Appointed - Head of Public Affairs at ApexBrasil

ApexBrasil is recruiting a Head of EU Affairs in their Brussels office to be responsible for monitoring trends in the EU which may impact Brazil’s exports of goods and services throughout Europe. Similarly, he/she will be responsible for promoting policies and discussions which support the common interests of Apex-Brasil. Reporting to the COO, the Head of EU Affairs will work closely with senior colleagues in Brussels and Apex-Brasil’s headquarters.

The Head of EU Affairs will:

• Manage regional strategic projects: identifying concrete actions and objectives, allocating specific budget resources, controlling the results and accountability
• Identify opportunities in international governmental negotiations to support Apex-Brasil’s principal objectives
• Oversee institutional communication at national and international level, and, if requested, represent the Agency in international missions, technical visits and bilateral and multilateral forums of relevant international negotiations. The Head of EU Affairs will make presentations about the agency, its products and services, as well as discussing relevant subjects for Brazilian foreign trade
• In collaboration with the Department of International Business Facilitation, he/she will plan, build, implement and evaluate strategies for facilitating international business by:
• Monitoring relevant topics for Brazilian sectors;
• Building awareness in relevant sectors and Brazilian companies regarding the opportunities and / or threats that these topics represent;
• Supporting the execution of business facilitation actions e.g. policy advocacy missions, and reputation-building;
• Articulating and representing the demands of Brazilian organizations in international fora, in partnership with the agency's strategic partners for policy advocacy;
• Creating position papers and policy advocacy strategies to support the business facilitation agenda.
• Prepare analysis and research, related to the sectors supported by Apex-Brasil, which support the decision-making and position of the agency on important policy issues
• Plan, select and hire services (e.g. Consultants) on specific projects, and manage the activities of those contracts, in compliance with internal procedure, management contracts and principles of public administration
• Plan and manage the annual workplan (including the implementation of activities) and map the network of local partners (Embassies, development banks, international organisations, opinion leaders, other units of Apex-Brasil, customers and suppliers) in-line with agency objectives
• Identify opportunities for, and organise, multilateral events in Europe, focusing on international negotiations that may impact the access of Brazilian companies in the European market
• Lead the Monitoring Unit team in the Apex-Brasil Brussels Office, ensuring a good working environment and overseeing the performance of each employee
• Maintain regular and fruitful relations with the international units of Apex-Brasil, in particular with the department of International Business Facilitation.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have an excellent understanding of the functioning and policies of the European Union and its institutions
• Understand Brussels’ regulatory and policy setting framework, and have experience in navigating political processes and parliamentary systems to advance an advocacy agenda
• Have a good understanding of Brazil and ideally, have experience of working or living in Brazil
• Have advanced Portuguese language skills; spoken and written fluency in English is essential
• Be strategically minded with strong project management experience, including budget and resource allocation
• Have excellent research and analytical skills, he/she will be able to lead monitoring activities at EU level and present findings to relevant internal and external stakeholders
• Be proactive in identifying opportunities which support the Agency’s agenda including relationship building and event planning
• Have a commercial sense and understanding of business interests
• Be a team player: the ideal candidate will enjoy working as part of a collaborative, inclusive and friendly team and oversee the activities of a Business Analyst
• Have strong networking, communications and presentation skills and the ability to represent Apex-Brasil in direct dealings with senior EU stakeholders
• Be willing to travel on occasion; some travel to Brazil will be required.