Negotiations Chapter Lead: Trade and Labour

The Labour, Anti-Corruption, Climate & Environment trade policy team leads and coordinates trade policy development, negotiation and implementation on these key policy areas. The team works to ensure protection of workers' rights, environmental and climate change standards, and addresses corruption in the UK's trade policy, in areas of high domestic, stakeholder, and political interest.

This role sits within the Labour and Anti-Corruption team, which acts as a negotiations hub for these issues in trade policy as well as broader policy development and stakeholder engagement on these areas. Working to the Grade 6 Head of the Labour and Anti-Corruption team this role will provide an opportunity to be a chapter lead on live FTA negotiations with a focus on our labour policy.

This will see you heading up negotiations with partner countries on these important issues, developing and implementing negotiating strategies and leading a team of people from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and other government departments in and between negotiating rounds. The role will also work closely with the other Grade 7 chapter lead on labour, working on different negotiations, as well as with another Grade 7 led team on wider labour, forced labour and trade policy. The role will also see you play an important role in our stakeholder engagement on the negotiations you lead.

You will be joining a friendly and supportive team, which puts emphasis on wellbeing, learning and development, and diversity and inclusion.

The role comes with direct line management of 1 Senior Executive Officer (SEO) role.

As a chapter lead on labour in Free Trade Agreement negotiations, you will be responsible for:

Leading on labour in at least 2 negotiations. Specific countries that the post will lead on will depend on emerging priorities, but currently includes the Gulf Co-operation Council and the Republic of Korea.

Setting negotiating objectives for your chapters, developing and implementing plans to deliver these and working with others to agree policy.

Building and maintaining a strong team of policy and legal experts on your chapter to ensure delivery of UK objectives in negotiations.

Engaging country teams, seniors and Ministers to provide expert advice on labour content in trade negotiations.

Establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including within DBT, across Whitehall and externally, for example Devolved Governments and Trade Unions.