MARKET DEVELOPMENT & TRADE REPRESENTATIVE – SOUTHEAST ASIA

Location: Southeast Asia (Remote with Regional Travel)

Type: Full-Time Consultancy / Contract

About Inbound Hype

Inbound Hype is a communications, public affairs, branding, and marketing agency headquartered in Sri Lanka. We work with governments, embassies, international organisations, development partners, NGOs, and commercial organisations across Asia and Africa. Our work spans strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, public awareness campaigns, trade promotion, research, market development, and international programme delivery.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced market development and trade professional to support a major international trade development programme focused on expanding commercial opportunities and strengthening stakeholder relationships across Southeast Asia.

The successful candidate will serve as a regional representative responsible for market intelligence, stakeholder engagement, trade development, relationship management, business networking, and market expansion activities across multiple Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, South Korea, and other priority markets.

This role requires a highly proactive individual with strong commercial awareness, excellent relationship-building skills, and experience working with importers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry associations, government agencies, chambers of commerce, trade promotion organisations, exporters, or international businesses.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across multiple Southeast Asian markets, including importers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, exporters, trade bodies, and government agencies.
• Identify commercial opportunities, emerging trends, market developments, and potential risks.
• Conduct market research and prepare regular market intelligence reports, recommendations, and strategic insights.
• Support the development and implementation of annual market development, stakeholder engagement, and trade promotion plans.
• Facilitate introductions, engagement, and commercial opportunities between exporters and buyers across the region.
• Coordinate and support trade missions, exhibitions, seminars, stakeholder events, networking activities, and business development initiatives.
• Monitor competitor activity, regulatory developments, market access issues, pricing trends, and broader market conditions.
• Support market development, awareness-building, and trade engagement activities across priority markets.
• Prepare monthly reports, activity updates, recommendations, and market intelligence briefings.
• Travel regularly throughout Southeast Asia to build relationships, identify opportunities, and support programme delivery.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience in business development, international trade, export promotion, market development, stakeholder engagement, sales, FMCG, food and beverage, agriculture, or related sectors.
• Existing experience working across multiple Southeast Asian markets.
• Demonstrated ability to build, manage, and maintain commercial stakeholder relationships.
• Experience engaging importers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, trade associations, chambers of commerce, export development organisations, government agencies, embassies, or international organisations.
• Strong communication, presentation, analytical, and reporting skills.
• Professional proficiency in English.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout Southeast Asia.
• Preferred Experience
• Experience in food, agriculture, livestock, meat, FMCG, foodservice, retail, consumer goods, or export-focused industries.
• Existing network of commercial contacts across Southeast Asia.
• Experience working with government agencies, trade bodies, embassies, chambers of commerce, or international development organisations.
• Proficiency in one or more Southeast Asian languages in addition to English.

How to Apply

Interested candidates may apply via LinkedIn or email the following to [email protected]:

• CV / Resume
• LinkedIn Profile
• Current Country of Residence
• Languages Spoken
• Salary / Consultancy Fee Expectations
• Brief Summary of Relevant Experience

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.