Jobshare - Head of Indo-Pacific Strategy and ASEAN
| Posting date: | 06 December 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £55,836 to £66,338 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Salary shown is for full time roles. Your salary will be on a pro rata basis over a 3 day week Mon-Weds (there could be flexibility on specific number of hours worked per week). National: £55,836 - £62,823; London: £59,450 - £66,338 |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 31 December 2024 |
| Location: | Birmingham |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 381298/2 |
Summary
The International Strategy and Trade Relations (ISTR) Directorate is a centre of country, regional and trade policy expertise in DBT. Our mission is to work across the whole Department to improve the market access enjoyed by UK businesses, champion open and fair global trading, grow exports, boost investment and advance the UK’s wider trade policy objectives. We do this through our bilateral relationships with partner countries and extensive network of concluded Free Trade Agreements, as well as engagement in multilateral fora.
The Directorate is split regionally, and this role sits within the Indo-Pacific team focusing on developing a strategy for the Indo-Pacific region as a whole and leading the UK’s engagement with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in the economic pillar.
The Indo Pacific region is one of the fastest and most assured routes to growth for UK businesses. Annual UK trade flows with the region surpassed £283 billion in 2023. ASEAN is home to some of the most dynamic economies and our trade relationship is worth almost £46 billion. The UK became ASEAN’s 11th Dialogue Partner in 2021, and we look forward to celebrating our 5th anniversary in 2026, when we will reconfirm our commitment to ASEAN and renegotiate our goals and objectives in the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action (2026-2030).
Together with your jobshare partner, you will play a key role in developing our trade policy strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, working closely together with Indo-Pacific regional leads and country teams, and lead on the UK’s engagement with ASEAN, working across DBT and Whitehall to advance our trade policy objectives and to identify opportunities to support the growth agenda. You will develop deep knowledge of the region and act as the Department’s expert in the UK on our relationship with ASEAN and provide advice to senior officials on key drivers and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region.
The successful candidate will perform both a strategic and market facing role:
ASEAN
- DBT’s London lead for the UK’s relationship as a Dialogue Partner with the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This includes:
- Responsibility relating to the ASEAN bloc, working closely together with the UK Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta as well as individual ASEAN Member State leads.
- Lead the planning, policy development, negotiation, and delivery of ambitious future trading arrangements (including the renegotiation of the ASEAN-UK Plan of Action in 2026), building on work delivered to date between DBT and our counterpart foreign ministries. This will require extensive coordination and consensus-building across DBT and Whitehall, taking into account the UK’s diverse equities in the region.
- Lead policy input to key annual ASEAN-UK related milestone events throughout the year, including the Senior Economic Officials Meeting and ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting, deploying HMG ministers and officials to further our trade policy objectives. This will include developing agendas and developing strategies.
- Drive and deliver official engagement and develop productive relationships with relevant external and internal stakeholders, including DBT sector teams, OGDs, embassies, trade associations, and businesses.
Indo-Pacific Strategy
- Lead on the development of DBT’s Indo-Pacific Trade Strategy, taking into account the Government’s new trade and industrial strategies and other Whitehall initiatives.
- Identify key sectors for UK growth within the Indo-Pacific region (APAC and South Asia) to build upon programs and relationships to maximise benefits to the UK.
- Deliver an overarching strategy and accompanying narrative that brings together intertwining initiatives across the region, providing an overview of what economic activity is in the UK’s best interests.
- Represent DBT at XWH Indo-Pacific steering groups and Board meetings. Feed into ministerial submissions and other comms on strategic Indo-Pacific priorities and activities.
- Work closely with the teams across the broader Indo-Pac group, as well as Geopolitics and Strategy teams within DBT and relevant Indo-Pacific teams across Whitehall such as in the FCDO and at Post.
Management of one team member will be shared with your job-share partner.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme