Associate Consultant, Economic Development, Trade & Investment

About OCO Global

OCO Global is an international consulting firm headquartered in the UK specializing in economic development, investment attraction, and trade consulting services. With a global presence and a deep understanding of local markets, we help governments and businesses achieve their strategic goals by providing actionable insights, innovative solutions, and data-driven strategies.

OCO Global’s International Trade and Investment Solutions division provides consulting and support in the areas of economic development, investment attraction, routes to market and international trade promotion. Our multi-lingual teams incorporate the latest in business intelligence technology bringing a complete approach to international growth, supporting our clients to execute market expansion with on-the-ground business development and digital marketing services.

Why Join OCO Global?

At OCO Global, we are dedicated to empowering our team to deliver meaningful impact for clients and communities worldwide. As an Associate Consultant, you’ll gain hands-on experience in international trade and investment, work on challenging assignments that drive real-world impact, and receive valuable mentorship from industry experts. Joining OCO Global offers a unique opportunity to build a rewarding consulting career in a fast-paced, high-impact environment.

Job Summary

We are seeking a proactive and analytical Associate Consultant to join our Economic Development Solutions team. In this role, you will contribute to client projects that help attract investment and facilitate trade across diverse markets. Working alongside seasoned consultants, you will have the opportunity to develop your consulting skills, tackle meaningful challenges, and gain invaluable experience in the field of economic development, international trade and investment.

Key Responsibilities 

Delivering great work for our clients through high quality research and analysis:

• Interpret key requirements of a client’s brief and propose a detailed and structured approach and methodology for handling the request
• Deliver high quality market research reports to clients
• Use digital tools to identify relevant partners
• Engage in investor outreach as part of foreign direct investment and investment promotion activities
• Manage long-term projects and relationships to deliver outputs in a timely manner
• Support clients on the ground during trade shows and other market visits

Supporting the growth of OCO through customer focus and commercial awareness:

• Develop working relationships with clients
• Develop a good knowledge and understanding of OCO’s services and how these may be applicable for different clients
• Participate in the development of client proposals

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, trade organizations, and private investors.
• Represent clients at international trade fairs, investment forums, and networking events.

Improve your knowledge and skills through effective communication, planning and organisation:

• Actively contributes during team sessions and other environments where problems and approaches are discussed
• Provide clear and concise progress updated on projects and deliver presentations internally and externally
• Prioritise work in line with key project deliverable and deliver results on or ahead of deadlines
• Develop contingency plans to account for changing priorities and deadlines

Supporting your colleagues by leading, working as part of a global team and being flexible:

• Anticipate and adapt to changing requirements within a projects
• Consider problems from different perspectives and expand on suggested solutions
• Share information and knowledge with team to deliver projects successfully
• Lead on tasks assigned by senior members of the team with little guidance

Essential Qualifications

• Candidates should have a degree from a recognized institution preferably in Economics, Business, Marketing, Finance, International Trade, or similar with strong academic performance (other disciplines will be considered where candidates can demonstrate core skills required).
• Demonstrable 2-3 years’ experience in a consulting role, preferably in international business in Trade and/or Foreign Direct Investment context. Strong candidates with more general consulting backgrounds are welcomed.
• Experience of working with Economic Development Agencies would be advantageous. However, we are also open to people who come from a private sector background.
• Report writing experience
• Strong analytical, and problem-solving skills, data modelling skills are desirable
• Ability to think creatively and propose innovative solutions
• Investigative mind-set and strong research skills
• Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and networking skills
• Flexible to face new situations and challenges
• Excellent organizational and prioritization skills
• Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft office programs, particularly Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• Willingness to travel
• Eligible to work in the UAE or Saudi Arabia
• Fluency in English, Arabic desirable

Closing Date

If you are interested in this position, please send a covering letter and CV to [email protected] by 2nd December 2024.

OCO Global is an Equal Opportunities Employer