday. Employees will be required from time to time to work outside normal working hours.

Conflicts of Interest

Candidates must note the requirement to declare areas of actual, potential or perceived conflict with the interests of Invest NI.  The successful candidate will be required to make such declarations upon offer of employment and annually thereafter for Invest NI’s consideration.

The successful candidate will required to abide by the rules adopted by Invest NI in relation to private interest and possible conflict with public duty; the disclosure of official information; and political activities.

Probation

You will be subject to a 10 month probationary period. At the end of this period, subject to satisfactory performance, the successful candidate will be confirmed in post.

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Annual Leave Arrangements

The leave year runs from 1 February – 31 January. Your annual leave entitlement is 25 days per annum with an additional 12 Public Holidays. Leave entitlement in the period prior to the start of the new leave year is pro-rata.

Pensions

You will be eligible to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme Northern Ireland (PCSPSNI).

Further detailed information, booklets are available via the Civil Service Pensions website at: http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/civilservicepensions-ni/index

Any further queries about pension arrangements for new appointees to Invest NI should be addressed with Civil Service Pensions Branch.

Learning and Development

Invest NI is an Investors in People accredited organisation and is committed to supporting staff to reach their full potential. Invest NI actively develops all staff and invests significantly in training and development for business success and growth. This includes on-the-job training, external training and, where appropriate, further education.

Other benefits

Invest NI has a range of policies designed to assist staff achieve a Work / Life Balance, including flexible working practices (for example parental leave), provision of special leave for emergencies and employee welfare services.

Invest NI staff also have access to a number of schemes including Employers For Childcare, Healthcare, Cycle to Work, Annual Commuter Travel Card.

No Smoking Policy

Invest NI operates a no smoking policy in all its offices

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Equality of Opportunity

Invest NI is committed to a policy of Equality of Opportunity in its employment practices and aims to ensure that no actual or potential job applicant or Staff Member is discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, on the grounds of gender, marital status, disability, race, community background or political persuasion, age, dependants, sexual orientation or Trade Union membership.

Each person shall have equal opportunity for employment, training and advancement in Invest NI on the basis of ability, qualifications and performance.  This maximises the effective use of human resources in the best interests of both the organisation and the individual.

Invest NI is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community.

To facilitate Equality of Opportunity Invest NI offers a range of family friendly policies which reduce barriers to combining work and family commitments.

To help ensure that we are meeting our Equality of Opportunity obligations, Invest NI monitors the composition of staff and applicants. This monitoring helps to assess whether any of our policies, procedures or activities are operating to the detriment of any particular grouping within our diverse society. Therefore the monitoring form included with your application form is regarded as part of your application and should be completed and returned.

The monitoring form will not be shown to the selection panel. It will be separated from the application form by the monitoring officer, and transferred to a computer based monitoring system. There it will be protected, access restricted and used strictly in line with good practice procedures.

Invest NI is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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Annex A

INTERVIEW GUIDANCE

If this is your first experience of a competence-based interview, bear inmind that it does not require you to:

• talk through previous jobs or appointments from start to finish;• discuss your background and experience at a general level; or• provide any information that is not relevant to the post for which youare applying.

A competence-based interview does however require you to:

• focus exclusively on the competences required for effectiveperformance in the role; and• provide specific examples of your experience in relation to the requiredcompetence areas.

In preparation for the interview you may wish to think about having aclear structure for each of your examples, such as:

• Situation – outline the situation;• Task - what was your objective, what were you trying to achieve;• Action - what did you actually do, what was your unique contribution;• Result - what happened, what was the outcome, what did you learn.

It is strongly recommended that you familiarise yourself with the competences and associated behaviours. The interview panel will ask you to provide specific examples from your past experience in relation to each of the competences.

You should therefore come to the interview prepared to discuss in detail a range of examples which best illustrate your skills and abilities in each competence area. You may draw examples from any area of your work / life experiences.

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