Job Description
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes UK trade and investment worldwide. Based at the British Embassy in Santo Domingo and working closely with DBT Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC) and UK based colleagues, the successful applicant will support efforts to strengthen commercial relations between the UK and the Dominican Republic—helping increase UK exports, stimulate bilateral economic opportunities, and contribute to sustainable growth and job creation.
As a Business and Trade Intern, you will help develop and maintain a pipeline of Dominican and British companies engaged in commercial opportunities across both markets. This includes maintaining internal databases, supporting information management processes, and contributing to KPI tracking. You will play an active role in lead generation, sector research, and stakeholder mapping—supporting the team’s understanding of opportunities and market dynamics in the Dominican Republic. The role also includes assisting in the delivery of commercial elements of cross Mission events and activities.
The internship offers significant opportunities for exposure to commercial work and diplomatic activity. You will attend meetings with local stakeholders, support Embassy events, and engage with both internal and external counterparts. This experience is designed to strengthen your professional and analytical skills, expand your network, and broaden your understanding of international trade and diplomacy.
We are seeking an organised, dynamic, and proactive intern to join the DBT team. The successful candidate will provide essential administrative, commercial, and logistical support, contributing to the delivery of the team’s trade objectives while benefiting from extensive learning and development opportunities across the Embassy. This role is ideal for a motivated individual looking to gain experience in an international, fast paced, and collaborative environment.
Roles and responsibilities:
Stakeholder Management (25%)
- Request, schedule, and coordinate meetings for the DBT team with public- and private-sector stakeholders.
- Maintain and update stakeholder information in CRM systems, ensuring accurate and timely record keeping.
- Follow up on meeting confirmations and maintain clear and professional communication with partners via email and telephone.
- Identify and help secure key contacts relevant to DBT’s commercial objectives and senior leadership engagement.
Cross cutting Team Support (25%)
- Job shadow DBT advisers during meetings and act as note-taker, preparing pre meeting briefings, drafting post meeting readouts, and capturing action points.
- Assist with translation of official documents from English to Spanish and vice versa.
- Support DBT team members—and other Embassy sections when needed—in delivering tasks that contribute to the corporate objectives of the British Embassy Santo Domingo and DBT LATAC.
Event Coordination (20%)
- Assist in planning and delivering programmes for inward and outward visits, as well as DBT led and cross Mission events.
- Prepare agendas, briefing packs, one pagers, programmes, and logistical documents for official visits and commercial activities.
- Manage guest lists, track RSVPs, and maintain communication with attendees through email and telephone.
- Support DBT officers with logistical and administrative arrangements required for event execution.
Research & Information Management (30%)
- Support the identification of potential business partners for UK companies by conducting sector and market research and contributing to analytical briefings.
- Assist in drafting market research reports and maintaining client data in internal systems.
- Maintain DBT’s resource library, ensuring that contact lists, agendas, reports, presentations, and databases are up to date, properly stored, and easily accessible.
- Help maintain and improve information management systems, supporting KPI monitoring and performance reporting to ensure accurate and timely data flows.
- Contribute to data gathering tasks, information analysis, and internal briefings that guide commercial decision making.
Learning and development opportunities
The internship offers a rich programme of Learning & Development (L&D) opportunities designed to build your professional capabilities and deepen your understanding of international trade and diplomacy. These may include:
- Structured induction and onboarding to understand the Embassy’s work, DBT’s mission, and key tools, systems, and processes.
- Access to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) learning platforms, including Diplomatic Academy modules, trade specific training, and professional skills courses.
- Workplace learning through hands on involvement in commercial projects, stakeholder engagement, and trade promotion activities.
- Opportunities to attend Embassy meetings, briefings, and events, gaining insight into diplomatic practice and cross team collaboration.
- Sector specific learning, including market research techniques, stakeholder mapping, pipeline development, and KPI tracking.
- Soft skills development in areas such as communication, analysis, teamwork, problem solving, and project management.
Language requirements:
Language: Proficient in English and Spanish
Essential qualifications, skills and experience
Essential on arrival:
- Recently graduated from a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Business Administration, International Relations, Law, or a related field.
- Highly organised, flexible, dynamic, and proactive, with the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast paced environment.
- Excellent command of written and spoken English and Spanish, with strong communication and presentation skills in both languages.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, with the ability to manage and analyse data effectively.
- Legal right to live and work in the Dominican Republic.
- Demonstrated interest in international trade and in strengthening collaboration between countries.
Desirable qualifications, skills and experience
Desirable:
- Previous experience in market research, report drafting, presenting analytical findings, and managing databases.
- Interest in learning from different Embassy sections during the internship, and in staying informed about national and international developments relevant to DBT/FCDO priorities.
- Experience supporting the organisation and delivery of events, including logistical and administrative coordination.
Required behaviours
Changing and Improving, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Working Together
Start Date: 18 May 2026
Duration: 12 months
DEADLINE: 1 April 2026
