Policy Adviser

This is an exciting time to join the Department for International Trade (DIT). The work we do has a real impact on jobs and growth across the United Kingdom. Our mission is to help businesses export, drive inward and outward investment, negotiate market access and trade deals, and to advocate free trade. We are an international department based in 108 countries, and we work closely with our colleagues worldwide. Working in DIT you will have the opportunity to shape the UK’s international trade agenda for years to come.

We are recruiting for two Negotiations Policy Advisers in the Competition and Goods Policy Team within the Trade Negotiations Group. The Trade Negotiations Group 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 Competition and Goods Policy Team aims to be an inclusive and diverse group of people, who work on challenging and high-profile issues but in a supportive and learning environment and who adopt flexible policies to accommodate a wide range of personal situations.

The roles will focus on developing trade in goods policy and supporting trade negotiations on Customs and Rules of Origin respectively as part of the UK’s new Free Trade Agreements negotiations programme. This could include supporting negotiations with partners such as Canada, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Switzerland.

This is a great opportunity to work on important and high-profile areas of work and gain first-hand experience of negotiating with a number of the UK’s trading partners.

Job description

Key responsibilities for this role include:
1. International FTA Negotiations and Strategy - You will play an active role inside and outside the negotiating room, supporting development of a negotiating strategy; assessing partners’ negotiating positions; and advising the Chief Negotiator team on Customs and Trade Facilitation and rules of Origin issues. This is likely to include FTA negotiations such as Canada, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Switzerland.

2. Policy Development - You will work closely with colleagues and the Negotiation Lead, as well as with Other Government Departments, to develop the UK’s negotiating position (in bilateral and multilateral fora), making recommendations that draw on expertise from analysts, legal colleagues, Other Government Departments, Overseas Posts, other policy teams and businesses to ensure the policy positions are in the best interest for the UK.

3. Cross-Whitehall working - This role involves significant collaboration across Whitehall. You will develop strong working relationships across Government to help ensure there is a clear understanding of OGD objectives and priorities while also seeking to create a ‘one HMG’ approach while supporting the development of UK negotiating positions.

4. Stakeholder Engagement - You will lead organisation of the team’s stakeholder engagement with businesses and interested persons on matters relating to Customs and Trade Facilitation and Rules of Origin, ensuring that they can input into policy making and DIT is providing comprehensive updates on the UK’s progress in ongoing negotiations.

5. Cross-cutting responsibilities - You will influence wider HMG workstreams on Customs and Trade Facilitation, tracking areas of innovation where there is a Customs interest and ensuring that any future policies promote the use of existing FTAs.

Hybrid working

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

Informal hybrid working arrangements will be available as agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Most DIT employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in an office, on average. If your office location is London, you will be eligible to receive London weighting.

**Responsibilities**:
Essential Criteria
- Ability to quickly get up to speed in new and complex policy areas.
- Strong ability to work collaboratively within and across teams, the ability to build and maintain long lasting working relationships.
- Confident written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate with colleagues and external stakeholders at all levels.
- A problem-solving outlook, and the ability to balance competing priorities, and bring together a wide range of interested individuals and groups.
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment under tight time constraints, remaining flexible and adaptable.

Desirable Criteria

Experience in the following would be an advantage, though is not a requirement:

- Knowledge and expertise in trade policy.
- Working with and coordinating decision-making across a varied range o