Multilateral Green Trade Deputy Head

This is an exciting time to join the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The newly created department oversees the 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., The Trade and Environment Multilateral Policy (TEMP) team is responsible for developing UK policy on issues at the intersection between Government's trade and environmental objectives, implementing them at home and abroad, and leading the UK's international engagement in relevant multilateral fora, notably the World Trade Organization (WTO), G7, G20, etc.

This includes:

Ensuring that the UK's trade policy supports the government's commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, whilst maximising the economic opportunities from the UK's transition to a low carbon economy.

Ensuring environmental policy objectives are complementary to trade ambitions and commitments.

The relationship between trade policy and environment plays an increasingly critical role in the global economy. This role will be responsible primarily for work on trade in 'environmental goods and services' and other aspects of 'environmentally sustainable trade,' alongside cross-cutting work to deliver the UK's objectives in key multilateral fora.

This includes developing DBT's policy position across a range on complex policy issues and representing these positions with confidence and credibility in international fora such as the WTO's Committee for Trade and Environment. Your work will require close collaboration with a wide range of government and external stakeholders and have a significant international-facing component. This role will also require analytical skills and understanding, and the ability to confidently build relationships and lead policy projects from scoping phase to completion and delivery.

There will be some flexibility in role requirements to suit candidate experience and to meet the business needs at the time of appointment.

Leading policy development and analysis on trade policy tools to support environmental outcomes and deliver UK insights and positions in multilateral fora. This will include working collaboratively across government to identify, prioritise and better understand the supply chains for key environmental goods, services and technologies, and presenting a vision for how trade policy interventions can be targeted to support objectives around green growth and the Governments core Missions. This also includes developing policy proposals for HMG strategies or for implementation in trade negotiations and/or domestic policy and driving these ideas towards fruition.

Representing the United Kingdom and influencing internationally. Developing and representing UK positions in international engagements - inc. multilateral fora - will be important. Likewise with industry, academics, think tanks, who other key stakeholders. The role-holder must be confident in understanding how to lobby for government proposals on an international stage, how to develop and deliver an engagement strategy, build coalitions of willing countries, and secure backing from political leaders.

Representing DBT in cross-government strategies and policies / influence HMG policy in line with DBT trade and business interests. Given the cross-cutting nature of green trade policy, building strong relationships with colleagues across government to support and influence HMG decision-making will be vital. The role-holder must be confident in managing and influencing senior-leaders, in coordinating amongst a large group of stakeholders to reach a consensus position and delivering at pace.

Building, maintaining and developing cohesive team across grades and across professions. Line management of 1-2 people is expected. This work is also inherently cross-disciplinary so working with analysts/lawyers - an ability to manage multiple diverse projects simultaneously will be crucial.