Main purpose of job:

The British Embassy Bangkok is a large diplomatic mission of around 150 staff delivering a dynamic and rapidly expanding programme of activity in support of the UK’s objectives including on economic and sustainable development, trade, security, open societies, consular services and law enforcement. This is an exciting opportunity to join our diverse team.  
 
Reporting to the Head of Trade Policy, you will be responsible for increasing bilateral trade between the UK and Thailand, by making a success of the established Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), and by working day-to-day with the wider team to resolve specific market access issues faced by UK companies active in, or seeking to enter, the Thai market. 
The Secretary of State considers this to be a top priority for Thailand and it is listed accordingly as our top objective in the single country plan. Your primary measure of success will be the reduction in tariff, non-tariff and process barriers across sectors and the delivery of a successful programme of work to achieve these aims. 

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

The officer will assist the trade policy team with all aspects of the trade policy and market access barriers between Thailand and the UK, including setting up meetings, gathering evidence, providing notes of all meetings, supporting the analysis of market access barriers and development of the relevant trade policies and agreement between UK and Thailand. Also, you will need to collaborate with many government agencies to follow up on the progress of the market access barriers and develop the relevant trade policies for mutual benefits between Thailand and UK.

The jobholder will have access to a range of excellent learning resources via the International Academy and will be encouraged to achieve practitioner level (an FCDO internal qualification) in trade policy if they haven’t already. 

The jobholder will be encouraged to join the trade cadre and will also be a member of the DBT APAC trade policy team, all of which will provide a substantial support package to help the successful candidate grow and develop.

The job holder will be responsible for: 

Market access barriers analysis:  Support the team in all aspects of the market access barriers and disputes ensuring that the views of British business are effectively captured in order to reduce the barriers and increase access to Thai market.  Lead on the setting up of all meetings and discussion processes with British businesses, Thai government authorities (e.g. Department of Trade Negotiations), and other relevant stakeholders. Perform the preliminary research on the industry background and other legislations (if needed). You will need to interact with sector teams, trade policy and market access team both in UK and Japan to discuss the barriers and provide relevant suggestions to the trade policy team.

Research on Government trade and commercial policy: Monitor updates and perform in-depth research on international trade agreements and domestic commercial policy as undertaken by Thai Government

Project management: You will support on the arrangement of the meeting of Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) and liaise with a range of stakeholders including, sector teams, trade policy team in UK and Japan, the UK-ASEAN Business Council, Thai Embassy, Thai government authorities, and etc. to ensure that the deadline is met, and outcome is achieved following the meeting.

Organisation of the activities/events:  To reduce the market access barriers and increase trade volume, you will support on organising the activities with various stakeholders (both public and private sectors) to provide a channel for a joint discussion regarding the access barriers into Thailand for raising awareness and finding any possible mitigation measures.

Reporting and Information Management: support trade policy manager to ensure all information on market access issues and trade policy are managed and reported in a timely manner and kept up to date as per team’s guidance. 

Other related administrative tasks: You will lead on administrative works of the Trade Policy Team; such as sourcing out for suppliers, proceeding supplier forms, raising requisitions, making payments, delivering official letters, providing social media captions for promoting Trade Policy team’s activities, etc. 

Other 
In times of peak operation demand, work flexibly within the Section and within the Embassy 
 
All staff will be expected to make a corporate contribution to the smooth running of the British Embassy, either through a committee membership or another voluntary role.
 

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 0
     
Depending on available budgets, there may be some opportunity to manage or oversee limited programme funding to support market opening activity in Thailand. 

• Strong written and oral English communication skills;
• Qualification in economics, public policy, business or similar field;
• Strong administration and organisation skills
• Flexible and reactive to new issues and priorities
• Ability to work at pace and prioritise, managing a sometimes-heavy workload
• Ability to liaise with and manage external stakeholder relationships.
• IT proficiency – Using MS Office, Outlook

Language requirements: 

Language: English

Level of language required:  Fully fluent in all aspects of English and Thai