About the job

Job summary

The Department for Business and Trade oversees the UK's domestic business environment, breaks down international barriers to trade and investment, and helps boost economic growth by ensuring the UK is a country where businesses can thrive.  

We are recruiting for two roles within the Cross-Cutting Policy team in the Trade Policy, Negotiations, and Implementation Group of DBT (TPIN). TPIN policy advisors have a rare opportunity to develop and deliver the UK’s policy as an independent trading nation, shaping the future of UK trade around the world. 

The Cross Cutting policy team leads on the policy development and negotiation of those elements of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that cut across multiple chapters or apply to the entire treaty. The policy areas for which we have responsibility include the legal and institutional framework of UK FTAs (including territorial application, interactions with other international commitments, and the protection of domestic policy priorities), ensuring that UK trade policy advances gender equality, and developing trade frameworks that are supportive of innovation. 

The Cross Cutting team is a high-performing team that champions flexible working and greatly values diversity and inclusion. We prioritise learning and development, with a focus on the personal development of the whole team as well as ensuring we are well-equipped to fulfil our roles. 

There may be opportunities for international travel as a part of these roles in support of the engagements and negotiation rounds with partners. 

Core Text:  

We are searching for a talented person to join the Exceptions policy team. Exceptions is a technical, far-reaching and exciting area of trade policy that sets out the circumstances or policy areas in which trade commitments may justifiably not be met (e.g. for reasons related to national security, environmental protection, or the management of an economic crisis).  

The Exceptions Policy Advisor will help develop detailed policy positions and strategies to achieve UK objectives in these areas. They will undertake cross-DBT and cross-Whitehall engagement on legal text and policy positions to ensure that trade policy interests are properly balanced against other policy concerns.  

The role may also provide the opportunity to advise senior officials and ministers on these positions and to participate in the team’s active FTA negotiations. 

Job description

Trade and Gender Equality:  

Our aim is to deliver His Majesty's Government’s commitment to a gender-responsive trade policy, seeking to ensure women can fully access the benefits of trade to support economic growth. Provisions and Chapters on Gender Equality are an increasingly established feature of modern, comprehensive, ambitious Free Trade Agreements (FTA).  

Our FTA provisions reaffirm domestic or international commitments to gender equality and provide the framework to cooperate with our FTA partners to identify and overcome barriers for women in trade.  

We also work multilaterally across a range of organisations including the World Trade Organisation (WTO), G7, G20 and with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD to ensure gender equality objectives are reflected coherently across bilateral and multilateral engagements.   

This role requires a team player who is able to lead on the development and the delivery of policy objectives working across team structures. The successful applicant will play a key role in live FTA negotiations as well as obtaining broader policy development skills by working with senior colleagues on our multilateral engagement strategy and on the implementation of Gender Equality provisions within existing UK FTAs.

As a Trade Policy Advisor for the Core Text & Strategy team your responsibilities will include: 

• Working in close partnership with other members of the Core Text team to form a high-performing, inclusive, and resilient team leading on the Cross-Cutting Exceptions included in Free Trade Agreements and other trade agreements, including at the WTO. 
• Undertaking detailed policy development on specific exceptions within the portfolio, which include the General Exceptions for legitimate public policy objectives, Security Exceptions, Taxation Exceptions, Balance-of-Payments safeguards, limitations on Disclosure of Information, and Confidentiality provisions. 
• Engaging and building relationships with stakeholders across the department and across government to understand their interests and ensure UK policy positions properly reflect and balance the UK’s defensive and offensive interests. 
• Supporting Core Text chapter leads negotiating Exceptions provisions and other Core Text provisions with FTA partners, including through precedent research, stakeholder engagement, and policy briefing for seniors. 
• Leading on embedding Exceptions Policy principles across the department’s negotiation teams – engaging with colleagues to ensure all policy teams have good awareness and understanding of the interactions between the Cross-Cutting exceptions and their own policy areas. 

As a Trade Policy Advisor for the Trade and Gender team your responsibilities will include:  

• Preparing for FTA negotiation rounds, including briefing, drafting and engaging with legal, partner countries, wider government colleagues in the UK and abroad and external stakeholders. 
• Supporting the Grade 7 Chapter Lead in negotiations, the implementation of FTAs, and other bilateral work on trade and gender equality, where appropriate. 
• Leading sections of policy development work as part of an evidence-based approach to trade policy. This will include working with DBT analysts to increase the department’s gender-disaggregated data collection and analysis. 
• Working across the team to deliver both bilateral and multilateral objectives. 
• Building and maintaining strong relationships across the Trade Negotiations Group and the wider DBT, FCDO and other Department teams to test and clear policy positions on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.  
• Draw on expertise from analysts, lawyers, other policy teams, overseas colleagues, and businesses to ensure coherence of policy positions. 
• Developing and supporting team delivery of briefing materials. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria 

• Delivered work in a fast-paced environment, where there are competing pressures which require rigorous prioritisation. 
• Good written, verbal and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate policy to a range of audiences. 
• Undertaken detailed, evidenced-based policy development. 

Desirable Criteria  

• Experience of international or domestic negotiations. 
• Knowledge or experience of trade policy.

Personal Attributes & Skills 

The ideal candidates should demonstrate the following:   

• Persuasive and influential communication skills.   
• Resilience and adaptability to deliver multiple priorities at pace. 
• Adept at working with a wide range of stakeholders.   
• An analytical mind, using these skills to drive evidence-based decision making.   
• The ability to compile, interpret and present evidence and options, drawing upon experts as appropriate.   
• The ability to deliver efficiently and effectively, even when working with uncertainty and ambiguity.   
• Be a team player with the ability to support work across the team to deliver team priorities.  

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,858, Department for Business and Trade contributes £8,871 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 of up to 500 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.   

After the closing date 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/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 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.