Director, External Trade

FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Director, External Trade provides vision, leadership and management with respect to the technical work of the CSMT Directorate pertaining to CARICOM’s external trade negotiations and external trade policy. The position also is required to provide specialist trade policy and/or legal expertise to strengthen the effectiveness of the Directorate’s work on external trade with Member States and other major stakeholders regionally and internationally.

The position is deemed to be effective and efficient when:

• the vision for the work of the Directorate on external trade is effectively shaped;
• the technical work of the Directorate on external trade negotiations and external trade policy is effectively planned, coordinated and supervised; 
• the organs, bodies and Members of the Community, Technical Working Groups (TWGs), Technical Negotiating Groups (TNGs) and other relevant parties are given legally and/or technically sound advice pertinent to external trade negotiations, post-negotiation follow-up, implementation of external trade agreements, dispute settlement proceedings and other trade-related matters; and
• the CARICOM Secretariat is provided with inputs which enable the provision of legally and/or technically sound proposals, briefs, papers and submissions to the organs, bodies and Members of the Community, TWGs, TNGs, dispute settlement bodies and other relevant parties.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Candidates must possess a Master’s Degree in International Trade Policy, International Trade Law, Development, International Relations or approved equivalent areas of study, plus at least ten (10) years of experience in the area of Trade Law and/or Trade Policy, in particular, experience with respect to trade negotiations and advisory work on trade-related matters. 

The incumbent should ideally gain his/her experience from institutions such as:

• Associate Institutions of the Community;
• Caribbean Law Institute;
• Regional or international organization with a mandate pertaining to trade or trade-related matters;
• Ministry or department of Government or other public entity with responsibility for trade or trade-related matters; and
• Private firms or their support agencies. 

In addition, candidates’ technical competencies should include:

• Specialist knowledge and expertise in trade law and/or policy;
• Strong analytical skills particularly in the complex interface of trade policy, law, economics and politics/geo-politics;
• Specialized knowledge of the World Trade Organizations (WTO) Agreements;
• Multidisciplinary research skills in trade, law, economics, finance, politics, international relations and other relevant disciplines;
• Sound awareness of trade and trade-related issues affecting the Community;
• Excellent written and oral communication and comprehension skills in the English language;
• Orientation towards achievement of results;
• Excellent team management and interpersonal skills;
• Computer proficiency particularly in the use of MS Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel), Internet Search Engines and web-services usage;
• Intermediate level proficiency or higher in one other relevant language (e.g. French, Spanish, Dutch) would be an asset; and
• Strong management skills.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Result 1: Provides support to the Assistant Secretary-General CSMT in the overall management and direction of the Work of the Directorate.

• SUPPORTS the Assistant Secretary-General, CSMT in the overall management and direction of the work of the Directorate;
• MANAGES and PROVIDES vision and technical oversight with respect to the work of the Directorate pertaining to CARICOM’s external trade negotiations and external trade policy;
• COORDINATES preparation of the Work Programme of the Directorate pertaining to external trade; and
• LEADS the External Trade technical team of the Directorate and SUPERVISES the technical work of members of that team as required to ensure effective performance of the Directorate’s work programme on external trade.

Key Result 2: Provides leadership, expert advice and guidance on trade policy.

• PROMOTES effective collaboration with other Directorates and Offices in the Secretariat, as well as relevant nationals, regional and international institutions with respect to execution of the Directorate’s work on external trade;
• PROVIDES expert advice and guidance on specialist areas of trade policy;
• REVIEWS, ANALYSES, PROVIDES advice and DEVELOPS proposals pertinent to external trade negotiations and post-negotiation follow-up;
• CONTRIBUTES to the technical work on External Trade of the Directorate through preparation and evaluation of technical and/or legal briefs, papers and studies;
• CONCEPTUALISES, PLANS and ORGANIZES meetings of the Prime-Ministerial Sub-committee on External Negotiations, CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development, Technical Working Group meetings, experts’ meetings and other regional consultations and Technical Negotiating Group meetings, and participate in such national exercises as may be arranged periodically;
• CONTRIBUTES to the work of the Directorate in building regional capacity to negotiate, implement and use trade agreements; 
• CONTRIBUTES, as part of a team, to the negotiation of trade agreements;
• PROVIDES technical support to private sector and non-state actor outreach, as required;
• REPRESENTS the CARICOM Secretariat in national, regional and international meetings, as required;
• PROVIDES technical and/or legal work and advice, as required, on other trade-related matters, including support to implementation of external trade agreements, monitoring trade relations with external trade partners, and dispute settlement proceedings;
• OVERSEES the preparation of the required reports on the key activities and achievements relevant to the technical work of the Directorate;
• LEADS the development of policies, strategies and initiatives relevant to the technical work of the Directorate;
• ADVISES on the achievability of planned activities and outputs against the background of availability and adequacy of human, technical and financial resources; and
• COORDINATES and MANAGES the monitoring and evaluation of programme activities against planned goals for members of the External Trade technical team of the Directorate.

