Last week, Bord Bia announced 29 new jobs across various parts of the organisation in what is its largest recruitment drive to date. The jobs in question have been created in the areas of marketing and communications, consumer insight and business development, as well as more specialist meat, dairy, seafood, beverages, retail and sustainability roles. According to Bord Bia, almost half of these jobs (17) will be based in the organisation’s Dublin office, with other positions based internationally in locations such as London, Germany, Poland, New York, Lagos, Japan and Dubai. Irish Country Living profiles four Bord Bia workers based in some of the areas where the jobs are available, at home and away.

GERMANY

Name: Donal Denvir.

Based: Düsseldorf, Germany.

What did you study in college? Initially, I completed a BComm (International) with German at UCD, followed by a Master’s in Journalism at DCU and a few years later a Master’s in International Marketing Practice at Smurfit Business School as part of the Bord Bia Fellowship Programme.

How long have you been working for Bord Bia: Three and a half years, not including the one year of the Bord Bia Marketing Fellowship Programme.

Role in Bord Bia: Manager, Germany and Austria.

What does your job entail and who do you deal with? The job involves being the in-market marketing intelligence and support resource for Irish food and drink clients as well as promoting all categories of Irish food and drink in-market. We deal with German and Austrian retail and food service customers, Irish food and drinks companies, farmers, German and Irish media, government departments, embassies and of course the various departments within Bord Bia.

Day to day routine of the job? Honestly, no two days are the same. There is a huge amount of travel involved, both in-market and back and forth to Ireland. Although our office is based in Düsseldorf, the whole team here travels extensively around Germany and Austria to trade and media events promoting Irish food and drink. Germany is host to a lot of trade fairs. So, this is an important part of the job.

Job variation: The job is hugely varied. There’s never a dull moment. From arranging and attending farm visits to presenting to key stakeholders at food and drink seminars to organising large-scale trade events, every day is different.

Do you like your job? I feel very lucky and proud to represent Irish food and drink in Germany and Austria because of the passion, drive and creativity of our primary and secondary food producers. The commitment of these people makes our job so much easier.

POLAND

Name: Judith Clinton.

Based: Warsaw, Poland.

What did you study in college? European Business Studies and German.

How long have you been working for Bord Bia? Five years.

Role in Bord Bia? Regional manager central and eastern Europe.

What does your job entail and who do you deal with? My job entails promoting exports for Irish food and drink in central and eastern Europe and looking for new opportunities for our clients. The region covers 11 countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia and Croatia. I work with a range of customers across retail, food service and manufacturing, as well as Irish suppliers across a number of sectors, including meat, dairy, alcohol and ingredients.

Day-to-day routine of the job? Each day can be very different. Activities in the market range from conducting market research, gathering consumer insights to inform decision-making, meeting with retailers and food service customers to promote opportunities for Irish food and drink, leading inward buyer visits, inward journalist visits and also market study visits for clients implementing promotional activity, organising trade shows, meet the buyer events. Each day can be very different.

Job variation? One of the best things about the job is the variety, whether it’s focusing on a different sector or market or organising an event, there is always an opportunity to learn and develop the region.

Do you like your job? I love my job and I would say my favourite part is when I see new Irish products on supermarket shelves being bought by consumers.

CHINA

Name: Conor O’Sullivan.

Based: Shanghai, China.

What did you study in college? BComm (International) with Chinese Studies at University College Cork.

How long have you been working for Bord Bia? 16 months.

What is your role in Bord Bia? Trade marketing specialist.

What does your job entail and who do you deal with? My focus is on the meat sector. China is already Ireland’s second largest market for pork and, right now, we’re putting a lot of effort into developing new routes to market for Ireland’s pork and beef. It’s important to meet potential buyers to increase their awareness of Ireland as a source of sustainable food and build relationships with the right ones for Ireland. For meat, that could mean visiting processing facilities, working with local associations and talking to importers, retailers and restaurants. It’s essential that we do all of this, in partnership with our industry, because it is they who ultimately deliver the exports.

Day-to-day routine of the job? Each day, the goal is to understand the market a little better, so that we know where the opportunities are and the most effective channels and messages through which to promote our food. We want to be able to tell our clients who their target customers are, what they buy and why, and then help them figure out the best way to get it to them. Being in China full-time opens your eyes and ears to things that you often wouldn’t find in reports or news articles. Bord Bia is very much an insight-driven organisation and we place great emphasis on sharing those on-the-ground observations with our clients.

Job variation? There certainly is, especially in a market as geographically, economically and socially diverse as China. The differences between the regions I travel to, even within the same industry, can be astonishing. Our work constantly varies, too. There are many ways to promote Irish food; not just through one-to-one meetings, but also by organising events and seminars, creating online marketing campaigns and bringing buyers into Ireland to let them see how our food is produced with their own eyes. Our market strategy is always grounded in research, so that’s another big part of the role. Then there’s helping clients with their individual needs.

Do you like your job? I really do. It’s great to be out in such an interesting, fast-changing part of the world, and yet still have that strong connection with home. It’s very rewarding to feel that the work you’re doing overseas is contributing, even in some small part, to growth back in Ireland.

DUBLIN

Name: Rory McDonnell.

Where are you based? Dublin.

What did you study in college? Marketing, DIT.

How long have you been working for Bord Bia? Two years.

What is your role? Head of strategic insight and planning.

What does your job entail and who do you deal with? I’m responsible for generating consumer and market insights that help our food exporters grow their businesses. On a day-to-day basis, I’m working with the industry to help them refine and shape their marketing and innovation strategies around the world. It’s a varied and fascinating role that requires me to stay on top of food and drinks trends globally.

What is the day-to-day routine of the job? No one day is the same. I can be in Shanghai one week trying to help our dairy exporters develop winning marketing strategies, the following week I can be at my desk in Dublin analysing data. Routine is a challenge! You need an ability to keep plates spinning in this job as being responsive to the vagaries of international markets is part and parcel of the job. The best way to describe my routine is I spend most days helping food and drink businesses with their strategic planning – this makes for quite a varied day.

Is there variety to your job? There is a lot of variety. My job involves research, analysis and presenting those findings in engaging ways. A huge amount of my job involves using research to help influence decision-makers that can be everyone from the chief executive of a large organisation to less experienced marketers.

Do you like your job and what is the favourite part? I do. I think the most rewarding part of my job is seeing our research and analysis being translated into winning marketing strategies for our clients. The team I work with in the Thinking House are a team of seasoned professionals who really understand the commercial issues facing food, drink and horticulture businesses. My favourite part of my job is seeing Irish companies being successful in export markets. If we can help them develop strategies that lead to success, that is very gratifying.

REQUIREMENTS

What are the criteria to apply? The organisation has stated that “minimum general requirements for candidates include a qualification in a relevant third-level degree such as business, marketing or economics; a minimum of three years’ full-time work experience; proficiency in a foreign language and overseas work experience for certain overseas roles; and a strong interest or experience working in the Irish food and drinks industry”.

When is the deadline for applications? 20 April.

Where can I apply? A candidate can apply directly through the Bord Bia website at www.bordbia.ie/careers, where they must go through the application process.

What are the salaries? The salary for the home-based jobs are all outlined on the website. Salaries for jobs outside of Ireland are not listed, as these are dependent on numerous factors.