Senior Trade Policy Adviser for Africa region
| Posting date: | 15 May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £41,156 to £48,817 per year |
| Additional salary information: | National: £41,156 - £45,112; London: £44,942 - £48,817 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 04 June 2025 |
| Location: | London |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 405129/7 |
Summary
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is at the heart of delivering the UK’s mission for growth, through supporting UK business and driving the government’s international trade agenda.
The ISTR directorate is a centre of country, regional and trade policy expertise in DBT. Our mission is to consolidate and grow the market access for UK business, boost investment and advance the UK’s wider growth mission, through our bilateral relationships and our extensive network of free trade agreements (FTAs). We are responsible for strengthening the UK’s trade relationship with partners around the world by protecting and increasing access to markets.
The Africa team is a dedicated regional team within ISTR. We lead the Department’s engagement with embassies in the Africa region and work to improve the UK’s bilateral trade relationship with African markets. In this role you will engage with foreign governments and businesses to resolve barriers to market and oversee our trade agreements or, where none exist, develop strategies to improve those relationships which might include the negotiation of new deals. In the context of progressing market access and engagement, there will be opportunities to travel out to markets as well as engagement in the UK.
The role within the Africa team is primarily focused on East and Southern Africa and, in this role, you are likely to be a market lead for South Africa, as well as the other member countries of the UK-Southern African Customs Union, plus Mozambique Economic Partnership Agreement. You will also support work in Kenya and Ethiopia. You will become a regional trade expert empowered to develop relationships with a variety of stakeholders and explore creative policy initiatives to support UK business interests in these markets.
However, the role may require flexibility to cover other markets in Sub-Saharan Africa from time to time, as circumstances require. Your key responsibilities are expected to include:
- Establishing yourself as a regional market expert, identifying priorities and developing long term strategy.
- Overseeing the functioning of our trade agreements and the obligations we and our partners have taken under them. This includes driving the agenda with South Africa, including a tariff review and other policy interests, via a Trade Policy Board and Trade and Investment Review Committee.
- Developing a network with business and across government, including our regional embassies to enhance our understanding of business interests and to support them in delivering in-market projects and solutions.
- Resolving market access barriers for UK business, by developing creative solutions -which could be funded via ISTR’s market access programmes - working with specialist teams within and external to DBT (including policy teams and regulators) to deliver change.
- Managing public correspondence and enquiries related to your markets, for example, PQs, briefs, TOs, events advice.
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