Policy Officer

APS 5 - $78,548 - $86,168 per annum plus superannuation
- Trade & International Division
- Canberra, ACT
- _Engage in multilateral and regional meetings to shape global rules consistent with Australia’s trade interests._
- _Maintain and improve our agriculture trade and market access through support for free trade agreement negotiations, tackling barriers to trade, leading high level bilateral meetings and working with our overseas staff network._
- _Work with our portfolio industries to ensure they are ready to meet future challenges such as traceability requirements._

**Who we are**
**The Agricultural Traceability Branch** drives nationally co-ordinated reform, to build data-enabled traceability systems to enhance competitiveness and responsiveness to global market trends, while enabling Australia to better respond risks and trading partners demands. Much of this intent and work is realised through the design, establishment, and management of traceability grants programs across the Division. Traceability is the ability to follow the movement of a product through stages of production, processing, and distribution.

**The International Strategy and Engagement Branch** supports the department to prioritise its international work and provides a focal point for engagement within the department and with other agencies on whole of government international issues. We undertake market intelligence to inform decision-making on international trade and environment priorities. We lead the department’s international engagement on agricultural sustainability and climate policy. We provide administrative and corporate support for the overseas counsellor network and the divisions finance and security functions.

**The International Organisations and Negotiations Branch** has diverse functions including leading Australia’s engagement in many agriculture and environment multilateral organisations (UNEP, IUCN, and FAO) as well as the department’s engagement in the UN and a number of economic and trade fora (WTO, OECD, G20 and APEC). The branch works closely with DFAT in the negotiation and implementation of Free Trade Agreements and has carriage of Australia’s bilateral agriculture relationship with countries in Europe and the Americas and supports the department’s counsellors in Brussels, London, Rome, Washington, Mexico City and Santiago. The branch works with government, industry, and other stakeholders to advance Australia’s agricultural and environment policy interests globally.

**The Agricultural Trade and Market Access Branch** advances the interests of Australia’s rural industries by leading the department’s bilateral interactions with regional trading partners and co-ordinating associated portfolio input. This supports efforts to maintain and improve market access, resolve trade impediments, and manage partner-country engagement across the portfolio. The branch supports bilateral agricultural trade and engagement with North Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle East and African markets and has counsellors in Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Jakarta, New Delhi, Dubai, Riyadh, Bangkok, and Hanoi.

**The Jobs**
The Trade, Market Access and International Division has multiple vacancies at the APS5 level across the branches listed above. Duties of the positions may include, but are not limited to:

- Contributing to well-researched policy to advance the department’s strategic objectives in international engagement.
- Gathering and analysing data and intelligence using a range of sources.
- Providing support to our overseas staff network.
- Providing secretariat support to high level committees and working groups.
- Contributing to the design, establishment and management of grants programs and projects.
- Coordinating policy input and preparing advice on agricultural trade issues, including for engagement in international meetings and negotiations.
- Engaging and collaborating with key stakeholders including departmental staff, industry, bilateral partners, international organisations, and other government agencies to inform policy development and achieve outcomes.
- Coordinating and participating in industry meetings and international engagements.
- Briefing and communicating with Ministers, the Executive and other Commonwealth agencies on a range of trade and internationally focussed issues including agriculture and the environment.
- Delivering programs and providing administrative and secretariat support to advance the department’s agricultural trade and international agenda.

**Please note** that this selection process will initially be used to fill several ongoing vacancies within the Trade and International division. The merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of 18 months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may also be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature. These positions r