Environment and Climate FTA chapter lead; Trade and Environment Multilateral Policy lead (Two roles)
| Posting date: | 18 March 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £53,560 to £63,481 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National: £53,560 - £60,118 London: £57,026 - £63,481 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 31 March 2024 |
| Location: | Edinburgh |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 344891/5 |
Summary
Roles in Trade Policy cover a range of activity, creating and advancing the UK’s new policy positions in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and with future negotiating partners. At the intersection of trade and environmental/climate policy and domestic and international objectives, these roles offer exciting opportunities for policy-makers. Both roles sit in Trans-Pacific Negotiations and Policy directorate within the Trade Policy, Implementation and Negotiations Group.
The Labour, Anti-Corruption, Climate & Environment (LACE) Policy team leads delivery of the UK’s environment and climate objectives under the Free Trade Agreement and bilateral trade programme. This includes negotiating environment provisions in FTAs and bilateral agreements, implementing those agreements and taking forward activity to remove bilateral barriers to trade in environmental goods and services.
The Trade and Environment Multilateral Policy (TEMP) team leads negotiations for environment and climate issues at multilateral trade fora including the WTO, OECD and G20, including representing UK domestic environmental policies with international trade interactions.
We are currently advertising for 1 role within LACE (Environment FTA chapter lead) and 1 role within TEMP (Carbon Leakage policy lead).
We may use any reserve list created through this recruitment to fill future vacancies within these, or other teams, including further roles focused on environment, labour and anti-corruption.
(Two separate roles)
Environment and Climate FTA Chapter Lead
The post-holder will negotiate the UK’s trade, environment and climate objectives with trade partners, including for live Free Trade Agreement negotiations. This includes developing negotiation texts and strategy, and leading conversations with trade partner counterparts. You will be responsible for progressing negotiations with multiple trade partners simultaneously and managing competing priorities.
You will lead negotiating teams, comprising of DBT lawyers and policy teams as well as policy teams from other government departments. You will be responsible for ensuring good ways of working, clear coordination and collaboration, and supporting wider team updates to external stakeholder groups and the devolved administrations.
You will work to support Parliamentary and stakeholder scrutiny and engagement of concluded FTAs, and develop expertise and leadership in wider trade and environment policy for specific thematic areas where work intersects across the multilateral.
You will have line management responsibility for 1 SEO (deputy chapter lead) and play an active role in supporting their development of skills and career. You will be a flexible and proactive team leader and member of the management team to build and develop a high performing, inclusive, and resilient team.
You will also remain flexible to supporting work across wider LACE priorities, including on labour and anti-corruption issues.
Trade and Environment Multilateral Policy Lead
This post-holder will be responsible for coordinating DBT’s business and trade interests on “trade-related climate measures,” and representing these interests in cross-Departmental and cross-Government policy development to counter carbon leakage. (Carbon leakage can be thought of as the potential and undesirable shift in production and emissions from the UK, where we have high climate ambition, overseas.) This includes some close work with seniors and ministers – for whom this work has been a priority.
We are looking for someone who can provide leadership and strategic oversight, driving a compelling vision across a range of complex policy issues and driving forwards policy development in an ambiguous and fast-changing environment. The individual should be confident with stakeholders, both externally with industry, academics, and NGOs, and internally within DBT, including at SCS level, and more widely across Government.
Specifically, the post-holder will be responsible for:
- Leading development of DBT positioning on a range of cross-cutting trade and climate policy issues. This will include developing positions on the design and implementation of the UK’s carbon leakage measures including the UK Government’s recently announced Carbon Boarder Adjustment Mechanism. A key part of this role will be engaging with analysis and stakeholders and bringing together DBT’s wide ranging policy interests to create a single departmental position, and informing and building consensus with seniors and advising ministers on these issues.
- Representing DBT in x-gov debates/policy work to influence HMG trade and environment policy in line with wider DBT business and trade policy objectives. Many carbon leakage policy levers sit outside of DBT, so building strong relationships with colleagues across government to support and influence decision making will be vital.
- Building, maintaining, and developing a cohesive team across grades and across professions. Line management of one HEO and task management of an additional SEO is expected. Carbon leakage policy work is also inherently cross-disciplinary so working with virtual teams of analysts/lawyers – and an ability to manage multiple, diverse projects simultaneously – will be crucial.