Principal Trade and Quality Infrastructure Officer

The Government of Montserrat is inviting applications from suitably qualified persons for the post of Principal Trade and Quality Infrastructure Officer in the Cabinet Secretariat/Office of the Premier.

JOB PURPOSE

Under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary, to plan, manage and coordinate the Ministry's activities on trade, business development, competition policy, and quality infrastructure matters. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establishes the necessary working relations with local, regional and international authorities, including civil society organizations, private sector representatives, consumer affairs and other agencies involved in trade;
• Develops close working contacts with Member States’ representatives with whom Montserrat has an interest;
• Participates in donor cooperation efforts, as regards regional integration in respect of trade analysis and policy development;
• Explains trade policies and positions to domestic audiences, particularly local authorities, press, civil society, business and academics; 
• Tracks and reports on Montserrat’s trade activities and guide GoM’s response to key regional discussions and decisions - particular attention must be paid to EU, WTO, CARICOM and OECS positions and developments on trade;
• Compiles and interpret comparative data on trade between local suppliers, Montserrat, the Caribbean and the rest of the world;
• Monitors the government's trade portfolio to determine and guide compliance with the GoM's Treaty obligations;
• Develops and implements Quality Assurance Infrastructure, which includes Standards, Metrology, Conformity Assessments, Accreditation and Market Surveillance and participate in awareness-raising and training activities;
• Participates in the development of regional standards, regulations and practices, and foster, promote and support their adoption and implementation in Montserrat;
• Attends regional meetings and makes representation for Montserrat in areas such as trade, quality infrastructure and consumer affairs. 
• recommend, monitor and report options for pricing mechanisms for goods and services (such as fuel, and other goods which should be governed by price control mechanism;
• Manages the contractual relationship between the fuel provider and GoM
• Oversees the implementation of the Import Licence framework, as prescribed in the External Trade Act;
• Provides support to the business community through the coordination of training activities, tradeshows, coaching and other development activities, including Awareness programs (available concessions, market access programs such as PRIME, and policies);
• Provides secretarial duties for the Micro and Small Business Committee which includes documenting meeting minutes and the preparation of applications for concessions;
• Provides monitoring data and regular progress reports to the Permanent Secretary.
• Manages the development of direct reports through the preparation of performance appraisals and recommendations for required training and development programmes

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATIONS

The applicant should possess:-

• A Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Trade, Business, Finance or a similar discipline. A postgraduate degree in social sciences, inclusive of trade/trade law or business administration will be an asset;
• At least five (5) years’ experience at a management level (equivalent of R22-16), and a good understanding of trade and business practices
• Knowledge of international trade and quality standards, regulations and agreements;
• Strong policy formulation and implementation skills;
• Excellent leadership and conflict resolution skills;
• Demonstrated ability to plan, implement and monitor programmes, events and projects; 
• Excellent written communication skills, including the preparation of technical reports and presentations;
• Strong oral reporting and presentation skills to select and public audiences;
• Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with groups of diverse individuals;
• The ability to supervise, provide feedback and support a team; 
• Information technology skills, with a strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and the ability to manipulate presentation software and equipment, and;
• Working knowledge of another regional language, in particular Spanish, will be considered an asset.

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT

Appointment will be on a permanent basis or contractual basis. 

REMUNERATION PACKAGE

Basic Salary

The salary scale for the post is R14-R10, that is, EC$65,556-72,192 per annum – taxable.

Allowance(s)

• Telephone allowance of EC$720 per annum (taxable);
• A non-taxable Travel Allowance of EC$9,600.00 per annum is payable to the successful applicant, if the Officer maintains a motor vehicle in roadworthy condition.

ABBREVIATIONS

EU - European Union

WTO - World Trade Organization

CARICOM - Caribbean Community

OECS - Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

GoM - Government of Montserrat