Before being appointed Secretary of State in July 2021, Juan Fernández Trigo was head of mission at the Spanish Embassy in Venezuela when the representation was left without an ambassador, as the Madrid government did not recognise the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

Throughout his diplomatic career, he was the Spanish ambassador to Haiti, Paraguay, Cuba and chief ambassador of the European Union Delegation in Uruguay.

From 2017 to 2018, Juan Fernández Trigo was an advisory member of the Office for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and coordinator of the application of article 155 in the Spanish Constitution.