Associate, Trade & Industrial Policy
Please submit application by 12pm on 16 July 2025
Global Counsel (GC) is hiring a new position to support its growing Trade and Industrial Policy Practice, in London. The successful candidate will work across a range of international clients, including some of the most prestigious companies in life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and services sectors.
As an Associate, you will play a key role in directly supporting the delivery of insights and advice on client accounts. The role will focus on tracking, analysing, and explaining highly political themes such as goods and services trade, policy initiatives linked to economic security; industrial strategies; and tariffs, all of which have the potential to impact our clients’ global business strategies.
The successful candidate will provide critical support in the development of strategic advice to clients on trade-related policy developments and evolving compliance frameworks globally and the political pressures for reforming them. It is an opportunity to further develop expertise at the interface between business, politics, and the system of international trade rules.
This is an exciting time to join Global Counsel as we grow globally. Examples of Global Counsel work in this area can be found in the analysis and blog sections of our website.
Role and responsibilities
- Tracking and analysis of developments for clients across a wide range of relevant policy issues impacting trade in goods and investments.
- Identifying the impact from these policy, regulatory developments and changes to cross border trade and investment regimes for client’s supply chains and investments as well as risk mitigating strategies where relevant.
- For our clients: leading projects and/or retainer workstreams within the trade & industrial policy practice, responding to policy and regulatory risks, including by proactively identifying how we can support clients and their commercial objectives, and think beyond the successful execution of immediate requests.
- Presenting information clearly and compellingly in written form and through the visualisation of relevant data, including by drafting slide decks on PowerPoint.
- Supporting the development and implementation of policymaker engagement by Global Counsel and its clients, including through the organisation of policy influencing events.
- Building and maintain a network of contacts among policymakers and wider stakeholders.
Skills and profile
- Excellent written English and comfort in using core software for data interpretation and visualisation, including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
- 2-4 years’ experience providing advice on trade and industrial policy issues in government, parliament, think tanks, trade associations, consultancies, and/or companies’ in-house policy team. Curious mindset, interested in how policy and the commercial choices are made.
- Demonstrated experience in trade and industrial policy and EU/UK/US trade policymaking process, and comprehensive knowledge of key stakeholders. Additional experience and/or interest in WTO, China and other third-market policymaking is a plus.
- Good understanding of trade-related legislation and regimes; including trade remedies, tariffs, and export controls.
- Strong interest in the practical application of the above concepts and legal frameworks to key economic sectors, including life sciences, manufacturing, consumer goods, retail, and services.
- Other European languages are desirable but not essential.
- A motivated self-starter who works well independently and as part of a team, with opportunity to grow in the role.
- This is a full-time role based in London with the possibility for work travel.
- Salary and other benefits are competitive and dependent on experience.
- Department
- Trade and Industrial Policy
- Locations
- London
Opportunities to join Global Counsel
London
Why join
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An opportunity to work with world-class advisers and political experts in a fast-growing firm, alongside a strong professional development program including a personal training budget.
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A competitive salary and bonus structure, a robust benefits package and opportunities to work from our offices across the world.
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A commitment to work-life balance, with flexible working, 25 days holiday allowance plus public holidays, enhanced parental leave, discretionary winter holiday office closures, and sabbaticals.
Our commitment to diversity
We are committed to equal opportunities, respect and wellbeing for all staff and applicants for employment. We are committed to building a team that genuinely reflects the diversity of the places we work. We are committed to achieving a culture where there is regard for all and there is no place for discrimination and harassment of any type.
Our aim is for GC to be a company where all our colleagues have the opportunity to grow, develop, succeed and be their authentic selves whatever their sex, race, colour, class, religion, age, national origin, disability status, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, redundancy, leaves of absence, salary and training.
About Global Counsel
Global Counsel brings together a team with diverse experience across the public and private sectors. Since our establishment in 2010 we have developed a wide range of services and capabilities for corporates and investors.
Global Counsel helps companies and investors across sectors to anticipate the ways in which politics, regulation and public policymaking create both risk and opportunity, and to develop and implement strategies to meet these challenges. We provide them with due diligence support to build compelling, evidence-based campaigns to engage in policy debates.
Our work is supported by high quality analytical content and collateral that is politically and economically informed and which builds quickly into executable strategy.
Our team is led by former public policymakers and political advisors with experience at the highest level of government. We have offices in London, Brussels, Washington DC, Singapore and Doha and are supported by a network of partners in other key markets.