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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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About the job
Job summary
The TRA is one of the first public bodies to be set up to meet the new needs of the UK following its departure from the European Union. We play a central part in ensuring that the international trading environment is fair as well as free, by protecting British businesses from unfair trading practices such as dumping, trade-distorting subsidies and unforeseen surges in imports.
We are growing to be an organisation of over 150 people, with our headquarters in central Reading. It is vital to us that we have a friendly, supportive culture, where you will quickly get to know who works here and where you will be helped to realise your full potential. We strive to be an outward-looking organisation, learning from international best practice and looking to add our own distinctive twist, such as developing our digital-first approach to trade remedy investigations. As an arms length body that is independent of government, we are passionate about living our values of integrity, expertise, transparency, and inclusion.
We are looking for professionals who bring relevant skills and expertise but who are also eager to learn and develop. Nobody joins the TRA as the finished article. If you believe that you have the experience and qualities to put your stamp on something new and exciting, we very much look forward to hearing from you.
Job description
About the role:
The TRA carries out investigations into unfair trading practices and recommends measures to the Secretary of State on anti-dumping, subsidies and safeguards. Our work on trade remedies is relatively novel within the UK and the Legal Team at the TRA is at the forefront in developing this new field of law based on complex legislation and the underpinning WTO rules.
As a Senior Lawyer at the TRA you will be responsible for providing legal advice and support to the case teams doing trade remedies investigations. You will also provide legal advice to inform the development of the TRAs policies and procedures for trade remedies cases, and work with the TRA policy team and the Department for Business and Trade on new and amending legislation. You will also manage and oversee the work of junior lawyers.
Key Accountabilities:
A Senior Lawyer at the TRA will do work that has a significant impact on TRA strategy, direction and delivery of business objectives. You will deal with very complex cases, attracting parliamentary and media scrutiny.
You will need to have expert professional knowledge and be an expert in the field of trade, trade remedies and public law. You will give definitive legal advice and must know all there is to know about your area.
You will need the ability to apply innovative thought to complex problems. Trade remedy issues are novel and may not be covered by existing practice or procedure. Solutions require considerable analytical work, an understanding of complex law and the ability to devise innovative solutions.
You will provide authoritative legal advice to senior decision makers and you will need excellent written and oral communications skills. You will also carry out wide engagement at senior levels both internally and externally and may lead or support external discussions.
Person specification
About you:
To be successful in this role, applicants should demonstrate the following:
Significant expertise in public law and statutory interpretation, and an in-depth knowledge of the trade remedies rules set out in UK law, and the underpinning WTO rules and jurisprudence on which they are based. You will need good analytical and problem-solving skills, be innovative and creative in applying new law, be able to identify emerging legal risks and exercise sound legal judgement, work at pace when legal issues or problems emerge, and have good team working, communications and influencing skills.
Essential skills and experience:
- Fully qualified as a solicitor or barrister to practice in England and Wales.
- Technical legal knowledge: in-depth knowledge of UK trade remedies legislation and the WTO rules on trade remedies.
- Public law: significant expertise in public law and can explain clearly how public law considerations apply in the context of TRA decision making.
- Statutory interpretation: significant expertise in regulatory law and/or complex statutory interpretation.
- Legal analysis: conducts high quality and timely legal research using relevant legal sources, including legislation and case law.
- Legal advice: provides accurate, high quality, timely and solutions-focused legal advice. Consistently and proactively identifies the key legal issues and explains the legal options clearly.
- Legal judgement and risk: identifies where legal risk arises and provide a clear assessment of legal risk, exercising reliable legal judgement and taking into account the policy and operational context.
- Communications: communicates complex legal advice clearly and persuasively, tailoring the approach to suit different audiences. Produces clear and well-structured legal advice.
- Stakeholders: proactively builds and maintains client relationships within the TRA, as well as developing wider relationships outside the TRA that are key to supporting the work of the legal function at the TRA.
Desirable skills and experience:
- Expertise in WTO and international law.
Qualifications
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- A technical legal written assessment to be completed on the assessment day under timed conditions and a scenario based legal exercise to be prepared on the day of the interview and to be presented to the panel verbally.
Benefits
£17,634 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
The application process:
Drop In You can find out about us and get more information about the role by attending our drop-in session. You will have the opportunity to talk to people doing the job and ask any questions, including about the recruitment process from application to interview through to offer. You can join the session at any point throughout the hour by clicking on the link below.
Apply To apply, you will need to complete a CV and a personal statement. Your CV (up to two-pages) should set out your education as well as your employment history, to demonstrate how you meet the requirement of the role. Your personal statement (maximum 750 words) should provide detailed evidence demonstrating how your experience, skills and attributes meet the requirements for the role. Our guide for candidates provides more useful information (link).
Shortlist The panel will consider your application against the essential and desirable criteria for the role. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview.
Interview The interview assessment will consist of a technical legal written assessment to be completed on the assessment day under timed conditions; a scenario based legal exercise to be prepared on the day of the interview and to be presented to the panel verbally; and a 30 minute behaviour based interview. The behaviours that you will be assessed against at the interview are Managing a Quality Service, Making Effective Decisions, and Communicating and Influencing.
Interviews will be held at our office in North Gate House, 21-23 Valpy Street, Reading, RG1 1AF.
Offers We will notify candidates of their outcome as soon as possible after the interview.
Expected timeline
- Drop in session 25 September 2023, between 1600 and 1700, Click here to join the meeting
- Application closes 15 October 2023
- Shortlist 16 October 2023
- Interviews w/c 30 October 2023
- Offers w/c 06 November 2023
Please note that we try and offer as much flexibility as we can but it may not always be possible to offer alternative interview dates.
You will have an opportunity to progress salary in grade to a maximum of £72,002 through TRAs capability based pay progression framework.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to TRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : TRA Resourcing Team
- Email : resourcing.enquiries@traderemedies.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : TRArecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
