Diplomatic Economic Affairs Officer
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.