Bilateral Trade Policy Advisor – Investment

Position description

The Department for Business and Trade is the UK’s department for economic growth. We support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country.

We are recruiting a policy advisor to join our team at an exciting time. As a new independent trading nation, the UK has trade agreements in effect with over 70 countries. You will be providing policy support and advice for the implementation of non-EU trade agreements. You will also be helping to resolve the trade barriers that UK businesses face abroad, a programme of work worth more than £20 billion.

This role offers a unique opportunity to lead in shaping the UK’s investment policy, securing favourable conditions for UK investors overseas. For those with an interest in working internationally, you will have the opportunity to represent the UK in engagements with a diverse range of partner countries and stakeholders, with potential for overseas travel.

Job description

You will provide policy support to DBT’s investment policy team, sitting within a sub-team covering bilateral investment relations. This sub-team manages the UK’s bilateral investment policy relationships with other trading partners, outside of live free trade agreement negotiations.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the delivery of trade dialogues – including committees under the UK’s signed free trade agreements (FTAs), and bilateral working groups, to ensure UK investment policy interests are represented.
• Monitoring and responding to barriers to UK investment overseas – working with colleagues across Government to establish action plans for their resolution.
• Ensuring that investment commitments in the UK’s signed FTAs are being implemented and utilised effectively – working with business-facing teams to raise awareness of FTA benefits, and gain feedback on their application.
• Advising on the next wave of the UK’s FTAs – providing recommendations to Ministers on the FTA pipeline, based on the value to UK investment.

For this role, the Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. Please note we are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• You have strong analytical skills – you are able to identify a problem and consider various options, to make a robust recommendation.
• You have strong written and verbal communication skills.
• You are a strong team player who is proactive and can work across organisational boundaries.
• You have strong organisational and planning skills – with a track record of effectively balancing competing priorities.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of trade policy, investment policy or policy-making in general.
• A background in international relations, development or economics.
• Experience in working internationally and/or with international counterparts.

Personal Attributes & Skills

The ideal candidate will be a skilled collaborator, with strong written and oral communication skills, that enjoys working across the UK Government network and engaging with external stakeholders to develop policy positions.

You will be motivated and keen to deliver an important part of UK trade policy, while being able to adapt to changes, prioritise workloads and work at pace.

Investment policy is complex, and the post holder will need to be willing to learn quickly to build the technical knowledge and skills required for this role, carry out independent research, make connections with wider issues outside the policy area and draw robust conclusions. The ability to both grasp detailed issues and the bigger picture will be required. Training will be provided within the investment team and through the DBT Trade Profession.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net