Head of Multilateral Investment Negotiations and Policy

Position description

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is the department for economic growth. This objective is achieved in part through promoting free trade, opening up new markets for businesses, and striking trade deals. This is an exciting time to join DBT, where you will have the opportunity to shape the UK’s international trade agenda for years to come.   

The Investment Team in the Trade Policy, Implementation, and Negotiations DG Group (TPIN) develops UK policy on trade in international investment. The goal of the Investment Team is to encourage and support UK investment overseas through trade policy, such as by ensuring that UK investors have access to foreign markets, are protected in those markets where necessary, and have recourse to dispute settlement where they have been treated discriminatorily by foreign states. Investment is a complex area of trade policy that demands a particularly technical eye for detail whilst also attracting significant big-picture ministerial and public interest. 

This exciting role will lead the multilateral branch of the Investment Team, which manages an ambitious programme of work that spans multiple international organisations. These include the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).  

This is a leadership position in the team that will likely be best suited to an experienced Grade 7, but we also welcome applications on promotion.  

The Investment Team is vibrant, hardworking, and collaborative. We value diversity and recognise the importance of professional and personal growth. Whilst knowledge of investment law or multilateral negotiations would be useful, the team places a high emphasis on learning and development. With the Department’s broad learning and development offer, we will support you to build your expertise.    

In normal circumstances, a willingness to travel overseas is a requirement of the role.  

Job description

In this role you will lead 2x SEO and 1x HEO to achieve UK investment priorities at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and beyond. You will be line-managed by a Grade 6 but will have regular direct contact on policy with the Deputy Director and the Director. 

More specifically, you will be expected to: 

• Lead UK delegations at the WTO, UN, and OECD to negotiate and discuss technical areas of international investment policy.

• Develop informed and nuanced approaches to negotiations, policy, and international engagement, drawing upon evidence as well as big-picture diplomatic priorities.

• Maintain a long-term view of the multilateral programme, ensuring that deadlines set by international organisations are honoured through flexible team resource management.

• Forge active, collaborative relationships with other government departments, the Devolved Administrations, and the Crown Dependencies to ensure that their interests are represented in our multilateral negotiations programme.

• Provide line management and leadership to a team of policy experts, ensuring that their priorities are represented across DBT and HMG.

There will be an information session held on 30th September, 1.30-2pm. If you are interested in attending this session – over MS teams – please contact Raminder Kaur via email [email protected]

Person specification

To excel in this role, you will likely draw upon existing experience of line management, project management, policy development, and international negotiations. This role covers a particularly broad portfolio, so the successful candidate will be someone who is comfortable with multitasking and leading simultaneous workstreams. 

Essential Criteria  

• A strong aptitude for organisation and planning that enables you to work across multiple demanding priorities.

• Experience in line management, leadership, and developing others.

• Confidence to represent the UK internationally based upon international experience, ideally in multilateral or plurilateral fora.

• An understanding of how to develop trade policy and prepare negotiation strategies.

• Effective and persuasive communication skills, able to adapt to a wide range of audience including government, private sector, and foreign partners.

• An eye for big-picture strategy and international relations, understanding how priorities across HMG as well as the priorities of other governments impact your work.

• A track record of successful partnering to achieve complex policy outcomes.

The successful candidate must hold or be willing to obtain SC security clearance.   

Desirable Criteria   

• Knowledge or understanding of international investment law.

• Ability to engage with international partners in any of the other languages commonly used in international organisations besides English (mostly French and Spanish, but also Arabic, Chinese, and Russian).

Personal Attributes & Skills  

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to multitask and forward-plan.

• Tactful oral and written communicator, equally comfortable engaging diplomatically as when coaching team members.

• Confident leader and team builder.

• An aptitude for technical policy areas.

• A big-picture thinker with an understanding of how international political and economic dynamics impact the UK.

• Effective at driving work forward in an uncertain or ambiguous environment.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

 

Application instructions

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