The recruitment policy of the WTO is to seek to attract and retain staff members offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency, and integrity. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the WTO gives full regard to merit and diversity.
| Vacancy Notice No.: EXT/T/18-14 | Issued On: 19 March 2018 |
| Title: Young Professional | Application Deadline (CET): 16 April 2018 |
| Grade: – | Division: Various |
| Contract Type: Temporary appointment | Duration: One year without possibility of extension |
| Starting Salary: CHF 3,500 monthly salary (approximate) |
The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking candidates for THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAMME for 2019.
The WTO Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is a unique opportunity for qualified young professionals up to the age of 32 years, as at 1 January 2019, from eligible developing and least-developed country (LDC) WTO Members, to enhance their knowledge and skills on WTO and international trade issues. The Programme aims to widen the pool of professionals from these countries who can later be more competitive with respect to recruitment in the WTO and/or other regional and international organizations.
All applications MUST be accompanied by a cover letter of motivation, which should indicate UP TO THREE areas of work (see details under General Functions), in order of preference, that the applicant would be interested in. Applications with no accompanying letter of motivation will not be considered.
This is a limited programme that offers selected young professionals with the opportunity to gain work experience in the WTO. There is no guarantee of an extension of the programme or of a job offer after the one-year programme.
General Functions
The selected Young Professional will be placed in a specific Division of the WTO Secretariat in accordance with the needs and priorities of the Organization; and based on the identified areas of interest of the Young Professional. Each Young Professional may express interest in not more than three areas of WTO work; and in order of preference. The areas of work may include, inter alia, the following (in alphabetical order):
- Accessions
- Agriculture – Council and Trade Negotiations
- Dispute Settlement – Economic Research and Statistics
- Government Procurement
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Market Access (tariffs and non-tariff barriers)
- Media and external relations
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures
- Technical Barriers to Trade
- Trade and Development
- Trade and Environment
- Trade Facilitation
- Trade in Services and Investment
- Trade Policy Analysis
- Trade-Related Technical assistance.
- Trade Remedies (anti-dumping and countervailing duties)
Required Qualifications QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
Advanced university degree in law economics, or other international trade-related subjects relevant to the work of the WTO.
Knowledge and skills:
- Good drafting skills in English.
- Ability to draft in French and/or Spanish would be an advantage.
- Ability to work independently and in a team.
- Demonstrates strong interest in international trade.
- Commitment and passion for trade or WTO-related work.
Work Experience:
Minimum two (2) years of professional experience relevant to the work of the WTO.
Languages:
Fluency in English. A good working knowledge either French or Spanish would be an advantage.
Additional Information:
Preference shall be given to nationals from WTO Members without any representation at the professional level in the Secretariat; and have not participated in previous cohorts of the YPP. The list of such WTO Members as at 1 March 2018 is set out below:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Angola
- Kingdom of Bahrain
- Belize
- Brunei Darussalam
- Burkina Faso
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Central African Republic
- Congo
- Cuba
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Fiji
- Gabon
- Grenada
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong, China
- Israel
- The State of Kuwait
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Lao People’s Democratic Republic
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Macau, China
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Moldova, Republic of
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Oman
- Papua New Guinea
- Qatar
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Samoa
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Tajikistan
- The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
- Tonga
- United Arab Emirates
- Vanuatu
- Yemen
Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted. 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.
OFFICE(18)/16
APPLICANTS MAY BE REQUIRED TO SIT A WRITTEN EXAMINATION
APPLICANTS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY IF SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW
Please note that all candidates must complete an online application form. To apply, please visit the WTO’s E-Recruitment website at erecruitment.wto.org. The system provides instructions for online application procedures.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the closing date – Central European Time (CET) – stated in the vacancy announcement.
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
Note: PDF version of this information is also available for download here.