National Consultant – WTO Accession Support (Ethiopia)

The national consultant will provide high-quality research, analytical inputs, and technical assistance to the Negotiating Team on WTO Accession of Ethiopia and the WTO Secretariat to facilitate Ethiopia's WTO accession process. The role involves mapping and analyzing Ethiopia's trade and economic regimes, advising on negotiating inputs, and coordinating technical efforts between stakeholders and the WTO Secretariat.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive legal, policy, and economic analyses of Ethiopia's trade-related issues, domestic market access conditions, and ongoing regulatory developments.
• Evaluate current domestic trade regimes against multilateral requirements to identify gaps and alignment opportunities.
• Prepare inputs into high-quality analytical and official documentation, including inputs for the draft Working Party Report and other accession documentation, as well as technical briefing notes and concept papers.
• Assist on drafting and review of technical accession-related documentation, position papers, speaking points, and official correspondence required by the Negotiating Team.
• Assist the WTO Secretariat in compiling, verifying, and updating the substantive negotiating inputs necessary for the advancement of the accession.
• Prepare meeting reports and tracking matrices to monitor progress on multilateral and bilateral tracks.
• Support the organization, logistics, and delivery of technical assistance and capacity-building activities and workshops by the WTO Secretariat for government officials.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations involving government officials, international organizations, and private sector actors to ensure necessary coordination.

Requirements

• Master of Arts (M.A.) in International Relations, Transnational Governance, Public Policy, or another closely related discipline.
• Minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience in international trade policy, multilateral trade relations, and economic affairs.
• Demonstrated experience supporting WTO accession processes, including substantive contributions to the preparation and servicing of Working Party meetings, drafting/reviewing accession-related documentation, and coordinating with relevant stakeholders on accession matters.
• Proven experience conducting legal, policy, and economic analysis of trade-related issues (assessment of trade regimes, market access conditions, and regulatory developments).
• Demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality analytical and official documentation, including draft Working Party Reports, briefing notes, speaking points, meeting summaries, concept notes, and correspondence.
• Experience supporting the organization and implementation of technical assistance, capacity-building activities, and stakeholder consultations involving government representatives, international organizations, and diplomatic missions.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage multiple assignments simultaneously, work effectively under pressure, and deliver high-quality outputs within tight deadlines in multicultural and multidisciplinary environments.
• Previous professional experience working within the World Trade Organization (WTO) or another multilateral trade institution is considered a strong asset.
• Deep knowledge of WTO accession procedures, the functioning of WTO bodies, and the legal and institutional framework governing the multilateral trading system.
• Experience in the delivery of targeted technical assistance and capacity-building activities for government officials and policymakers.
• Excellent command of English and fluency in Amharic, both oral and written, are strictly required.

Skills

• International Trade Policy
• Multilateral Trade Relations
• WTO Accession Processes
• Legal Analysis
• Policy Analysis
• Economic Analysis
• Trade Regime Assessment
• Market Access
• Regulatory Developments Analysis
• Drafting Official Documentation
• Working Party Report Preparation
• Briefing Note Preparation
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Technical Assistance Delivery
• Capacity Building
• Multi-Stakeholder Consultation
• Multicultural Environment Experience
• Multidisciplinary Environment Experience
• Trade Negotiation Support

Languages

English, Amharic