View Vacancy – Senior Trade Policy Adviser

Main purpose of job:

The British Network is seeking a Senior Trade Policy Adviser to join the British Embassy in Washington.

The officer will form a vital part of the Trade and Agriculture Policy Team at the Embassy and will work closely with a network of Senior Trade Policy Advisers (STPAs) based in British Consulates General across the US. The Trade and Agriculture Policy Team deals with all bilateral and multilateral trade issues and works to promote the UK’s trade policy interests and inform UK policy development. The UK’s vote to leave the European Union, its development of a sovereign trade policy, and the ongoing negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US makes this an especially exciting time.

The primary purpose of the role is to support the development and implementation of a strategy to build support for a strengthened UK-US trade and investment relationship (including a UK-US FTA) across the US. This position reflects the crucial importance local politics plays in the trade debate in the US, as well as the need to highlight to a broad audience how much the UK contributes to jobs and growth across the country.   The officer will be expected to build relationships and engage regularly with a wide range of external stakeholders to build a comprehensive picture of trade policy, opinions, and opinion formers in the four States in their geographical region (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware). You will use this knowledge to: help shape the UK’s trade policy priorities; develop strategies to deepen our engagement on trade policy issues at a state level; identify and develop strategies to overcome state level market access barriers; and identify priority audiences and develop tailored messaging to build support for increased UK-US trade across the US, and ultimately, successful passage of a UK-US FTA.

The role will involve engaging directly with a wide range of stakeholders across your geographical region including state, city and local-level governments, business, business associations, and local congressional offices. You will work closely with other members of the Trade Team based in DC as well as with policy leads in London. You will collaborate with the dynamic and diverse team within the across the wider network, including those covering: trade and investment promotion, science and innovation, political affairs, energy and tech policy and communications and marketing. Working with this team, you will help prepare programmes for senior British visitors to your region, ensuring that the visits are tailored to achieve maximum positive effect for the UK’s trade policy interests.

Fundamentally, this role seeks to build grass roots support for the UK as trade and investment partner of choice in the US. As well as being responsible for promoting and solidifying this new trade relationship with Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, you will play a broader coordinating role with your STPA colleagues across the network.   This will include building a holistic picture of views on trade policy beyond the DC beltway, translating what this means for the UK’s trade policy priorities and then using this to identify priority audiences and develop tailored messaging.

There will also be opportunities to get involved in the wider corporate agenda in the Embassy (e.g. crisis response, learning and development). 

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve?:

You will be expected to:

• Build an understanding of and expertise in the trade and agriculture policy debate in each of your states, Congressional Districts and cities; provide regular advice and detailed reporting to the Head of Trade Policy Team, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for North America (HMTC), Trade Policy team in DC, other Embassy colleagues and direct to London on developments – including how the UK is seen in the context of the trade/economic debate in your region;
• Identify key local influencers/stakeholders and develop broad, deep and effective networks of contacts (including local politicians, legislators, business and agriculture policy representatives, think tanks, media and other interest groups);
• Advise the HMTC and Ambassador on senior relationships they should build locally (e.g. Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Mayors, senior business leaders etc.) to help drive forward UK trade and agriculture policy priorities and to influence views on trade policy and the UK;
• Understand and report on established or emerging market access barriers affecting British firms; and with other prosperity colleagues develop and deliver lobbying strategies on behalf of the UK government to address emerging trade issues;
• Work with communications and prosperity colleagues to refine and deliver messaging that showcases the strength of the UK-US trade and investment relationship and is targeted at influential audiences;
• Develop and deliver activities to support the UK-US strategy as part of the US Network’s Prosperity Fund;
• Working with other Embassy and network colleagues to design and deliver impactful visit programmes for your HMTC, Ambassador, British Ministers and other senior visitors and ensure they understand the regional views on trade and how best to establish the UK as trade and investment partner of choice;
• Be flexible in picking up other trade policy priorities.  

Resources managed (staff and expenditure):

Staff: None

Expenditure: personal expenditure (Corporate Credit Card)

• A minimum of five years work experience, from either/or the commercial, government or NGO sectors.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required.
• Excellent communication skills (both oral and written).
• Proven ability to represent your organisation and build effective networks outside your organisation.