The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is seeking a policy adviser to the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Utilize your experience with networking and partnerships to drive Danish export, internationalisation and the green transition in the food, agriculture and fisheries sector across North America.

Tasks and responsibilities

As a government consultant you will have a central responsibility to promote exports of Danish food and agriculture companies, internationalisation as well as advise Danish authorities, organisations and companies.

You will build and maintain solid networks among relevant authorities, business organisations, companies and other key stakeholders in the USA and Canada, among others. You are expected to actively use these networks to identify and promote concrete export opportunities and convey Danish positions and interests.

You will be part of the embassy staff and in the work with economic diplomacy and Trade Council. You will report regularly to the embassy management as well as to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen and other relevant stakeholders on developments within the food, agricultural and fisheries sector. This includes, among others, food legislation, food production, consumer policy matters and market opportunities, etc.

You will handle cases between the food and veterinary authorities in the USA and Canada and the Danish authorities, including concrete issues related to Danish exports.

As part of the Economic Diplomacy organisation in North America (ØDNA) you will become team leader for the Food & Agriculture team. Together with the team you shall promote Danish companies' commercial interests and pave the way for further growth for the entire Danish food cluster in North America. You and the team thereby act as advisers for Danish companies and deliver value-creating advice at a high sector-specific level.

You will also be responsible for developing strategic focus areas for export promotion and identifying which of Trade Council's tools can best support Danish food and agricultural companies' market access and market expansion. Trade Council bills companies for export advisory based on hourly rates set in the foreign service's payment regulations. There are shared performance targets, including value creation, customer reach and activity targets (billable hours), tied to the position.

You will participate in the embassy's commercial activities as well as contribute to the economic and domestic policy work, including contributing to the ongoing analysis and reporting of American national and international economic policy, particularly the trade policy agenda in the agriculture and food sector.

Washington D.C.

The Embassy in Washington D.C. consists of five divisions with a total of 70 employees. ØDNA has export advisers distributed across Denmark's representations, including in Boston, New York, Houston, Chicago, Silicon Valley, Toronto and Ottawa. ØDNA is established in one integrated regional structure with specialized sector teams, which, in addition to the Food & Agriculture team, cover Danish strengths including Life Science, Energy, Water & Environment, Tech as well as Defence & Maritime. Read more at http://usa.um.dk/ .

Who are you?

You have a relevant education, e.g., social sciences or natural sciences, and master Danish and English fluently at negotiation level.

In addition we expect that you have

• Solid knowledge of the Danish food cluster, food and agriculture companies, solutions and Danish strengths within foods and farming.
• Extensive knowledge of politically led organisations, authorities' work, relevant EU authorities' tasks and the international trade policy agenda.
• Experience with export and internationalisation in collaboration with or on behalf of the food and agriculture sector.
• Understanding of the regulatory and commercial opportunities and challenges in the North American markets.

The position also requires that you can recognise yourself in the following

• You have good diplomatic skills and good cultural understanding
• You have solid negotiation skills and can operate at a high hierarchical level
• You are results-oriented and have an independent drive
• You have strategic understanding and can identify commercial market opportunities, set strategic direction for the team and translate the strategy into concrete results.
• You are customer-oriented and can create platforms and opportunities for Danish companies
• You work proactively and can create and maintain solid relationships with Danish food and agriculture companies and their stakeholders.
• You are a good leader, who can lead and motivate a team across geographical locations in North America.

Language skills

We seek employees with strong language skills in both Danish and English, preferably corresponding to C2 level in Danish and C1 level in English according to The European Language Framework . After the recruitment interviews, selected candidates will be asked to complete an English language test as part of the recruitment process.

Organisational placement

The position is placed at the Danish embassy in Washington D.C., USA

Salary and terms of employment

This is a fixed-term appointment for a 3-year period with the possibility of a further 2-year extension.

Salary and terms of employment will be as a senior consultant in accordance with the applicable agreement between the state and the relevant trade union.

It is a condition for deployment that you can be tax- liable in Denmark and that the salary will be taxable in Denmark.

During the deployment you will receive a tax-free overseas allowance determined by the post's cost of living. The overseas allowance is calculated based on your personal circumstances, including family composition. A government-provided housing is available according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules. In addition, costs related to relocation travel, moving, health insurance, schooling, etc. are covered in accordance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' rules.

Travel activity in the USA, Canada and Denmark should be expected

It is a condition of employment that you can be security cleared and that you can maintain your security clearance during the employment.

Start date

1 August 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter, subject to security clearance.

Application deadline and contact

The application deadline is Friday 30 October 2026 . We expect to hold interviews in week 46. You apply under “Job” at www.um.dk . You must submit a targeted and motivated application of at most one page and a CV containing information on education, previous work and other qualifications, level of language skills, references, etc. Please attach your degree certificate. Attaching only a CV is not considered an application.

If you have questions about the position that are not answered in the posting or cannot be found at www.um.dk , you are very welcome to contact the unit head Hanne Larsen at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration on 72276010, email [email protected] or Mette Diego-Roll at the embassy in Washington, [email protected]. Questions about salary and terms of employment should be directed to HR consultant Mette Brink, [email protected] .

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sees diversity as a strength and wishes to employ staff from different backgrounds. We therefore encourage all qualified applicants, regardless of personal background, to apply for a position at MOFA.

The Trade Council (TC), an integrated part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opens doors for Danish business to markets around the world. As an employee of TC you will have an international daily life at the intersection of business and diplomacy. In this way you create added value for Denmark and pave the way for international growth in Danish business. TC has, among other things, more than 250 export advisers working at Denmark's embassies, general consulates, trade offices in over 70 countries, including 7 innovation centres.

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