View Vacancy - Market Access and Trade Policy Officer (02/19 HRE)-AU

Main purpose of job:

Home to five of the world’s fastest growing economies, Africa’s GDP could double between 2015 and 2030. Yet for too many Africans, this prosperity – and the improvements to education, health and security that come with it – still feel distant. In a global world, this is a global challenge: by 2050 a quarter of the world’s population will live in Africa.

The Department for International Trade  (DIT) wants to support the development of strong, prosperous and peaceful African nations, through modern, dynamic and long-term partnerships that deliver mutual benefit for the UK and Africa. The UK is making a new and distinctive offer to work alongside, invest in, and partner with African nations. By supporting African-led ambitions with British expertise, we want to create more opportunities, more jobs and greater stability – both at home and for our African partners.

The UK government has committed to radically expand its presence in Africa. This will be the most significant and long-term increase in HMG staff across the African continent in a generation. This role is part of the network uplift. As such, it forms part of DIT Africa’s expansion of its focus and footprint and offers applicants the opportunity to help shape this new, long-term UK partnership for prosperity and stability with Africa. 

Zimbabwe is a relatively new country for the DIT, though there is a large and long-established Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID) presence within the British Embassy. You will be part of the wider Southern Africa Trade Policy and Facilitation team, which includes DIT, FCO and DFID staff across Southern Africa.

The UK Government has a development-focused trade agreement with Zimbabwe and various other countries (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles) via the EU, known as the EU-Eastern and Southern Africa interim Economic Partnership Agreement, or ESA iEPA. This agreement helps those developing countries export to the UK and EU by providing them with tariff-free access into our markets. It also provides for a more limited amount of liberalisation of the Zimbabwean and other countries’ goods market. EPAs aim to promote increased trade and investment and thereby contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction.

As part of our Brexit preparations, the UK Government has been working with the ESA iEPA country governments to replicate the effects of that EPA through a new UK-ESA EPA, which was signed on 31 January 2019. This new agreement will help us avoid trade disruption, by ensuring that Zimbabwean exporters can continue to access the UK market tariff-free, and by ensuring that British businesses continue to have preferential access to the Zimbabwean market. 

The UK Government is also developing options for providing support for Zimbabwe to make best use of the agreement. We are developing a UK Trade Partnerships Programme to support Zimbabwe and other EPA countries to implement the new agreements and expand trade under the agreements. 

Within this context, you will be the lead for the UK Government’s trade policy work in Zimbabwe. This means quickly immersing yourself in the trade policy environment and taking responsibility for the transition of the EPA, and any UK Government support that comes along with that. And you will need to proactively build strong economic and commercial networks to understand the challenges to doing business in Zimbabwe, and exporting from Zimbabwe, and come up with innovative solutions to those challenges. 

You will have four specific responsibilities:

• Take a leading role in ensuring that there is an effective transition in trading relations with Zimbabwe as the UK leaves the EU, including by working, and coordinating engagement, with the Zimbabwean government on ratification and implementation of the new agreement.
• Expand Zimbabwean exports under the EPA by supporting the development and implementation of the UK Trade Partnerships Programme.
• Reflecting the ODA funding for this role, work with the Embassy’s economic and trade teams to identify two-way market access barriers; and propose and develop prioritised solutions for improving the UK’s trading relations with Zimbabwe that can support sustainable development, poverty alleviation and mutual prosperity.  This may include:  Engaging business at a sector-wide level, to understand market access barriers; Developing frameworks to engage the Government of Zimbabwe on key barriers; Working with partners, including those covering trade policy in other diplomatic missions, to deliver a coordinated international approach where appropriate
• Develop networks with key partners to get a deeper understanding of Zimbabwe’s trade challenges and approach to trade policy. Partners will include:  Relevant government ministries; Zimbabwean businesses, and UK firms operating in, or looking to expand into Zimbabwe; Academic institutions; Multilateral and domestic partners

Your role will be partially funded from UK Official Development Assistance. This reflects that your primary objective will be poverty reduction in Africa.

• Undergraduate degree in trade, economics, trade law, or related fields.
• At least three years professional work experience
• Significant project and programme management experience, with a track record of delivering complex projects in difficult environments and providing robust monitoring and evaluation.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to work with colleagues and partners in other countries.