Job: Expert in International Trade Negotiations/ Agreements

Location: Addis Ababa 
Deadline: Thursday, 07 November 2013 

Description
AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA

P. O. Box 3243, Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA Tel.: (251-11) 5517700 Fax: (251-11) 5517844 www.au.int VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: Expert in International Trade Negotiations/Agreements The January 2012 African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government focused on "Boosting Intra-Africa Trade" and endorsed the recommendation of the 6th Ordinary Session of the AU Ministers of Trade held in Kigali from 29 October – 2 November 2010 to fast-track the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area. The African Union Commission (AUC) supports its Member States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), amongst others, to undertakeprogrammesand policies that boost intra-African trade, strengthen RECs, and improve market access.The Department of Trade and Industry is responsible for establishing the Architecture for the Continental Free Trade Area including a unit for the CFTA Negotiations Secretariat and the CFTA Negotiations Forum. 1. POST Position: Grade: Duration: SUPERVISOR: Department: Duty Station: Expert in International Trade Negotiations/ Agreements P3 Two (2) years Director for Trade and Industry Trade and Industry Department Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2. JOB PURPOSE: The African Union Commission is mandated by: 1. The Declaration on Boosting Intra-African Trade and the Establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) at theHeads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at the 18thOrdinary Session of the Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 29 to 30 January, 2012; and 2. The recommendations of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Conference of the African Union (AU) Ministers of Trade on the need to fast track the establishment of CFTA; Both of which:

Endorsedthe Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade (APBIT) and requestedtheAU Commission, in collaboration with RECs, Member States, and developmentpartners, to develop an implementation strategy for the Action Plan; Called onMember States, RECS, the AU Commission and development partnersto adopt the necessary measures towards the effective implementation of APBIT; Decidedthat the CFTA should be operationalized by the indicative date of 2017,based on the framework, roadmap and architecture; and Requestedthe Commission, in collaboration with United Nations EconomicCommission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other relevant agencies, to take appropriate measures including studies,technical support to RECs and sensitization of Member States and partners, forthe effective implementation of the CFTA Road Map; and Requestedthe Ministers responsible for the CFTA to reportas appropriate to the Assembly, through the Executive Council on progress.

3. The July 2009 Summit of African Heads of States, which called for a robust system for monitoring and evaluation of regional integration, including intraAfrican trade (Doc. EX.CL/517 (XV), AU 2009). Pursuant to the above mandatesthe Department of Trade and Industry of the AUC is recruiting an expert in International Trade Negotiations/Agreements in order to establish the CFTA Negotiations Secretariat that will support the CFTA Negotiations Forum preparatory process and will facilitate the implementation of this process once it has been launched by the AU. 3. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The key function of this position is to provide support the elaboration of a detailed plan to guide the implementation of the Action Plan for the CFTA process.Under the supervision of the Director for Trade and Industry Department and in close collaboration with the Trade Division the International Trade Negotiations/Agreement Expert will carry out the following tasks: i. Review existing decisions, the Action Plan for BIAT and the CFTA and propose the co-ordination mechanism for the Tripartite Negotiations Process, the Second Bloc and any other bilateral trade negotiations between African member states.

ii. Provide technical expertise and contribute to the capacity development of the department to monitor closely all bilateral trade agreements on the continent with third parties so as to continuously assess the risks to Africa's continental integration efforts. 2

iii. Review existing trade and investment related partnership agreements of the African Union Commission, and advise on strategies to enhance market access and market diversification for member states and regional economic communities so as to improve the benefits from South-South trade and intraAfrican trade in particular. iv. Encourage evidence/based negotiations and contribute towards the development of a pool of African experts in international trade negotiations. To collaborate with the African Group of Ambassadors in Geneva, Brussels and Washington DC as well as partner institutions in the development, implementation and coordination of capacity building initiatives to enhance Africa's negotiations capacity in trade. v. Support the AUC in helping the REC Secretariats to strengthen their trade negotiations and trade policy making capacities in the context of ongoing negotiations as well as the CFTA negotiations process. vi. Propose means to adequately use information technology tools to track trade agreements on the continent and to advise policy makers on the latest developments in order to enable appropriate strategies to be developed in order to vii. Stay abreast of international trade issues and draft formal communications for the Commissioner, Director and Head of Trade as needed. viii. Carry out other related duties as may be assigned by the Department Director. 4. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: The successful candidate will have the following: a. A minimum of Master's Degree in any of the following disciplines: business, commerce, , economics, law, development studies, , with a specialization in international trade; b. Additional qualifications in international trade negotiations will be an added advantage;

5.PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: a. At least 8 years of professional working experience in international trade negotiations at national, regional and/or global levels; experience should

include research for negotiations, leading trade negotiations and following up on the implementation of trade agreements; b. Previous work experience with international organizations in a developing country setting is an advantage, ideally in Africa. 6. OTHER RELEVANT SKILLS:

• Strong technical and analytical capabilities and skills for developing mechanisms for data collection; Excellent drafting and report writing skills; Excellent organizational skills, ability to handle multiple tasks without compromising quality and team spirit building skills; Excellent Computer skills, Strong monitoring and evaluation skills and Strong interpersonal and communication skills; negotiation skills and ability to work independently in a diverse environment. Excellent writing skills and command of key software (word processing, spreadsheets, data analysis software(s), database software(s), Power point); Proven skills in communicating information clearly verbally and in writing in English. Be willing to undertake extensive work and meet tight deadlines.

Additional Skills:

• Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Analytical thinking
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to work under pressure and manage responsibilities 7. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT: Proficiency in one of the African Union working languages. Knowledge of one or several other working languages would be an added advantage. 8. AGE REQUIREMENT: Candidates must preferably be between 30 and 45 years old. 9.TENURE OF APPOINTMENT: The appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of two (2) years, of which the first twelve months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract will be for a annually subject to satisfactory performance and fund availability. 10. REMUNERATION: The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$79,903.40 inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 68,299.81 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff Applications must be made through the AUC E-recruitment Website http://www.aucareers.org not later than 7th November 2013. 4

Directorate of Administration and Human Resource Management African Union Commission Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

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