Subject to the direction of the Assistant Secretary-General, CSMT, the Director, External Trade is accountable as a trade policy professional for technical work and advice provided in the execution of responsibilities within the external trade mandate of the Directorate to Members States and relevant stakeholders. 

As a member of the External Trade technical team of the CSMT Directorate, the Director, External Trade interfaces with the technical staff with a view to ensuring legally and/or technically sound proposals, briefs and papers for submission to TWGs, TNGs, Member States and other relevant parties.

In addition to the Results and Activities outlined above, the incumbent is expected to perform any other relevant duties and responsibilities in keeping with job functions.

EDUCATION GRANT

The Officer shall be eligible for the payment of an education grant in respect of children (including stepchildren and legally adopted children) who require reasonable education facilities that are not available at the assigned duty station or whose education the Officer would not want to disrupt in relocating to take up this appointment.

The grant shall apply to children under the age of twenty-three (23) years and shall not exceed seventy-five per cent (75%) of the cost of tuition (including textbooks), room and board up to a maximum total of EC$16,200.00 per year per child for a maximum of two (2) children at any one time. The grant is payable for a maximum of five (5) years.

SETTLEMENT GRANT

On assumption of duty in Barbados, the Officer shall be paid a settlement grant in respect of the staff member, his or her spouse and each eligible child or other approved dependent.  The number of dependents eligible for Settlement Grant shall not exceed six (6) persons.

RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT

Appointment may be on the permanent establishment or on secondment from a Public Service or a statutory body of a Member State or approved regional organisation. It will be subject to such staff rules and policies, rules, regulations, orders and instructions as exist and as may be introduced from time to time with respect to service with the Caribbean Community Secretariat.

An Officer recruited from outside the assigned duty station, on first appointment, will be provided economy class air passages by the most direct route for the Officer, spouse and children (provided they are below the age of eighteen (18) years, unmarried and dependent on the Officer) and for such other dependents not exceeding two (2) as may be approved by the Secretary-General, provided that the number of children and other dependents does not exceed six (6) in all.

In addition to passages, the Officer will be granted the following transportation allowances:

• ocean freight charges, including insurance, for shipping personal and household effects to Barbados, not exceeding 45.3 cubic meters, plus a motor car (if the Officer already owns one);
• the cost of transporting baggage, personal and household effects from the home of the Officer to the place of embarkation and from the port of disembarkation to the place of residence in Barbados; and
• the cost of packing and crating personal and household effects.

LEAVE

The officer will be eligible for the grant of vacation leave at the rate of thirty (30) working days a year and a leave grant after every twelve (12) months of service in respect of the officer, spouse and up to two (2) dependent children. 

PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES

The officer will be accorded privileges and immunities that are available to staff members of the Caribbean Community whose assigned duty station is in Barbados.

GROUP HEALTH AND LIFE AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Subject to acceptance by the Secretariat’s insurance carrier, the Officer will be required to participate in the Secretariat’s group health, life and accident insurance schemes. With respect to the health insurance, the Officer will contribute fifty per cent (50%) of the premium. The life and accident insurance scheme is non-contributory.

SUPERANNUATION

An Officer appointed to this post will be required to participate in the Secretariat’s Defined Contribution Pension Plan and contribute 7 per cent of basic salary per month, while the Secretariat will contribute 13 per cent of the Officer’s basic salary to the pension plan. Where the appointment is on secondment, the Secretariat will pay to the Officer’s substantive employer, over the period of secondment, a contribution not exceeding twenty-five per cent (25%) of the pensionable salary normally payable to the Officer by that employer so as to maintain the pensionable status of the Officer in the substantive employment.

APPLICATIONS

Applications in English Language with full curriculum vitae details, including the email addresses of three (3) referees (at least two of whom must be familiar with the applicant’s work)