British Embassy in Ethiopia Job Vacancy 

Position: Market Access and Trade Policy Officer

Salary: USD 1,087.42 - USD 1,686.83

Application Deadline: June, 26 2023

The main purpose of job:

You will work within the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) and be an integral part of the British Embassy economic team in Addis in the pursuit of the objectives set out in DBT’s Trade Plan for Africa and the Country Plan for Ethiopia. As Market Access and Trade Policy Officer, you will lead the team’s work to identify market access barriers, analyze and prioritize these issues and then develop and execute influencing strategies in order to remove them. You will also work on campaigns to support the improvement of Ethiopia’s broader business environment, working to create more conducive conditions in which trade and investment can flourish.

Job Context:

We are the department for economic growth. We support UK businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. We promote UK businesses overseas and attract foreign investment to our shores. We have 3,000 staff across the globe in over 100 countries. Our aspiration is to address some of the challenges facing the UK, by helping British businesses to internationalize and grow overseas and as well as helping African businesses better engage with the UK and the world.

DBT Africa is one of the nine DBT global networks and is led by John Humphrey, HM Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa. The Africa Region is exciting and energizing and UK firms have a strong presence here, making the UK one of the largest investors in the continent. With some of the strongest growing economies in the world and booming population growth, there are numerous more opportunities for UK firms; from tech start-ups in the West to infrastructure in the East. The Network’s role is to promote these opportunities and position the UK as the continent’s number one trading partner and investor.

DBT in Ethiopia is based at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. We are a core part of the wider economic-focused Prosperity Team comprising DBT, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), all working to alleviate poverty, improve economic development, and enhance investment and trade between the UK and Ethiopia.

Roles and responsibilities:

Market access analysis and prioritization: you will be responsible for identifying and prioritizing policy and regulatory trade barriers (cross-cutting and sector-specific) that are/likely to impact UK-Ethiopia business investment and international trade growth, including monitoring and analyzing changes in the Ethiopian investment law. 

Policy analysis and horizon scanning: you will engage in an assessment of the impact of changes in the macroeconomic, microeconomic and fiscal policy on trade and investment in Ethiopia. You may be required to work collaboratively with multilateral organizations and Ethiopian Government Agencies ( WB / AfDB / IFC / Trade Mark East Africa / EIC). You will also monitor and analyze changes in Ethiopian investment law.

Policy risk communication: you will develop briefings for UK Government officials, existing and incoming business stakeholders, and cross-embassy teams, as well as update the information on the Department's internal monitoring systems. In doing so, you will ensure that issues are clearly prioritized and incorporated into UK government's trade and investment strategy. 

Support business development projects: you will work with commercial leads within the team to provide solutions to specific market access issues impacting the UK’s priority sectors in Ethiopia. This will involve understanding the UK’s priority sectors, liaising with companies who are looking to enter into the Ethiopian markets and developing solutions in order to improve the ease of investment in these sectors.

The role will require strong interpersonal and organizational skills, with the ability to influence and build relationships; the confidence to negotiate between senior internal and external government stakeholders will be of particular benefit. It will require close teamwork, supporting UK Embassy's prosperity strategy.  

The job holder will be a confident self-starter, a team player with excellent communication skills, and the ability to network with a wide range of contacts at senior levels in government, international agencies and the private sector. In addition, they will be expected to provide high-quality analysis and advice on sector-specific developments

Job requirements

Degree in business, economics, management, finance or a related field

At least 3 years experience in investment or government services and/or supporting private sector companies/organizations in doing business

Current knowledge of Ethiopia’s economy, government and business environment

Great communication and presentation skills

Excellent drafting skills

Fluency in the language of business and investment

Language requirements: 

Language: English (essential) and Amharic (desirable)

Level of language required: Fluent   

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

Knowledge of the UK economic and business environment

Existing relationships across Ethiopia’s economy, government and business sector. 

Required behaviors  

Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing

Application Deadline: 26 June 2023

Grade: Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

Type of Position: Permanent

Region: Africa

Country/Territory: Ethiopia

Location (City): Addis Ababa

Type of Post: British Embassy

Salary: USD 1,087.42 - USD 1,686.83

Start Date: 1 August 2023

Other benefits and conditions of employment  

Learning and development opportunities:

The British Embassy is committed to supporting all staff to reach their potential. A wide range of learning and development opportunities are available in Addis and in the UK, covering both technical and more general skills. Officers are encouraged to develop learning and development plans as part of the FCDO annual performance management process.  

Working patterns:

This is a full-time position of 36 hours per week. Current policy requires officers to work three days a week in the office.  

Flexible working requests will be considered favorably, but please note the following:

You may be required to work a few evenings each month

You may be expected to travel to other cities in Ethiopia, and there may be occasional travel to the UK, and possibly other countries within Africa.

Additional information  

Must be able to legally work in Ethiopia

Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening

Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted

The British Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position

Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Ethiopia

All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.

The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to;

Obtain the relevant permit

Pay the fees for the permit

Make arrangements to relocate

Meet the costs to relocation

Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount

Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Please note: AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5  

Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates

Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a reserve list. If during the reserve period of 6/12 months, the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate

Any questions you may have about this position will be answered during the interview, should you be invited.

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

How to Apply

Register using this LINK