About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) negotiates and implements trade agreements for the UK and promotes UK Trade and Investment around the world. 

The Global Services Strategy team sits within the Trade in Services team. Our team aims to open up markets for UK suppliers, improve rules on services trade and support the growth and success of the UK’s services sector, including through the implementation of trade agreements.

We are recruiting two Trade in Services Senior Policy Advisors; one role will work primarily on resolving services market access barriers and implementing services commitments agreed in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). With the other role focusing on the Departments trade in services strategy and engaging UK services businesses on their priorities and interests within the trade programme.  

The first role will involve monitoring policy developments in partner countries around the world and subsequently developing and actioning strategies for tackling market access barriers as they arise.

Alongside this, the successful candidate will be responsible for effectively implementing the services commitments negotiated under the FTA programme. This will involve monitoring the partner countries compliance and developing our approach to the various sub-committees typically agreed within the services chapter.  

The second role will focus on developing and delivering our trade in services strategy, this will involve reviewing and assessing the wider-teams approach to trade negotiations and subsequently making recommendations on issues such as prioritisation, trade-offs, and inter-linkages with other relevant policy areas.  

In parallel, the successful candidate will be responsible for the teams ongoing engagement with relevant UK services business. This will involve maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, developing our engagement approach, and representing the team at various external events as required.  

We place a strong emphasis on learning and development. The successful applicants will receive a tailored induction programme, taking into account knowledge and experience.  

We are a hybrid team with current team members based in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London and Salford and welcome applications from candidates for any office location. 

Job description

The successful candidate for the market access and implementation role will be responsible for: 

• Line management of one HEO.
• Identifying UK services interests and priority areas across an array of different countries.
• Formulate and deliver strategies for engaging and resolving market access barriers with priority countries and cooperating with relevant teams, UK embassies and other Departments in developing proposals (action plans) for their removal.
• Ensuring UK’s compliance with provisions of the relevant chapter in the implemented trade agreements and monitoring partner countries’ compliance.
• Contributing to strategic dialogues with partner countries, including in dedicated policy area meetings, as well as participation in meetings, when needed. 
• Contributing to creating new opportunities for businesses, either through resolving market access barriers or implementing new commitments from trade agreements.
• Participating in trade negotiations.
• Developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with DBT teams, other Departments and Posts related to trade agreement implementation and market access.
• Drafting briefings, replies to Parliamentary Questions and other materials related to the respective policy areas in the context of trade agreement implementation and market access. 

The successful candidate for the strategy and engagement role will be responsible for: 

• Line management of one HEO.
• Support in the development and implementation of the team’s strategic approach, including reviewing negotiation priorities and utilisation of alternative policy tools to deliver against the teams’ wider objectives.
• Contributing to the Department-wide discussions on services policy, including the interplay between international and domestic policy.
• Supporting the development of the wider-teams evidence base, including engaging directly with analytical colleagues and academics.  
• Oversee the trade in services engagement programme with business, devolved administration, academic and cross-Whitehall stakeholders.  
• Building effective working relationships with key external services stakeholders, ensuring that the wider teams work is reflective of stakeholder feedback and evidence.
• Drafting briefings, replies to Parliamentary Questions and other materials related to the respective policy areas in the context of the team’s strategy and engagement approach.

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

We are looking for candidates with: 

• Experience working in an evidence-based policy development environment.
• An interest in, and understanding of, international trade and its political and economic context.
• Ability to understand a wider government perspective on developments to ensure activity is relevant and ensure plans reflect wider strategic priorities.
• Strong ability to work collaboratively within and across teams, the ability to build and maintain long lasting working relationship. 
• Good strategic thinking and decision-making skills.
• Confident written and oral communication skills, able to persuade or influence others.

Desirable Criteria 

• Experience of working on trade policy, including policy development, work on market access or trade agreement negotiations.
• Experience working in an international context and with international partners.

Personal Attributes & Skills 

We welcome policy and skills knowledge from a wide range of backgrounds recognising that subject-specific knowledge will often be developed in the role. 

• Experience of and interest in developing and presenting policy options.
• Ability to pick up new subject matter quickly and to build collaborative and productive relations with colleagues, external stakeholders, and negotiation partners. 
• Ability to work on complex policy issues and to master technical detail, and to communicate this as simply and clearly as possible. 
• Effective as a part of a team and comfortable working flexibly in a changing and fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,384, Department for Business and Trade contributes £10,633 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:   

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement (in no more than 500 words) explaining your motivation for applying for this role and the extent to which you satisfy the essential requirements of the role.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment: 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. 

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.  

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department. 

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.   
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.  
• New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.  
• Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.   
• A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.  
• Terms and Conditions are attached.  Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland and Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk 

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.   

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.