Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Deputy Director for Trade Analysis, Project Delivery and Support
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Birmingham, Bristol, London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, York
Job Summary
These are key leadership roles within the EU and International Trade Directorate. You will be working closely with your co-Deputy Director to lead the Trade Analysis, Project Delivery and Support team (TAPS). TAPS is a multi-disciplinary team covering the analytical, project management, business management and SCS private office diary support functions. We are looking for an experienced analyst and highly visible leader, capable of leading and developing a high performing team as well as providing expert analytical advice on trade issues to Ministers and senior officials.
Job Description
EUIT works to ensure that the UK’s trade policy, trade agreements and international and multilateral relationships deliver Defra’s environmental, climate change, food, farming, fisheries and biosecurity objectives. We do this in a range of ways, including representing Defra’s interests in UK trade negotiations and leading multilateral engagement at the World Trade Organization. We also lead work on exports to ensure UK producers and businesses can get the most out of these deals. This includes key priorities such as negotiations with the EU to secure a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, to enable agri-food products to move more easily between the UK and EU.
Within EUIT, the TAPS team has a multi-faceted role with responsibilities spanning the provision of high-quality advice and analysis on trade policy, providing project management expertise and support across all policy areas of the directorate and ensuring the smooth running of the directorate through its business management function. The overarching aim is to ensure that policy development is made in a structured and well evidenced manner.
You Will Be Expected To:
- Co-lead the team with your co-DD by developing a strong vision for the team which has the capabilities and skills to deliver current and future objectives.
- Confidently provide expert analytical advice on Defra’s trade interests to Ministers and senior officials.
- Proactively shape the ways of working across the team, Defra and across Government to ensure that policy development is made in a structured and well evidenced manner.
- Directly line manage 2-3 grade 6s and provide support to all five G6s as and when needed (e.g. on occasions when your co-DD isn’t working).
- Provide leadership across the whole team, but with particular focus on trade policy analysis in support of bilateral and multilateral negotiations (tariffs, rules of origin provisions), the impact of international events on global and UK commodity markets, trade modelling and trade statistics, and standards in trade.
- Actively contribute to the Cross-Government trade analyst community, helping to continually improve the capability and professionalism of the UK's trade analysis profession and helping strengthen collaborative working between departments.
- Be an active member of the EUIT Leadership Group, proactively contributing to the leadership of the wider directorate.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1200 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria.
- Inspiring leadership, with the ability to articulate a compelling long-term vision for a multidisciplinary team, providing a clear sense of direction in times of uncertainty, anticipating strategic changes and adapting to new priorities, and developing the team capability and capacity needed to deliver both current analytical demands and anticipated future evidence needs.
- Strong technical analytical skills, with substantial experience of setting and leading the strategic direction for complex analytical programmes, clearly linked to policy or delivery outcomes, whilst maintaining clear long-term strategies in delivering cross-Government objectives.
- The ability to persuade and influence others, whilst creating and maintaining strong relationships with colleagues across as well as the wider Civil Service and with external stakeholders, even when goals or views may diverge.
- The ability to communicate complex evidence issues clearly, succinctly, and with credibility to a non-technical audience including ministers, senior officials and external stakeholders to provide clear policy recommendations, taking into account the caveats and degree of confidence in the analysis.
- It would be helpful to have knowledge of trade issues – but not essential.
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Membership
The postholder needs to be a member of (or have the relevant eligibility requirements and be prepared to join) one of the analytical professions below: please indicate in your personal statement, which analytical profession you belong to / would look to join:
- The Government Statistical Service (GSS)
- The Government Economics Service (GES)
- Government Operational Research Service (GORS)
- Government Social Research (GSR)
- Government Geography Profession (GGP)
- The Government Data and Digital (GDaD) profession – data scientist.
Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
Application Process
As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria. Completed applications must be submitted no later than the closing date of 23:55pm, Sunday 20th September 2026.
Informal conversations with hiring manager
Prior to the closing date informal conversations (not assessed) can be arranged with the vacancy holder, Sophie Brice, Director EU and International Trade. If you would like to arrange to speak with Sophie please contact David Lancaster via email David.Lancaster@defra.gov.uk
Sift
A sift will be conducted against the key criteria in the person specification. Applications will be assessed by the selection panel and shortlisted.
Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE)
These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision-making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.
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Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity. For further information regarding the assessments please visit - https://scs-assessments.co.uk/
Interviews
You will be asked to attend a panel interview in London at 2 Marsham street, to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria for the role. As part of the interview, we will ask you to prepare a short presentation. This will be confirmed in the interview invitation.
Interviews will be held face to face in London at 2 Marsham Street.
Other Information
Please let us know what adjustments we can put in place to help you through the recruitment process if you are disabled. To discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in the first instance.
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be offered similar roles across the department.
Defra Is committed to ‘name blind’ sifting. That means that identifying characteristics such as your name, gender, age, or address are removed from your application until after shortlisting for interview has taken place.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.
As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth
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