Trade Policy And Legal Specialist

Organisation
The CARICOM Secretariat
Reference
VAC-55581
Contract Type
Full-Time
Industries
Government & Public Sector
Location
Bridgetown
Salary & Benefits
EC$14,992.00 to EC$21,560.00 per month
Date Posted
28/01/2025
Expiry Date
21/02/2025
The Trade Policy and Legal Specialist provides expert support on external trade, focusing on institutional issues, dispute settlement, services, and investment to enhance the CSMT Directorate’s effectiveness in regional and international trade.

 

FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Trade Policy and Legal Specialist provides trade policy and legal expertise to strengthen the effectiveness of the CSMT Directorate’s work on external trade with Member States and other major stakeholders regionally and internationally. The position is required to provide expert technical support in the areas of Institutional Issues and Dispute Settlement, Services, Investment and any other area assigned by the Director, External Trade, to ensure the effective and efficient discharge of the Directorate’s Work Programme on external trade. 

The position is deemed to be effective and efficient when:

  • The organs, bodies and Members of the Community, Technical Working Groups (TWGs), Technical Negotiating Groups (TNGs) and other relevant parties are given legally and technically sound advice pertinent to external trade negotiations, post-negotiation follow-up, dispute settlement proceedings and other trade-related matters;
  • The CARICOM Secretariat is provided with inputs which enable the provision of legally and technically sound proposals, briefs, papers and submissions to the organs, bodies and Members of the Community, TWGs, TNGs, the Caribbean Court of Justice and other relevant parties; 
  • The work program for the position is achieved within the budget; and
  • All requisite periodic reports are submitted on a timely basis.

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Candidates must possess a Bachelor of Law Degree and must be admitted to the Bar of a Member State. In addition, candidates must also possess a Post-Graduate Degree in International Trade Law or International Trade Policy, or approved equivalent areas of study, plus at least eight (8) years relevant experience in the area of trade law and trade policy, expertise in dispute settlement, services and investment at a professional or specialist level. The candidate should ideally gain his/her experience from institutions such as:

  • Associate Institutions of the Community
  • 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
  • Private firms or their support agencies

The incumbent should possess technical competencies in:

  • Drafting of legal texts and legal submissions, treaty interpretation, strong analytical skills particularly in the complex interface of law, economics and politics/geo-politics;
  • Multidisciplinary research skills in legal and non-legal disciplines including trade, economics, finance, politics, and international relations;
  • 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;
  • Intermediate level proficiency or higher in one other relevant language (e.g. French, Spanish, Dutch) would be an asset; and
  • Computer proficiency particularly in the use of MS Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel), Internet Search Engines and web-services usage.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Result 1: The incumbent is expected to perform the following advisory duties:

  • PROVIDES expert advice and guidance in the subjects of Institutional Issues and Dispute Settlement, Investment, and any other area assigned by the Director, External Trade;
  • PROVIDES technical support in the subject of Services, in collaboration with the Services Specialist;
  • REVIEWS, ANALYSES, PROVIDES advice and DEVELOPS proposals on any aspect of legal text pertinent to external trade negotiations and post-negotiation follow-up;
  • DRAFTS and REFINES textual proposals pertinent to external trade negotiations and post-negotiation follow-up;
  • CONTRIBUTES to the technical work of the CSMT Directorate through the preparation and evaluation of technical and legal briefs, papers and studies;
  • CONCEPTUALISES, PLANS and ORGANIZES Technical Working Group meetings, experts’ meetings and other regional consultations and Technical Negotiating Group meetings, and PARTICIPATES in such national exercises as may be arranged periodically;
  • CONTRIBUTES to the work of the CSMT Directorate in building regional negotiating capacity;
  • PROVIDES technical support to private sector and non-state actor outreach, as required;
  • REPRESENTS the Community in international dispute settlement proceedings before the Caribbean Court of Justice, as required;
  • REPRESENTS the CSMT Directorate in national, regional and international meetings, as required;
  • PROVIDES technical and legal work and advice, as required, on other trade-related matters, including support to post-negotiation follow-up activities, support to monitoring trade relations with external trade partners, the development/revision of legal texts pertaining to the CSME, and responses from Member States; and
  • REPRESENTS the CARICOM Secretariat in national, regional and international meetings, as required;

Key Result 2: The incumbent is also required to perform the following operational duties:

  • DETERMINES on an annual basis, the major Job Objectives for related aspects of the Work Programme;
  • IDENTIFIES and DISCUSSES with relevant internal stakeholders the Key Results Areas to be used as determinants to performance results;
  • CONTRIBUTES significantly to the preparation of the required reports on the key activities and achievements relevant to the portfolios of Institutional Issues and Dispute Settlement, Investment and Services;
  • PARTICIPATES in the development of policies, strategies and initiatives relevant to the portfolios of Institutional Issues and Dispute Settlement, Investment and Services; and
  • ADVISES on the achievability of planned activities and outputs against the background of availability and adequacy of human, technical and financial resources.

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 twenty (20) 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)

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