Senior/ Assistant Director, ASEAN Division

What The Role Is

The Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (METI) seeks to transform Singapore into a leading global city of talent, enterprise and innovation. Our mission is to promote economic growth and create good jobs to enable Singaporeans to improve their lives. The Trade and International Economic Relations (TIER) cluster drives the formulation of Singapore's foreign economic policy and safeguards Singapore's economic interests in the international economic arena.

What You Will Be Working On

Position Overview: Trade Negotiator and Economic Policy Officer

Proximity: As we prepare for the future economy, the ASEAN region offers exciting growth opportunities. To enable our businesses and jobholders to seize these opportunities, METI's ASEAN Division advances Singapore's economic interests and deepens regional economic integration at the ASEAN platform. Specifically, we seek to boost flows of goods, services, investments, data, people and ideas to strengthen the broader regional economic ecosystem.

Policies: Our team negotiates/reviews regional Agreements at the ASEAN platform to lower tariffs, address non-tariff barriers, improve trade facilitation, grow services flows, enhance the digital ecosystem, and address sustainability challenges amongst others, to improve the ease of doing business and harness the potential of emerging opportunities. Beyond Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), we also develop new initiatives and forms of cooperation to expand economic space through engagement, capacity building, and collaboration.

Partners: We nurture and work with partners to drive and champion deepening economic integration through the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a key trading partner and investment destination for Singapore. Beyond the 10 ASEAN Member States, the AEC provides opportunities for Singapore-based businesses to take advantage of ASEAN's Agreements and initiatives with various external partners to facilitate their exports, investments and business activities. ASEAN's suite of partners includes Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and the United States, amongst others. To ensure businesses can benefit, we also engage stakeholders such as business councils and research institutions to increase awareness and understanding.

People: Our team invests in building human capital. We have a unique opportunity to represent Singapore at Free Trade Agreement negotiations, analyse key developments and their potential implications, and take ownership for driving meaningful outcomes. Trade officers in METI's ASEAN Division develop technical competencies in either the domain of goods or the domain of digital economy, services, and investment. They gain experience in negotiations, public policy writing, and strategy development, including developing ideas to advance integration under the AEC and how Singapore should engage ASEAN on the economic track amidst a challenging global economic environment. As trade diplomats, we also sharpen skills such as coalition building and relationship management with counterparts in the region and beyond.

What We Are Looking For

• Keen interest in international economic affairs and negotiations;
• Strong analytical and conceptual abilities, with an eye for detail;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Self-starter, versatile and adaptable to different environments;
• Ability to work well in teams and engage people;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment; and
• Willingness to travel frequently