Director

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This is an external vacancy notice open to external candidates and WTO staff. It is posted on the WTO internal as well as external career site. Eligible WTO staff on short-term, fixed-term or regular contracts and interns must apply through the Workday internal career site.

This is a Fixed-term contract funded through the regular budget. The duration will be two years with the possibility of extension, unless specified in the vacancy notice.

The WTO seeks to attract and retain staff members offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and integrity and to build an organization that is representative of the Members and People it serves. As an equal opportunity and inclusive employer, the WTO gives full regard to competence and welcome applications from qualified candidates irrespective of age, disability status, gender, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, social origin or any other characteristic. Applications from non-represented Members ( link ) are particularly encouraged for all positions.

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The Secretariat of the WTO seeks to fill the position of Director of the Trade in Services and Investment Division.

Context

Services trade has been the most dynamic component of international trade for the last 15 years. While increasingly traded in their own right, services also serve as crucial inputs into the production of goods. They account for over half of global trade in added value terms and this share continues to grow.

The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is one of the pillars of the WTO's legal framework. The disciplines of GATS cover a wide range of modes and sectors, ranging from communications, through finance, construction to tourism, to name only a few. Services trade and investment policies are also essential in harnessing the sector’s growth and development potential.

The WTO is dedicated to supporting its Members in leveraging services trade to enhance living standards, create jobs, and improve quality of life. In keeping with this mission and considering the significant changes to the international trade landscape, the WTO is looking for a dynamic and visionary leader to head the Trade in Services and Investment Division.

Trade in Services and Investment Division provides technical support to Members, in particular the work of the Council for Trade in Services (including in Special Session) and other bodies established under the GATS, including the Committee on Financial Services, the Committee on Specific Commitments, the Working Party on Domestic Regulation, and the Working Party on GATS Rules. The incumbent will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategy of the Division, overseeing its work, and managing resources in order to meet the Division's strategic goals.

General Functions

Reporting to the Deputy Director-General, the successful candidate will:

1. Provide intellectual, strategic, and operational leadership for the Division, setting out a clear global vision for its activities in line with the Organization's objectives and priorities, and taking into account the dynamically changing nature of the international trade landscape.

2. Advise the Director-General and Senior Management on technical and strategic matters related to services trade and investment and support their work by coordinating and overseeing preparation of memoranda, reports and other briefings documents.

3. Lead and motivate the Division, providing guidance to staff in carrying out their responsibilities at all levels. Set out the accountabilities and objectives for direct reports, assess their performance, and implement any changes required. Build and maintain a cohesive Divisional team, developing the potential of team members, ensuring they are trained as required, and providing leadership by setting standards and being a good leader and role model.

4. Lead, guide and oversee the work of the Division in the following areas:

• supporting and providing expert technical advice to WTO Members, in particular by assisting the Council for Trade in Services (both in regular and special session) and other bodies established under the GATS in implementation of the relevant WTO Agreements;

• assisting in ongoing negotiations and other relevant discussions on the existing and possible future services- and investment-related disciplines, through research, analytical work, and administrative assistance;

• building a centre of expertise and developing a knowledge agenda on the role of services trade and investment in inclusive growth and sustainable development, especially in the wake of digitalization marked by the rise of disruptive technologies.

• designing and implementing technical assistance activities, including needs assessments aimed at enhancing WTO Members' capacity related to trade in services and investment, with particular emphasis on their development dimension; identifying opportunities for resource mobilization;

• assisting dispute settlement panels on matters falling within the Division's competence areas.

5. Supervise and co-ordinate collaboration with other WTO divisions and units, including by contributing substantive expertise and co-managing joint projects.

6. Lead the Division's outreach activities and maintain a network of partnerships with government officials, international organizations, research institutions, universities, NGOs, and the private sector with a view to enhancing dialogue on services and investment issues.

7. Strengthen and broaden relationships with other international organizations and represent the Director General and the WTO Secretariat in technical-level meetings and high-level events.

8. Manage human and financial resources of the Division with a view to meeting its strategic goals; determine priorities for the divisional workplan and oversee its implementation; oversee setting out staff members' individual work plans and assessing their performance.

Required Qualifications:

Education: 

Advanced university degree in international law, economics (including development economics) or other relevant fields.

Knowledge and skills: 

Technical Knowledge and Skills

• In-depth and up-to-date understanding of economic, legal, and political considerations relating to the international trading system and trade in services and investment in particular, including the WTO legal framework as well as the relevant international and national policy instruments.

• Good familiarity with economic and regulatory context of various services sectors, including advanced knowledge of newly emerging digital services such as those incorporating frontier technologies (artificial intelligence, quantum computing, etc.).

• Good understanding of regulatory and economic aspects of trade in digitally delivered services, as well as familiarity with policies relating to such services, especially their cross-border flows.

Behavioural Skills

• Excellent management, organizational and leadership skills with the ability to guide and motivate a diverse international team of approximately twenty staff members with a view to consistently delivering high-quality results.

• A forward-looking mindset with a willingness and desire to think outside the box and a pro-active rather than reactive attitude.

• Strong partnership-building skills, including establishing and cultivating strategic relationships with relevant outside stakeholders and engaging in intra-organizational cooperation.

• Well-developed diplomatic skills and high level of political awareness and sensitivity, with an ability to build trust among diverse stakeholders with a view to bridging existing gaps and finding common solutions.

• WTO staff members are expected to demonstrate the following core competencies: Communication for Results; Effective Collaboration; Cultivating Progressive Growth; Professional Accountability; Relevant Digital Proficiency; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In addition, all levels of leadership and management are expected to demonstrate the following competencies: Talent Centered Leadership; Coordinated Cross Functional Leadership; Self Aware Leadership and Strategic Leadership.

Organizational Competencies:

Core Competencies:

• Communicating for Results

• Effective Collaboration

• Cultivating Progressive Growth

• Professional Accountability

• Relevant Digital Proficiency

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Leadership & Management Competencies:

• Talent-centered Leadership

• Self-Aware Leadership

• Coordinated Cross Functional Leadership

• Strategic Leadership

Work Experience: 

• At least fifteen years of experience in senior roles related to international trade and public policy areas in government and international organizations, or private sector.

• Proven track record in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies, shaping vision and managing resources in international or intergovernmental setting.

• Senior-level experience in multilateral trade negotiations, in particular in the area of services and investment.

• Demonstrated experience in engaging with policymakers and stakeholders at national and international level in the areas of international trade and public policy.

Languages: 

Excellent knowledge of both written and spoken English, allowing quick and effective communication on technical, political, legal, and economic issues; working knowledge of French and/or Spanish would be an advantage.

Additional Information:
 
Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted. 

The recruitment process will be undertaken as per Administrative Memorandum No. 976 (OFFICE(16)/15) on Staff Promotions and external recruitment through Vacancy Notices.

The initial fixed-term contract for positions up to grade 10 shall normally be two years, which shall be probationary, as per Administrative Memorandum No. 997 (OFFICE(23)/4) on Probation Policy. For Director positions, the Policy on evaluation of directors apply as per Administrative Memorandum No. 978 (OFFICE(17)/29).

The WTO may use various communication technologies such as video or teleconference for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. The recruitment process may also involve the use of various forms of testing, assessment centres, interviews and reference checks. 

Applicants may be required to sit a written examination. 

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview. 

Candidates not selected whose performance in the selection process nevertheless shows them to be suitable for a similar position may be kept on a roster for up to 24 months, and may subsequently be called upon as and when the need arises for additional resources.

All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the closing date – Geneva (Switzerland) time – stated in the vacancy announcement. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 

The WTO is a non-smoking environment.