Diplomatic Economic Affairs Officer

Job description / Role

Role Overview

The Diplomatic Economic Affairs Officer serves as the institutional bridge between two governments on matters of trade, investment, and legal frameworks. The role demands a rare combination of legal precision, economic judgement, and diplomatic skill. The officer is responsible for the full lifecycle of bilateral agreements — from initial scoping through negotiation, drafting, approval, and implementation — while simultaneously monitoring economic and investment flows to identify opportunities and risks for the home country.

This is a senior analytical and operational role requiring independent judgement, the ability to work across government ministries and external stakeholders, and the capacity to produce clear, authoritative analysis for Ambassadors and home-government principals.

Core Responsibilities

1. Bilateral Agreement Management

• Draft, review, and coordinate approval of treaties, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), trade agreements, double taxation treaties, investment protection agreements, and diplomatic protocols.
• Ensure compliance with domestic legislation, international law, and applicable multilateral frameworks (WTO, ICSID, UNCITRAL, etc.).
• Maintain a register of active and pipeline agreements; track review and renewal timelines.

2. Protocol & Approval Processes

• Navigate procedural requirements for each agreement type, from initialling and signing through to parliamentary ratification and entry into force.
• Coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Attorney General’s office, and inter-agency working groups.
• Manage diplomatic timelines sensitively, accounting for political cycles in both countries.

3. Investment & Economic Analysis

• Monitor bilateral trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) data; identify trends, opportunities, and strategic exposures.
• Assess potential investments for national interest considerations, including strategic asset exposure and overdependence risks.
• Brief senior diplomats and home-government principals with evidence-based, actionable recommendations.

4. Negotiations & Stakeholder Coordination

• Represent the Embassy in working-level negotiations and technical expert meetings.
• Liaise with host-country counterparts including foreign ministry officials, investment promotion agencies, chambers of commerce, and multilateral bodies.
• Build and maintain a professional network of public and private sector contacts relevant to the bilateral economic relationship.

5. Reporting & Policy Advice

• Produce diplomatic cables, briefing notes, and policy memoranda for the Ambassador and home government.
• Contribute to annual country economic assessments and bilateral strategy reviews.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments in the host country for implications on bilateral agreements.

Technical Knowledge

• International law & treaty law
• Trade & investment frameworks (WTO, BITs, FTAs)
• Diplomatic protocol and procedure
• Economic and quantitative data analysis
• Intergovernmental approval processes Professional Competencies
• Complex multi-party negotiation
• Policy writing and diplomatic drafting
• Cross-cultural relationship management
• Strategic analysis under ambiguity • Stakeholder briefing (written and oral)
• Public international law What Sets Top Performers Apart
• Prioritisation across concurrent mandates High-performing officers in this role consistently demonstrate the following qualities:
• Strategic ambition — they identify economic and diplomatic opportunities that others miss, often before instructions arrive from capital.
• Pattern recognition — they read investment flow data not just descriptively but predictively, spotting emerging leverage points.
• Political acumen — they understand the domestic constraints of both governments and negotiate timing as skillfully as substance.
• Clarity under complexity — they produce brief, decisive memos from dense, ambiguous information.
• Adaptability — they recalibrate strategy smoothly across elections, ministerial changes, and geopolitical shifts.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree minimum in International Relations, Law, Economics, or a related field; postgraduate qualification preferred.
• Minimum 4–6 years of relevant experience in diplomacy, government economic policy, international law, or trade finance.
• Demonstrated experience working with bilateral or multilateral agreements.
• Proficiency in the host country’s language is a significant advantage.

ARABIC DIPLOMATIC EXPERIENCE

• Security clearance at the level required by the posting.

Salary:

AED 10,000 to 15,000 per month inclusive of fixed allowances.

About the Company

Privately-owned global enterprise in UAE.