Overview

The US-ASEAN Business Council is the premier advocacy organization for U.S. corporations operating within the dynamic Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), serving as the leading voice of the U.S. private sector in promoting mutually beneficial trade and investment relationships between the United States and Southeast Asia. The Council is the only U.S.-based organization recognized in the ASEAN charter as a supporting organization of ASEAN. The Council's members include more than 180 of the most successful and innovative corporations in the world, including Apple, Boeing, Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Google, Harley Davidson and Microsoft. Combined, these 180+ companies generate over $9 trillion in revenue and employ more than 13 million people worldwide.

Cradled between China, India and Australia, ASEAN is the third largest economy in the Indo-Pacific and the fifth largest in the world with a GDP of $2.8 trillion and a population of 650 million. As a critical hub for global trade, more than $3.4 trillion in global trade transits through ASEAN each year. In 2019, ASEAN became the 4th largest goods export market for the U.S. after Canada, Mexico, and China, reaching over $105 billion in exports in goods and services. It has also attracted more U.S. investment than any other destination in the whole of Indo-Pacific, receiving almost $329 billion in investment, more than the United States has directed to China, India, Japan and South Korea combined.

Description

The Manager Position is a hybrid, full-time position, located in Jakarta, Indonesia reporting to the Senior Research Director of Digital Policy, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, and the Chief Country Representative of Indonesia. The incumbent prepares and reports results in conjunction with team members to the Senior Leadership Team (Core-5) and the position requires occasional regional travel. The position may require occasional domestic and/or regional travel.

The Manager position is the Council’s programs and initiatives pertaining to specific countries and industry sectors represented by the Council’s members, with a focus on ASEAN (50%), Indonesia (25%), and Customs & Trade Facilitation (25%). The successful candidate will be responsible for crafting and executing effective advocacy strategies that generate growth and value for our member companies. He/she will stay on top of the latest trade and investment developments in Southeast Asia and be a part of solving public policy challenges that strengthen the US-ASEAN economic relationship.

S/he will be responsible for designing research surveys that gather, interpret, and use complex data that USABC staff may utilize to develop actionable educational programs or policy papers that address member issues, provide the basis for product innovation, or improve members’ relationships with ASEAN member states. The surveys must be aligned with USABC's strategic objectives. The incumbent serves as the liaison for the Council, the membership, and stakeholders and works closely with the Core-5 leadership team to achieve quality goals for membership while delivering and ensuring the highest level of service to members measurable by the annual membership survey.

Responsibilities 

• Create and maintain strong relationships and partnerships with ASEAN Secretariat, U.S. Mission to ASEAN, other related ASEAN government entities, multilateral organizations, trade associations, and other key stakeholders.
• Work cross-functionally with other Council staff to position corporate messages, create advocacy among stakeholders and reinforce efforts to properly position private sector views, particularly when engaging with the ASEAN Secretariat.
• Develop and lead public initiatives around trade policy, standards and conformity assessment, and the circular economy in ASEAN and Indonesia as well as specific industries, including but not limited to Customs & Trade Facilitation.
• Work directly with Council members, particularly leaders of the ASEAN Committee, to drive initiatives in countries across ASEAN by identifying local government priorities and expanding on public-private engagement opportunities such as regular dialogues and consultations.
• Develop annual Work Plan for ASEAN Committee and support Work Plan development for Customs, Trade Facilitation, and Supply Chains Committee, including programming such as roundtables, briefings, seminars, and workshops that advance the objectives of the member companies and transfer knowledge.
• Conduct research and monitor implications of policy, political activity, and economic and trade developmentsin Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on ASEAN, Indonesia, and Customs & Trade Facilitation. Analyze data and use to produce updates and intelligence reports about significant policy and political updates to member companies.
• Publish reports using results of research to the Council’s website as a subject matter expert.
• Work with the staff in Indonesia, Washington, DC and throughout Southeast Asia to ensure all projects and daily workload are being completed and escalated to the supervisor as needed.
• In concert with the Senior Research Director of Digital Policy, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Chief Representative of Indonesia, undertake necessary and appropriate steps to provide strategic advice on policy matters.
• Support other Council initiatives, when necessary, including other sectoral portfolios.

Qualifications

•  5+ years working with government policymakers on sectoral issues, ideally in government, companies, consultancies, or trade associations and demonstrated knowledge and working experience in public policy, international business, and international trade.
• Demonstrable research skills and able to learn and absorb quickly and present the findings of his/her research in a systematic and effective manner. Excellent working knowledge of Internet research and MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required.
• Must be able to work independently without significant direction and achieve concrete results.
• At a minimum, applicant must have a bachelor’s degree in related field such as Economics, International Relations, Political Science or Public Policy.
• Fluency in more than one ASEAN language is desired but not required.
• Visa/documentation that allows work in the Indonesia (if not a citizen of that nation) is required.
• Demonstrated ability to interact with senior corporate leaders and policymakers effectively and comfortably (C-suite/executive level). Exposure to US companies, and/or education in the United States is desired.
• Demonstrated technical knowledge of policy trends and issues in Southeast Asia as a region and ASEAN as an institution as well as its history, culture, and business environment. Knowledge of ASEAN’s key programs, its bureaucratic structure and its key players is a major plus.
• Experience in successfully managing programs, events, and budgets, and tracking and advocating on policy issues.
• Basic management experience with people from different backgrounds.
• Must be able to interact and build effective communication with all organizational levels including senior management of member companies, senior business leaders from ASEAN countries, senior government leaders from ASEAN countries, academics, think tanks and media.
• Need to be client-focused and maintain good and open working relationships with the Council’s 180 member companies and their representatives.
• Must be organized, detail-oriented and be able to successfully handle multiple tasks at the same time and function in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be willing to work beyond normal business hours to coordinate with colleagues in the United States, participate in regular staff calls and consult with Council members based in the United States and other parts of Asia and the world.
• Must understand and abide by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of the United States and USABC’s Commitment to Diversity, Anti-Discrimination, and Anti-Harassment Policy.

Application Procedure

To apply to the Council’s Manager position, please submit a cover letter, resume, and brief writing sample (no more than two pages).