Regional Trade Adviser, East African Community Secretariat, Hub and Spokes II Programme

Location: East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania
Closing date: 3 January 2016
Contract duration: Estimated from 1 March 2016 to 31 December 2016

EUR 33,070 plus inducement allowance, gratuity, housing and other allowances (NB: annual salary and allowances would be calculated on a pro-rata basis)

Background

Trade development has the potential to make a significant contribution to pro-poor growth and sustainable economic development. However, despite major efforts at trade promotion, reform and diversification, many EAC region countries have not yet been able to integrate successfully into global markets and participate effectively in the income generating and poverty reducing practices of regional and international trade.

While the trade development challenges are varied, a key aspect has been that EAC governments have limited human and institutional capacities. These has impeded attempts to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by regional and international trade, nor effectively manage the risks inherent in increased competition and exposure to international markets. Read more >>

Hub and Spokes II Programme

Since 2004, the European Commission (EC), the Commonwealth Secretariat and Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) have recognised the scale of the trade development challenge facing many ACP member countries and provided assistance through The Hub & Spokes Project. With the support of the ACP Secretariat, from July 2012 donor partners are now able to offer continued trade-related technical assistance to ACP member states through the Hub & Spokes II Programme.

The Commonwealth Secretariat is responsible for the implementation of the Hub & Spokes II Programme in Eastern and Southern Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific regions as well as at the African Union Commission. The OIF is responsible for the implementation of the project in the regions of West and Central Africa. Read more >>

Job description

• Conduct a regional trade capacity development needs assessment (if required) in collaboration with national Trade Advisors and other officials at the EAC Secretariat. It is expected that this regional needs assessment will facilitate the development of the Hub & Spokes II Programme’s work plan and identify key Programme interventions for the duration of this assignment.
• To provide high-level and strategic trade-related technical assistance and advice on regional and national trade policy matters. This includes trade policy formulation as well as the negotiation and implementation of international and regional trade agreements.
• To assist in the development and analysis of relevant trade-related regional and national economic policies as well as in the negotiation and implementation of WTO, regional and bilateral trade agreements.
• Assist in the development and provision of regional and national trade policies and related training to government officials, private sector representatives, members of parliament, civil society and other relevant stakeholders. The aim should be to build sustainable human and institutional trade capacities in the EAC region.
• Assist in the establishment and strengthening regional and national trade consultative networks.
• Design and conduct regional and national seminars, workshops and training programmes where necessary on trade policy matters.
• Facilitate coherent interventions by member states on trade policy issues at the regional level, including through collaboration with Trade Advisors deployed to national trade ministries and other national counterparts in the region.
• Influence change and organisational reform through leadership, high-quality communications and informed, evidence-based strategies with a view to enhancing human and institutional trade capacities in the region.
• Provide leadership in pro-actively working with those aid-for-trade donors with a presence in the region in the preparation of high quality technical proposals aimed at providing additional capacity building support and trade-related technical assistance to the EAC region. This work should extend to training regional and national officials on the preparation of aid-for-trade technical submissions.
• Manage and plan Hub & Spokes II Programme regional activities with a view to identifying opportunities for regional collaboration on trade capacity development activities. This will require developing and maintaining a close working relationship with each Trade Adviser based at national trade ministries in the EAC region. Regional collaboration is critical to the success of the Programme.
• Manage planning and reporting functions as required in support of the broader Hub & Spokes II Programme. This will include, for example, the submission of bi-annual work plans, participation in regional planning workshops and contributing to case studies and other programme reports. The planning and reporting of Hub & Spokes II Programme activities should be conducted in compliance with best practices in Results Based Management.
• Provide leadership in raising the profile of the Hub & Spokes II Programme in the region, particularly through documenting and disseminating its achievements and impacts. More broadly, there will be a need to contribute to intra-ACP and regional communications and technical exchanges on trade capacity development initiatives, experiences and lessons as required.
• Manage the financial resources allocated to EAC Secretariat in support of the regional and national Hub & Spokes II work programme and provide financial statements in line with agreed procedures and regulations of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Regional Trade Adviser must collaborate with Trade Advisers deployed to national trade ministries in the region to ensure access to Programme funds on relevant trade capacity development initiatives.
• Participate in professional development and training opportunities as catered for in the Hub & Spokes II Programme operating budget.
• Where applicable, supervise the work of the Trade Adviser and the Administrative Assistant based at the EAC Secretariat.
• Other duties as delegated by the Director of Trade at EAC Secretariat that are directly relevant to the Hub & Spokes II Programme and the trade capacity development objectives in the EAC region.

Functional competencies

The Regional Trade Adviser assigned to the EAC Secretariat must possess the following competencies:

• Ability to work largely on his/her own and supervise but participates in developing and formulating detailed analysis in discussions with other ministry/organisation staff, and execute group discussions;
• Ability to obtain information regularly from other departments and divisions, and from external agencies in order to complete analyses and compile reports;
• Awareness of changing needs of the assigned organisation/ministry/government and country’s economies and be able to adapt existing reports for their effective use;
• Ability to analyse complex economic and political information, often incomplete, and make professional judgments and give advice;
• Responsive to change and put new requirements into practice within own area;
• Ability to plan and organise own work load within broad guidelines and to meet urgent requirements for specific analyses or reports.  May need to manage several projects at any one time and meet agreed deadlines for reports;
• Ability to maintain good working relationships with colleagues and external agencies with whom he/she works with on a regular basis;
• Ability to present technical and complex arguments and information in a readily understandable form through written reports.  Reports and/or briefing papers may be used by others in a public setting and therefore need to recognise the condition of recipients;
• Ability to exercise sensitivity and diplomacy (at all levels) in a divers global and multi-cultural environments; and,
• Ability to recognise, and show respect from different cultural variations, beliefs, traditions, and accepted patterns of behaviour.

Eligibiltiy criteria

Applicants must be nationals of ACP and European Union countries.

Educational qualifications

Post Graduate qualifications in Economics, International Trade, Trade Law, Public Policy, Statistics or related disciplines.

Languages

Proficiency in English.

Deadline for applications is 17:00 GMT on Sunday 3 January 2016.

Apply online Terms of reference