View Vacancy – Market Access and Trade Policy Analyst

This job is a 12 month assignment with the possibility of renewal.

Main purpose of job:

The Department for International Trade (DIT) helps businesses to export, supports investment and champions free trade. Trade is at the centre of government policy following the UK’s departure from the European Union. Signing new trade agreements when appropriate, and strengthening existing trade relationships through the implementation of our Trade Continuity Agreements and market access work, are a top priority for the government.   LATAC is an important business partner for the UK and there is real potential to grow our trade and investment relationship over the coming years. We have secured five Trade Continuity Agreements in this region: one with the Andean Community (Ecuador, Colombia and Peru), one with the Central American countries, one with the CARIFORUM, and two others with Chile and Mexico.

Working with the Regional Market Access Manager for LATAC and with the Andean Trade Policy Lead, you will be responsible for assisting our Market Access and Trade Policy work in Latin American and Caribbean countries, aiming at creating a trade-friendly environment in LATAC in the context of UK’s independent trade policy.

You will assist the monitoring of a pipeline of market access projects across the region, with particular focus on, but not limited to, Life Sciences, Infrastructure and public procurement, and Financial Services. You will also get involved in different implementation matters of the Trade Continuity Agreements, helping the team to follow up on progress. Additionally, you will be responsible for the team’s administrative tasks, for updates to our online MA platform, for making sure all documents for each project are received and logged on time, and for regularly updating the Regional Market Access Manager and the Andean FTA Lead.

The successful applicant will be based in the British Embassy Quito, and will report to the Andean Trade Policy Lead (in Quito), and to the Regional Market Access Manager (in Brazil).

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

This is an exciting opportunity to work on improving bilateral trade and investment between the United Kingdom and Latin America and the Caribbean, especially through supporting the increase of commercial trade flows between the UK and this region. The Market Access Team works to support UK companies enter LATAC markets, by developing projects in key areas where the UK holds comparative advantages and where it faces significant market access barriers. In addition, Trade Policy team works on the implementation of the newly in-force Trade Continuity Agreements, and on identifying strategies to address key market access barriers in line with trade policy matters and international trade rules.   

Market Access (60%) – The successful candidate will support the Regional Market Access Manager in all things Market Access-related. For this strand of your activity, you will be covering the whole of LATAC.

(1)  Operational support to the LATAC Market Access Fund: support the regional Market Access Manager in tracking projects and communicating risks. Keep a clear log of interactions with all project leads and of progress in each activity;

(2)  Support in budget management and keeping track of project documents;

(3)  Support in updating our online Market Access platform;

(4)  Support in setting-up training sessions to upskill the network on Market Access

(5)  Support in communicating MA success stories – keep an updated log of these and timeline of when they are meant to be announced;

(6)  When necessary, support the production of content and implementation of MA projects;

(7)  When necessary, support in internal procurement processes and support in managing suppliers;

(8)  Support to regional Market Access work – organising key meetings and calls, producing meeting read outs, briefings and, when necessary, data research. 

Trade policy (40%) – The successful candidate will also be supporting the Trade Policy Team in all things related to implementation of the UK-Andean FTA and other Trade Continuity Agreements upon demand. For these elements of their job, they will focus more on Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, but support other agreements if necessary.

(1)  Help with the monitoring and updating of the UK-Andean FTA Issues Log in order to keep track of the advances of its implementation.

(2)  Support the implementation work – organising key meetings and calls, producing meeting read outs, briefings and, when necessary, conducting information research.

(3)  Support in the preparation of technical responses to inquiries coming from companies and sectors regarding the implementation of the UK-Andean FTA (and other Continuity Agreements if demanded) and regulatory matters related to trade.

(4)  Support in the follow up of the implementation and trade policy matters that are being managed with DIT in London and with other Departments in headquarters, alongside with the implementation team at Post.

(5)  Help with the organization of educational events for businesses to explain the content, provisions and benefits of the UK-Andean FTA and other LATAC Continuity Agreements, on demand.

(6)  Support on the development of communicational material (presentations, brochures, websites, among others) about the Trade Continuity Agreements..

(7)  Engage in the preparation of the agendas, briefings and additional information material to support headquarters in the preparation of the UK-Andean FTA Trade Committee meetings.

(8)  When necessary, help with the bilateral trade relations work, by participating in the bilateral trade dialogues with the Andean Countries in order to support the team on the follow up, preparation and review of briefings, and the definition of the agendas.

Your success in this position will be measured on:

– Your ability to work on two fronts and keep an organised log of your activity in each strand;

– The accuracy of the budget management for the Market Access pot (supported by the Regional Manager);

– The accuracy and quality of the documents produced to support the Andean trade Policy lead, which should be based on relevant trade policy knowledge.

– The ability to coordinate and organize virtual and face-to-face events. 

In summary, you will support UK companies exporting or aspiring to export to LATAC to access the different markets across the region by monitoring a number of events and projects (which in some cases you will be requested to help deliver), and by assisting on the understanding of key market access barriers.

You will be in frequent contact with DIT teams across Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as with colleagues at DIT teams in London – the successful candidate should be comfortable working virtually and building positive work relationships in spite of the challenging circumstances.

 The position will suit an energetic team player, who is detail-oriented and organised, with an interest in the commercial sector. It will require a positive, proactive and collaborative attitude, presenting solutions and thinking outside the box.

Essential on arrival:

– University Degree in International Relations, Economics, Law or related areas.

– 2-year minimum experience working in commercial/business development work. Market Access and trade policy experience will be an important plus.

– Evidence of excellent written and spoken communication, both in English and Spanish. Portuguese will be a plus.

– Outstanding command of MS Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).

– A high level of resilience and professionalism will be required.

– Evidence of strong interpersonal, communication and relationship management skills.

– Evidence of delivering positive results through collaboration and networks.

Must have the legal status to live and work in Ecuador.

Language requirements:

Language: English, Spanish

Level of language required: Fluent in both.