Switzerland FTA International Policy & Strategy Lead
| Posting date: | 18 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £39,384 to £46,715 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National: £39,384 - £43,169 London: £43,007 - £46,715 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 03 May 2024 |
| Location: | Edinburgh |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 343065/5 |
Summary
The UK launched negotiations for an enhanced FTA with Switzerland in May 2023. As one of the UK’s key trading partners, there is strong political and business appetite for securing an agreement that works for the whole of the UK. With negotiations underway, the role holder will sit in the central Switzerland country team, which is responsible for setting the strategy and delivering the negotiations. The Switzerland country team will sit under the Chief Negotiator for both the Israel and Switzerland negotiations and therefore there may be some requirement to work on Israel negotiations.
The successful applicant will work closely with teams in DBT, across Whitehall and in Switzerland to ensure that key outcomes are delivered through negotiations. They will play a key role as strategy lead for a portfolio of policy areas and lead work to resolve policy issues that might arise from negotiations.
This will be an exciting and rewarding role in an interesting area, where success will be key to the UK’s international relationships and economic opportunities. The role sits within a fast-paced, highly supportive team that is committed to creating an a diverse, high-performing and inclusive atmosphere and supporting personal learning & development.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Leading work with policy teams in DBT and across Whitehall, to ensure that key negotiating outcomes are identified and delivered and working collaboratively to develop approaches to resolve outstanding issues.
- Representing the Chief Negotiator’s team in technical negotiation sessions with Switzerland. Providing tactical advice and steers to technical leads and reporting back to the Chief and Deputy Chief Negotiators to keep them updated on progress and issues.
- Providing high quality briefing and advice, including to the Chief Negotiator and Ministers, which enables them to make effective decisions concerning the negotiations.
- Where required, supporting and leading business and stakeholder engagement to ensure there is clarity on priorities and impacts of any trade-offs, and working with policy teams to ensure there is a clear message on anticipated outcomes for businesses from the negotiation.
- Being flexible to support emerging negotiation priorities both in the team, and more widely across the directorate.
- Supporting negotiations, including through helping policy teams to prepare for technical sessions and supporting wider comms and engagement during negotiation rounds, and making sure that the approach taken in negotiations is cognisant of the impact on businesses and other stakeholders.
- Strategic planning and project management to prepare for delivery of the negotiations and key milestones across the negotiation.