Wto and Agricultural Research Officer

**Title**:WTO and Agricultural Research Officer

**Department**: Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

**Location**:Brussels

**Classification**: LE5

**Contract**:Fixed term - two years

**Hours**:Full-time, 37 hours and 30 minutes per week

**Salary**:Gross monthly salary of 5,471.20 EUR, plus thirteenth month and holiday pay.

**About The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry**

The role of the Department Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is to work with national and international governments and industry partners to grow the value of Australia’s agricultural trade and reduce risk to our agricultural sector. The department has a diverse role as a policy adviser to government, researcher, program administrator, service provider, market access negotiator and regulator. We work to protect human health and the environment by ensuring the safe movement of people, food and other goods into Australia.

Our work contributes to maintaining and improving market access for our primary producers, encouraging agricultural productivity in our primary industries and supporting sustainable, high-quality natural resources to benefit primary producers and the community. The Department has a network of overseas officers to help maintain and expand market access for Australia’s agricultural exports and to manage the agricultural relationship with key trading partners.

**About the position**

Under limited direction, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Agricultural Research Officer works to support the Minister Counsellor (Agriculture) to participate in agriculture related WTO Committees on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, Agriculture and Technical Barrers to Trade.

This position also supports the small agriculture team in Brussels to improve trade of agricultural products between Australia and the European Union and to strengthen the bilateral agriculture relationship by facilitating policy discussions, monitoring changes to the policy environment and providing high level analysis, briefings and technical advice on WTO committee papers and agriculture related matters. The role includes occasional travel in order to fulfil these duties.

**The key responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to**:

- Perform complex research and provide accurate and specialised advice to the Minister Counsellor on matters relating to WTO Committees on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, agriculture and technical barriers to trade by collecting, monitoring, analysing and evaluating information, papers and related materials.
- Develop and manage relationships with relevant stakeholders including WTO members, EU institutions, European Union and Australian producer groups, importers, exporters and distributors to progress key priorities and monitor the WTO and EU agricultural policy environment.
- In coordination with the WTO team based in Canberra, support the Minister Counsellor (Agriculture) to participate in agriculture related WTO Committees, in particular the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures. This includes the drafting of briefings, statements, etc.
- Participate in and report on meetings of the WTO, including intersessional meetings and special events with or without the Minister-Counsellor.
- Respond to enquiries regarding EU import and export requirements, legislative and administrative frameworks, progress market access requests and facilitate the resolution of disruptions to trade in agricultural goods, including detained consignments.
- Organise and facilitate programs for visiting government officials, ministers or Australian business representatives, including meetings, field trips, workshops and other events.
- Provide support to the Agriculture team including but not limited to; writing cables, reports of meetings, records of conversations, presentations and talking points as required.

**Qualifications/Experience**
- Sound understanding of European agricultural policy including demonstrated strong capacity in public policy monitoring, analysis and implementation, including in a regulatory context.
- Ability to take initiative, set priorities and organise work effectively and efficiently, and to complete projects and assignments with limited supervision.
- A high level of written and oral proficiency in English with a proven ability to prepare written material to document findings in a logical, succinct and persuasive manner.
- Excellent team-working, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills including experience working with senior representatives of government and industry.
- High level of proficiency with information technology systems, especially Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel & PowerPoint).

**Highly Desirable**
- Appropriate tertiary qualifications (economics, trade law)
- Proficiency in French and Dutch
- Previous experience in European or Member State government and/or agricultural industry

**SELECTION CRITERIA**

In your written statements,