Open call – Trade Experts

Positions (multiple): Senior leadership roles, Core team roles and short-term advisory pool roles 

Location: South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular interest in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe 

Duration: Up to four years from mid-2025 

About us 

Adam Smith International (ASI) is a global advisory company that works locally to transform lives by making economies stronger, societies more stable, and governments more effective. Our clients are governments, international organisations, companies, and foundations. They come to us to develop strategies and to design, deliver and evaluate programmes that address the big challenges facing the world. As a company with experience of delivering lasting results, including in fragile states and where there is conflict, we are prepared to manage a high level of risk to achieve our purpose. 

Positions (multiple) 

ASI seeks experienced trade professionals for positions in both programme core team and short-term advisory pool roles for a series of anticipated donor-funded trade programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. These are anticipated programmes, and the positions are contingent upon award from the donor. ASI will select the preferred candidates for each role based on how robustly their experience matches the criteria and the competitiveness of their expected fee rate. 

Core team roles  

Introduction 

ASI is seeking candidates for our core team to deliver upcoming donor-funded opportunities aimed at driving export-led growth in selected countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 

The Role 

Our core team will assist the donor Programme Management Team in the strategic planning and execution of the programmes, the assessment of the effectiveness, impact and relevance of programme activities, the preparation and quality control of technical and financial progress reports, and in the overall management of the PMU. The professionals in our core team will maintain linkages with the donors, and other development actors, to align strategies and maximise synergies. 

Qualifications and skills 

• A university degree in Finance, Economics or a relevant, directly related discipline; 

• Excellent leadership, team management, interpersonal, facilitation and networking skills; 

• Fully computer literate and familiar with systems like SharePoint and Teams; 

• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English and proven ability to draft high-quality reports and communication notes. 

General professional experience 

• Minimum of 5 years required of professional experience in international trade (15 years for Team Leader role); 

• +7 years professional experience coordinating multi-disciplinary and/or multicultural teams of senior professionals, ideally working with and/or within international organisations (15 years for Team Leader role); 

• Experience working with the World Trade Organisation would be a strong advantage; 

• Experience in one or more of the following fields would be a strong advantage: trade facilitation and customs, standards, market sector development, export promotion, UK import promotion, supply chain resilience, certifications, red tape, export times and costs, corruption, national export strategies, green regulations, cross-border data flows, emerging technologies, AI and block chain.  

Subject Matter Experts 

Introduction 

ASI is seeking candidates for the roles of subject matter experts for upcoming donor-funded opportunities aimed at driving export-led growth in selected countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 

The Role 

ASI is seeking short term expertise that can be rapidly mobilised throughout the project lifespan. Short-term advisors will need to have experience working in the selected countries on trade related issues, including but not limited to the following topics: 

Addressing technical barriers to trade and supporting trade facilitation at borders: 

• Standards 

• Certifications 

• Red tape 

• Export times and costs 

• Green regulations 

• Customs processes, procedures, transport and logistics 

• Digital and AI capability 

Working with businesses and governments to accelerate trade: 

• Export promotion 

• Market info 

• National export strategies 

• Improved business regulations 

• Making linkages with buyers from the UK and other developed markets  

Strengthening the multilateral trading system: 

• WTO accession and negotiations 

• Engagement and implementation of agreements by developing countries 

Qualifications and skills 

• Advanced degree in a field related to the specific technical discipline; 

• Substantial experience in the related technical area; 

• Experience living and working in selected countries preferred; 

• Fluency in written and spoken English.  

General professional experience  

• Advanced degree in a field related to the specific technical discipline  

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in the related technical area;  

• Experience working in South Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa;  

• Fluency in written and spoken English. 

• Fully computer literate and familiar with systems like SharePoint and Teams; 

Ready to Apply? 

Please submit a CV (no more than 2 pages) and a short cover letter by 24th January 2025. 

Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. 

ASI is committed to continually improving the diversity of our workforce through the attraction, retention and development of a diverse range of talented people. We want people to be comfortable bringing their whole self to work and recognise that inclusion brings further opportunities for innovation and creativity.