Trade development officer

Description

Trade development officers develop and implement trade policies both internally and in international import and export relations. They analyse the domestic and foreign markets in order to promote and establish business operations, and ensure trade proceedings are compliant with legislation and businesses are protected from distortions.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to trade development officer:

international trade development officer
senior trade development officer
trade development director
import & export director
import and export officer
import and export director

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as trade development officer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Trade development officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Trade development officer career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to trade development officer.

competition policy officer
economic development coordinator
economic policy officer
regional development policy officer
employment programme coordinator

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of trade development officer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of trade development officer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of trade development officer.

Government policy implementation: The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.
International commercial transactions rules: Pre-defined commercial terms used in international commercial transactions which stipulate clear tasks, costs and risks associated with the delivery of goods and services.
Economics: Economic principles and practices, financial and commodity markets, banking and the analysis of financial data.
Market analysis: The field of market analysis and research and its particular research methods.
Business strategy concepts: The terminology related to the design and implementation of major trends and aims which are taken by an organisation’s executives, while keeping in mind its resources, competition and environments.
International import export regulations: Know the principles that govern the import and export of products and equipment, trade restrictions, health and safety measures, licenses, etc.
Competition law: The legal regulations that maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive behaviour of companies and organisations.
Corporate law: The legal rules that govern how corporate stakeholders (such as shareholders, employees, directors, consumers, etc) interact with one another, and the responsibilities corporations have to their stakeholders.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of trade development officer.

Promote free trade: Develop strategies for the promotion of free trade, open competition between businesses for the development of economic growth, in order to gain support for free trade and competition regulation policies.
Maintain relations with local representatives: Maintain good relations with representatives of the local scientific, economic and civil society.
Establish collaborative relations: Establish a connection between organisations or individuals which may benefit from communicating with one another in order to facilitate an enduring positive collaborative relationship between both parties.
Inspect government policy compliance: Inspect public and private organisations to ensure proper implementation and compliance with government policies which apply to the organisation.
Develop trade policies: Develop strategies which support economic growth and facilitate productive trade relations both nationally and internationally.
Build international relations: Build positive communication dynamics with organisations from different countries in order to build a cooperative relationship and optimise information exchange.
Perform market research: Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of trade development officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Project management principles: Different elements and phases of project management.
Financial forecasting: The tool used in performing fiscal financial management to identify revenue trends and estimated financial conditions.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of trade development officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Carry out strategic research: Research long term possibilities for improvements and plan steps to achieve them.
Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
Maintain relationships with government agencies: Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.
Investigate competition restrictions: Investigate practices and methodologies used by businesses or organisations which restrict free trade and competition, and which facilitate market dominance by a single firm, in order to identify the causes and come up with solutions in order to ban these practices.
Develop international cooperation strategies: Develop plans which ensure a cooperation between international public organisations such as researching different international organisations and their goals and assessing possible alignment with other organisations.
Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
Advise on government policy compliance: Advise organisations on how they may improve their compliance to the applicable government policies they are required to adhere to, and the necessary steps which need to be taken in order to ensure complete compliance.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Assess risk factors: Determine the influence of economical, political and cultural risk factors and additional issues.
Advise on legislative acts: Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.
Build business relationships: Establish a positive, long-term relationship between organisations and interested third parties such as suppliers, distributors, shareholders and other stakeholders in order to inform them of the organisation and its objectives.
Manage government policy implementation: Manage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure.
Look after trade delegations: Look after groups of government officials or company executives coming to the country in order to assess the potential for economic cooperation.

ISCO group and title

2422 – Policy administration professionals

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Trade development officer – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022