Programme Coordinator – Intellectual Property Team

at  Department for Business and Trade

JOB SUMMARY

The post-holder will contribute to trade negotiations through effective programme management within Department for Business & Trade (DBT) Intellectual Property (IP) International Trade Negotiations team.
The purpose of the IP team is to deliver UK trade policy objectives for IP through international free trade negotiations and multilateral engagements. The team’s objective is to promote balanced and effective protection of UK IP overseas to encourage innovation, trade and growth.
Ongoing negotiations at present include India, Mexico, Canada, Israel, Switzerland and the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as a major programme of work to implement commitments in existing free trade agreements, and representation of UK interests in intellectual property at the World Trade Organisation. DBT is developing an ambitious future-facing programme of negotiations that are expected to continue into 2024.
The post-holder will contribute to the delivery of IP programme work for new and existing FTAs according to ministerial priorities. They will also work with the other IP negotiation teams in DBT to plan and support a busy programme of international engagement and domestic policy making. They will collaborate closely with the other key government departments that are critical for the delivery of the IP chapters, to support the efficient and effective use of expert policy officials’ and legal experts’ time across a dynamic programme of international work and provide planning and support to the wider team to secure the UK’s international objectives.
The post-holder will be an effective and clear communicator, able to summarise and explain complex issues in easily understandable ways and identify the key strategic drivers behind important decisions. Success in the role will require collaboration, working closely with teams across Government and elsewhere in DBT to access skills and expertise in support of the negotiations.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We welcome project and programme knowledge from a wide range of backgrounds, recognising that subject-specific knowledge will often be developed on the job and, hence, we are seeking a candidate able to:

• Coordinate the full programme across the IP team, including oversight of negotiations, policy and governance, working collaboratively and effectively in teams and with external stakeholders.
• Monitor deliverables and keep senior colleagues up to date on developments across the full suite of FTA negotiations, implementation, and multilateral work.
• Lead on aspects of programme reporting and maintenance of the programme dashboard, working with policy leads to ensure accuracy and effectiveness of reporting.
• Monitor risks and issues across the programme, identifying workable solutions, for instance on resourcing or legal constraints.
• Use oral and written communications skills and display forward-thinking to contribute to effective planning of negotiations, policy priorities and international engagement.
• Undertake stakeholder mapping and analysis to determine the levels of interest and influence across stakeholder groups, including devolved administrations, crown dependencies, industry, and other government departments. Feed into an overall refresh of the IP team’s engagement strategy to ensure we are maximising the benefit of these relationships.

We are committed to the personal development of our staff and the successful candidate will be supported with learning and development opportunities to build their knowledge and expertise in intellectual property and trade policy.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS

• Ability to deliver effectively, often to tight deadlines.
• Interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive, collaborative relationships based on respect and mutual support.
• Ability to see the big picture.
• Ability to persuade and influence others, offering constructive challenge when required.
• Prioritisation skills – the ability to manage multiple work activities and to change priorities quickly as required.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

International Trade
Project Delivery