View Vacancy - Trade Policy Officer - DIT (10/19 JHB)

Main purpose of job:

You will concentrate on the following objectives, with a particular focus on South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini:

• Build strong relations with government stakeholders in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini to support the conclusion of the UK’s Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) trade discussions with those countries, and the ratification of the agreement.
• Support work to ensure the successful implementation of the new EPA in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, including through:

                - Engagement with government and business to raise awareness, and mitigate impact, of the transition from the EU EPA to the UK EPA;

                - Designing and implementing the institutions of the new EPA, in collaboration with Southern African governments and trade bodies;

                - Monitoring and evaluation of the use of the new EPA, developing innovative proposals for improvement;

                - Devising UK positions on market access issues with a strong development component.

• Work with businesses, academics and civil society in Southern Africa to understand and improve the development impact of the trade policy elements of the EPA;
• Support design and delivery of DFID’s trade-focused centrally managed programmes and the FCO’s trade-related programmes in Southern Africa.
• Consider opportunities for engagement with Angola.

Roles and responsibilities :

The UK has a development-focused trade agreement with the Southern African Customs Union (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa) and Mozambique via the European Union, known as the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

As part of our preparation for leaving the EU, the UK Government is working with the national governments of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Mozambique to replicate the effects of the EU-SADC EPA, to help avoid trade disruption when the UK leaves the EU.

Within this context, you will support the UK Government’s work to implement our new development-focused trade agreement with SACU and Mozambique, working closely with UK government colleagues in London and in the region, and in close partnership with national governments, the business community, civil society and trade bodies across Southern Africa.

In the immediate term, you will work on the transition from the EU to the UK EPA, including support for the conclusion of the bilateral EPA discussions and work with national governments on ratification of the EPA. You will advise on any UK Government support to respond to challenges facing governments or businesses that arise from the transition, including providing advice to support UK aid-funded activity.

In the longer term, you will be responsible for working with national governments to establish the political and technical EPA institutions. You will support the development of UK positions on any implementation issues, including market access issues where there is a strong development equity.

 Throughout, you will build evidence on the development and poverty alleviation impacts of the EPA, including on marginalised groups such as women, youth and the rural poor. You will use this evidence to drive the UK’s EPA policy development.

Resources managed:

 You will advise on UK aid-funded projects in Southern Africa.

 You will also have the opportunity to design and manage programmatic activity to support EPA implementation in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.

• Undergraduate degree in economics, international trade, development, social science, humanities or related fields.
• Knowledge of international trade policy.
• Knowledge of international development theory and practice.