View Vacancy - Commercial and Trade Policy Officer
Main purpose of job:
The UK’s Department for International Trade is recruiting for a new position of Commercial and Trade Policy Officer.
You will be based in the British Embassy in Asunción. The role has three main functions.
- First, you will lead in responding to commercial enquiries from the UK companies looking to do business in Paraguay. This could involve helping to find local partners or arranging meetings with local authorities. You will also lead on organising trade missions/visits by UK companies.
- Second, you will do market research into sectors of the economy which may offer opportunities for the UK, and then promote these to relevant UK companies.
- Third, you will follow and report on the Paraguayan government’s trade policy agenda and lobby on behalf of the UK government, engaging with the relevant Paraguayan authorities (e.g. ministries, Congress, trade associations). You will need to follow closely Paraguay’s trade policy priorities at the WTO and also its position on EU / Mercosur negotiations. You will also be the point of contact for Brexit-related trade/commercial work.
The position is initially for a 6 month pilot to run until 31 March 2019. If the pilot proves successful we would hope to extend the position, but this is subject to funding.
Roles and responsibilities:
Follow-up enquiries from UK companies interested in trading with Paraguay; helping companies find Paraguayan partners/distributors;
Conduct market research / analysis on the opportunities for increasing UK trade with Paraguay. Identify barriers to trade and analyse ways to overcome them;
Establish a network with UK investors, in order to work on investor protection issues, which may include government lobbying;
Lead on trade policy work at the Embassy,providing high quality reporting on Paraguay’s position at the WTO, EU/Mercosur and other trade groupings (e.g. on agricultural quotas/tariffs).
Lobby on UK trade policy priorities, including non-tariff barriers (e.g. phytosanitary certificates; ovine certification; food and drinks labelling standards) with Paraguayan government officials and industry groups;
Help to develop regional trade policy with Department of International Trade and the wider UK government network, acting as the lead for Brexit-related trade & economic work in the Embassy.
As needed, support the Ambassador and other Embassy colleagues in promoting the UK’s wider work and to offer assistance in crises or VIP visits.
Essential on arrival:
Previous experience in trade promotion and/or trade policy work;
Good IT skills and economically literate;
A proven ability to carry out research and write/present reports;
Able to work as part of a team on larger Embassy/regional events (e.g. Trade Fairs) and individually, with minimal supervision, following up commercial leads.
Desirable:
Experience with using social media (e.g. twitter);
Knowledge of international trade policy environment e.g. WTO negotiations, EU/Mercosur negotiations and Free Trade Agreements;
Language requirements:
Language: English and Spanish
Level of language required: Fluent in both languages, both written and spoken
This is a new position for 6 months. Therefore you will need to be a self-starter, able to quickly develop the role. You will need to be confident in interacting with senior members of staff and be able to represent the Embassy individually at external events and/or with UK customers.
The Embassy is a small, but friendly team, with most staff filling multiple roles. Flexibility and team work are essential. You will also need to work remotely as part of a wider regional team (including with colleagues in Mercosur, London), so strong communications skills are essential and will be tested at interview.
This opportunity is closed to applications.