Head of Regulatory & Commercial Relationships (full or part-time) - Hybrid/London

WSTA Jobs

Head of Regulatory & Commercial Relationships

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) represents over 300 companies producing, importing, exporting, transporting and selling wines and spirits in the United Kingdom. We campaign for a vibrant and sustainable wine and spirit industry, helping to build a future in which alcohol is produced, sold and enjoyed responsibly.

The WSTA is looking to enhance its capacity to help our members operate in a compliant, responsible and profitable way.

Our membership requires comprehensive representation to core regulators, mainly HMRC, DEFRA and Trading Standards in this role, to represent their views and experiences for:

• border processes,
• specific processes relevant to moving goods to and from Northern Ireland,
• customs rules generally, including the practical implementation of origin rules,
• holding and movement of excise goods,
• excise duty issues,
• labelling compliance, and
• pain points and the cost of compliance.

As well as dealing with general issues of policy implementation on these topics, individual members will need help on a confidential basis with compliance issues relevant to their own businesses.

As Head of Regulatory and Commercial Relationships, you will initially report to the Director of Regulatory and Commercial Affairs and contribute to helping members and the wider trade operate their businesses in a compliant way. You will be responsible for building strong relationships with regulators and policymakers in central and local government. You will add value by ensuring the WSTA influences regulators and policymakers, liaising with the WSTA membership to identify emerging trends or issues, and analysing government responses and/or third party economic and social research in which the wine and spirit industry has an interest.

Core to this role is working with the WSTA membership to identify emerging issues and trends in the changing face of border and inland processes for moving excise goods and the ancillary material used in the production and storage process, and to collate cross-industry responses.

You will work closely with the Policy team, the Head of Compliance and the Head of Research and Insights to ensure all policy is evidence-based and well-presented through reports and papers, and that once implemented policies are accurately assessed and consistently explained to members.

You will also work closely with the Communication team to identify potential media opportunities and to ensure all media output is accurate, valid and powerful.

The ideal candidate will be reliable and able to take direction as well as work on their own initiative. They will be able to manage their own workload and work well with other team members. They must be able to work well under pressure and prioritise a demanding and varied workload. They must also have an adaptable, friendly, positive and collaborative approach to working as part of a small and dynamic team; as well as maintaining a close attention to detail and excellent IT and communication skills.

This position may include some national travel.

Core Responsibilities

• Acting as the lead voice for the WSTA on all issues relating to HMRC, including customs processes, border processes, excise processes and duties
• Representing the WSTA on the Joint Customs Consultative Committee (J3C) and the Joint Excise Consultation Group (JECG)
• Liaising with other trade bodies on matters affecting excise goods and the processes to import, export, move and store them
• Communicating with members about the Borders 2025 process and the transition to a Single Trade Window
• Advising members about compliance issues, including wholesale and retail sales
• Monitoring the political landscape, working with colleagues to respond to all relevant policy developments.

Secondary responsibilities

For the right candidate and depending on their preferred working pattern, there are also opportunities to:

• Support those members engaged in logistics operations
• Manage the WSTA’s response to the continuing implementation of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland and Wales; its economic impact and practical effect
• Support other team members in responding to the implementation of Deposit and Return Schemes and wider Extended Producer Responsibility obligations
• Lead on counter-fraud issues that affect wines and spirits, such as awareness raising and maintaining contact with interested members and regulators
• Work with the Head of Compliance to manage the WSTA’s Primary Authority Co- ordinated partnership with trading standards
• Offer external speaking to other trade and industry groups

Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

Please see full details and how to apply here

How to apply

Please see full details here and send your CV and covering letter to [email protected] setting out how you meet the skills and experience identified for the role, including how you meet the requirements for the secondary responsibilities if applicable to your application.

If you have any questions, please contact David Richardson, Regulatory & Commercial Affairs Director ([email protected]). This is for queries only – please note covering letters and CVs should only be sent to [email protected].

The successful candidate will need to provide proof that they have the right to work in the UK and provide suitable references. This is not required at application stage.

Closing date for applications: 5pm on Friday 20 September 2024

Salary: £45-50k per annum FTE (pro-rata for part-time) depending on skills, experience and ability to cover secondary responsibilities detailed, plus benefits.

Employment type: Full-time or part-time (3 days per week) to be determined based on candidates ability to fulfil either core or additional secondary responsibilities. This is a permanent role.

Location: On site attendance is required at the WSTA office in London (near London Bridge) with travel required across the UK to meetings with members and regulators. We have a hybrid working policy allowing for some remote working, subject to the needs of the role.