Senior Trade Policy Advisor: Gender Equality, Innovation and SME Trade Policy team (GIST)

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The department oversees the domestic business environment, breaks down international barriers to trade and investment, and helps boost economic growth by ensuring the UK is a country where businesses can thrive. 

We are recruiting for a role within the GIST team that sits in the Trade Policy, Implementation and Negotiations Group (TPIN). TPIN is responsible for negotiating and implementing the UK’s trade agreements with partner countries from across the globe to support the growth of UK businesses internationally. The Group has over 700 people, expert in diverse technical areas of trade policy and negotiations and is at the cutting edge of delivering the UK’s trade negotiation objectives.

The GIST team sits within the Cross Cutting Policy deputy directorate, leading on the policy development, negotiations and implementation of these three policy areas.

We also work multilaterally across a range of organisations, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO), G7 and G20 and to ensure UK interests are reflected coherently across bilateral and multilateral engagements. 

We are a high performing and supportive team that champions flexible working. We really value the benefits of diversity and inclusion. 

We pay special attention to providing training and support needed to allow individuals to excel. We recognise the importance of professional and personal growth and will encourage you to develop your skills and trade knowledge. 

The successful applicant will potentially work across all three of the trade policy areas for Gender Equality, Innovation and SMEs, playing a key role on both the bilateral FTA negotiations and in the multilateral sphere. We anticipate there will be some international travel in the role, once the FTA negotiations recommence, and some work outside of normal office hours as we are currently working with partner countries such as Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and other CPTPP countries on various implementation initiatives, and so the successful candidate must be willing to accept these requirements. Time off in lieu will be given where working outside of normal work hours is required. The role requires a team player who is able to lead on the development and delivery of policy objectives working across team structures, and flexibility is key as priorities may change as we receive steers from the new Ministerial team. There is also the possibility of line management of 1 HEO.

Job description

The successful candidate will: 

• Lead on the preparation for FTA negotiation rounds, including briefing, drafting and engaging with legal advisers, partner countries, wider government colleagues in the UK and abroad and external stakeholders. 
• Lead sections of virtual or in-person negotiations. 
• Deputise for the Grade 7 Chapter Lead in negotiations and other bilateral work, where appropriate. 
• Lead sections of policy development work as part of an evidence-based approach to trade policy. 
• Support and lead on sections of work on the implementation of FTAs and contributing to multilateral engagement. 
• Potentially undertake line management of one HEO. 
• Undertake engagement with external stakeholders, with other government departments and within DBT. 

In this role you will: 

• Work across the team to deliver both bilateral and multilateral objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships across TPIN and the wider DBT and OGD teams to test and clear policy positions. 
• Draw on expertise from analysts, lawyers, other policy teams, overseas colleagues, and businesses to ensure coherence of policy positions. 
• Develop and support team delivery of briefing materials. 
• Be an excellent team player, support policy development and adapt to changing priorities across a variety of workstreams. 

The role will be based in either Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, and Salford. You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas.

If your office location is London, you will be eligible to receive London weighting.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Good written, verbal and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate policy to a range of audiences. 
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment under tight time constraints, remaining flexible and adaptable. 
• Confident written and oral communication skills, with a skill for communicating with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels. 
• An excellent team player who can support policy development and adapt to changing priorities across a variety of workstreams. 

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of international or domestic negotiations. 
• Knowledge or experience of trade policy.

Person Specification

• Persuasive and influential communication skills.
• Resilience and adaptability to deliver multiple priorities at pace.
• A collaborative work ethic and the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to confidently present and advocate policy positions.
• Enjoyment of problem-solving, working with other teams and seniors to develop new positions.
• Confident in operating autonomously to deliver within the parameters of agreed steers. 
• Effective at driving work forward in an uncertain or ambiguous environment. 
• The ability to compile, interpret and present evidence and options, drawing upon experts as appropriate. 
• Willingness to flex to meet new requirements.
• Active in working towards our inclusive work environment.

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,384, Department for Business and Trade contributes £10,633 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%.

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

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Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Colette Gilkes
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: [email protected].

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.

For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints

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