International Trade Executive

Salary £33.5k with excellent benefits including 25 days holiday, private healthcare, leisure travel insurance, health & wellbeing allowance, interest‑free season ticket loan and cycle‑to‑work scheme.

Hours: 35 hours per week; hybrid working (2-3 days in the office per week).

This is a fantastic opportunity for a trade policy professional to join the Industry Growth team at the Food and Drink Federation – the voice of the UK’s largest and most dynamic manufacturing sector. The team plays a vital role in championing the interests of FDF members across government and international trade forums, ensuring that UK food and drink manufacturers remain a priority within the UK’s global trade agenda.

As International Trade Executive, you’ll gain broad experience across UK and international trade policy, including monitoring policy developments, drafting briefings for members, formulating policy positions and liaising with government policy leads and industry contacts.

• Engaging with FDF members to develop responses to government consultations and policy positions, ensuring member priorities are clearly communicated in UK trade negotiations.
• Monitoring regulatory and trade policy developments and providing concise updates to members and colleagues.
• Supporting member use of free trade agreements by producing guidance, promoting utilisation benefits, analysing utilisation data, and working with government and external partners to promote available export support.
• Organising and supporting quarterly meetings of the FDF International Trade Committee and ensuring strong member engagement.
• Collaborating with FDF economists and the Communications team to contribute to regular trade reporting, including the FDF Quarterly Trade Snapshots.
• Producing clear, practical guidance and advice on trade policy issues, and signposting members to useful external sources of support.

• Policy professional with relevant graduate degree.
• Professional experience working on policy issues, preferable with a background of trade policy issues gained in a government department or trade association.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to work with official data using statistical packages to produce credible and impactful reporting and economic analysis.
• Strong organisational, project management, presentational and written skills.
• Ability to credibly represent the FDF in committees and stakeholder discussions and communicate effectively to diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of political processes and a firm grasp of key public policy issues affecting the food and drink manufacturing sector particularly in relation to exports and supply chain commercial relationships.
• The ability to build and retain relationships across industry and develop opportunities to collaborate with key external stakeholders.

Our Workplace: We’re based in the heart of central London in a modern, bright open‑plan office. We have a friendly work culture with great break‑out spaces, quiet booths and opportunities for flexible‑working. Our ‘Feel Good for Life’ team regularly organises events and activities to promote positive health and wellbeing.

To apply: Please send us your CV and salary expectations to recruitment@fdf.org.uk by 3 March 2026, 4pm. Only successful applicants will be contacted.

Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments for disabilities or medical conditions.

Recruitment privacy notice: This is the privacy policy relating to the protection of FDF job applicants' information. The FDF will ensure that data is always processed in accordance with the provisions of relevant data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).