Unit/mission: The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sydney

Job level: scale 8

Number of working hours per week: 38

We are looking for a knowledgeable, pro-active team member with a keen eye for business opportunities between the Netherlands and Australia.

Please note: Applicants must have valid working rights in Australia (Australian citizenship, permanent residency, or temporary work visa).

The Netherlands and Australia enjoy long-lasting and strong bilateral political and economic relations. The Netherlands ranks among Australia’s top sources of Foreign Direct Investment and is one of Australia’s major trading partners within the European Union. Areas of interest include the Circular Economy, Renewable Energy, Critical Raw Materials, Sustainable Food Production and Technological Innovation.

Candidate profile 

The new trade officer is a flexible team player. The candidate is a good communicator, has a university degree (MA or MSc) and relevant experience in or affinity with trade and investment promotion. The candidate has a good understanding of the Dutch and Australian economic landscape or is able to quickly master this knowledge. The candidate is able to translate general Dutch and Australian economic policy into specific actions by the Dutch diplomatic network in Australia. Excellent analytic and writing skills are required. The candidate is able to advise the Dutch government, liaise with Australian officials and assist Dutch companies entering the Australian market or expanding their business. The candidate will be expected to develop an effective network to achieve these objectives. Experience in and skills with regard to the use of social media are required. We expect that the candidate can work effectively in remote and virtual team environments using a range of digital platforms and other technologies.

Result areas

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with existing and new Dutch businesses operating in Australia, facilitate their ongoing success and address any challenges they may encounter;
• Handle trade enquiries from the Netherlands;
• Maintain and grow both an Australian and Dutch network across relevant business, government, and research contacts with a focus on identifying potential trade opportunities;
• Lead generation: identify and assess potential business leads by monitoring market trends, employing data driven approaches, and researching Australian industries;
• Contribute to preparing briefing files for relevant AUS-NL meetings, organise and/or accompany business trips by diplomatic staff as well as incoming delegations;
• Contribute to social media, in particular the LinkedIn page of the economic team, to highlight developments and economic trade opportunities between Australia and the Netherlands

Working environment

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is represented in Australia through its Embassy in Canberra, its Consulate General in Sydney (incl. a Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency office), a Netherlands Business Support Office in Melbourne and five Honorary Consuls in the state capitals. The main focus areas of the Netherlands diplomatic missions in Australia are security policy, economic and climate policy, promotion of bilateral trade and investment, cooperation on shared cultural heritage and consular services to Dutch citizens. The Embassy in Canberra and the Consulate General in Sydney coordinate on a frequent basis.

The Trade Officer will be based in Sydney (Bondi Junction area). The Sydney team consists of the Consul General, a deputy and nine locally recruited staff members (economic policy officers, consular and general affairs staff). 
The Trade Officer will be a member of the economic team. We stimulate an open work culture with ample space for innovative ideas, cooperation among the various teams and individual development. In addition to solid professional knowledge, this environment requires an independent approach, a high degree of autonomy, and strong organizational sensitivity.
The economic team is used to online meetings. Given the time differences between Australia and the Netherlands, the candidate should be prepared to participate in calls during early evening hours that may be compensated during office time.

Conditions

The Consulate General offers a full time position (38 hours), initially for two years with the possibility of extension, with a probation period of 2 months. Annual gross salary will start at AUD 8564 per month. Relevant experience will lead to a higher entry level. Knowledge of the Dutch language would be considered an advantage, but is not a requirement.

How to apply?

Send your application, consisting of a CV and accompanying motivation letter and possible references to syd@minbuza.nl (you may also use this email address for further inquiries). 

Applications deadline: Wednesday 10 June 2026 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs pursues an active diversity policy and is committed to an inclusive organization. We do this by optimally deploying and utilizing people's differences. And by creating a work culture where everyone can be themselves and feel valued. When composing teams and hiring new talent, we strive for diversity in, among other things, age, gender (identity), culture, religion, background, orientation, (occupational) disability, knowledge and competencies.