National Technical Coordinator Vacancy-Job Ref: ACTH/UNDP1911/2021925

National Technical Coordinator Vacancy-Job Ref: ACTH/UNDP1911/2021925

Hanoi (Vietnam)

JOB DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
About ITC

ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). It is the only multilateral agency fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of SMEs. ITC’s mission is to foster inclusive and sustainable growth and development through trade and international business development. ITC Headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland. ITC projects and programmes contribute to the global efforts to achieve UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the Aid for Trade agenda.

The 4-year Swiss Trade Policy and Export Promotion Programme (“SwissTrade Programme Vietnam”), funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland and owned by the Government of Vietnam, aims to improve trade performance and international competitiveness of SMEs through enhanced favorable framework conditions for trade, public-private dialogue mechanisms, and a strengthened eco- system for dynamic trade promotion.

The envisaged impact of the programme is to contribute ultimately to sustainable and inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction in the country. To achieve this long-term objective, the programme foresees to accomplish three major outcomes:

Outcome 1: Exports are facilitated because the framework conditions are favorable, meaning they are documented in a National Strategy, based on evidence, coordinated among the relevant ministries and consulted with relevant private sector stakeholders.
Outcome 2: The effect of the enhanced favorable framework conditions is more sustainable, because the private sector is thematically and financially engaged and collaborates with the Government through Public-Private Dialogue for Export Development.
Outcome 3: Dynamic Business Support Organizations (BSOs) are enabled to deliver services to SMEs for exports and participation in global value chains.
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ITC as is the responsible UN agency for the implementation of the project Outcomes 1 and 2, Vietrade is the technical agency for the implementation of Outcome 3, with some inputs from ITC. ITC and Vietrade will coordinate the implementation of the three outcomes within one project through a dedicated governance structure, including a joint project implementation unit and a joint steering committee still to be set up.

To coordinate the implementation of Outputs 1 and 2 on the ground together with government counterparts, project partners, and donor, the services of a National Project Coordinator are needed.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the direct supervision of the Senior Trade Promotion Officer, and the overall supervision of the Chief, Office or Asia and the Pacific, and in close collaboration with ITC technical officers, all based in ITC headquarter in Geneva, and in close cooperation with the project partners of MoIT and particular Vietrade, with the National Project Coordinator and the National Project Director, with the Foreign Trade Agency (Outcome 1) and the Planning Department (Outcome 2), the ITC National Technical Coordinator, based at the Project Management Unit (PMU), will be responsible for the following duties:

Manage relationships with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) and other project stakeholders and beneficiaries; ensure ownership of local stakeholders, national project partners and beneficiaries in the country; maintain regular communication, ensure good information sharing; liaise with the relevant government departments, ministries and private sector institutions to obtain support for project implementation.
Provide day to day professional support to the PMU;
Coordinate, assist and support PMU in the communication with ITC headquarter and in the participation in ITC’s activities and coordination meetings;
Participate PMU’s activities (if required);
Coordinate assessments, project activities and events in Ha Noi and in provinces, ensuring coherence and synergies with agreed work plans, beneficiaries’ needs and expectations, and other capacity building projects targeting the same beneficiaries to ensure maximum impact;
Assist in setting up the operational administrative framework, incl. regarding procurement and payments of providers; Consult with local partners and establish and confirm the options available and related procedures.
Assist in defining and operationalizing the project implementation arrangements, including project office set-up within the project coordination unit set up and led by MoIT/Vietrade and related-actions.
Provide support to ITC staff in the organization and effective running of planned missions, help with logistical aspects where and when needed (incl. provision of relevant information for visas, protocol, travelling conditions, etc.); assist in planning the meetings of the ITC staff; identify, facilitate and coordinate meetings with relevant counterparts and stakeholders; attend meetings of the ITC staff with counterparts and stakeholders; prepare minutes of meetings and discussion summaries.
Provide technical inputs required by the project team and experts, provide guidance for capacity building of national stakeholders and beneficiaries and project expert missions.
Liaise with local stakeholders in both public and private sectors to ensure the successful organization and facilitation of workshops and trainings.
Represent ITC and the project on the ground in Viet Nam in coordination with the Swiss Cooperation Office, MoIT and line Ministries, attend relevant meetings, inform stakeholders on project.
Ensure efficient communication and outreach at the national level, in provinces, including representation of the project at relevant national events.
Provide inputs to project reports, provide advisory support for the collection of data and information for project reporting against the project monitoring and results framework, carry out desk research as requested relevant to the planning of the activities.
Identify risks to project implementation, propose and implement mitigation actions.
Translate promotional material into Vietnamese where needed.
Support in the organization of project steering committee meetings, prepare meeting agendas and other documents including translation required for the review of the committee, draft and submit meeting reports; Follow-up on the adoption/implementation of the recommendations/inputs provided by the project steering committee, the PMU and ITC headquarters.
Contribute to the drafting of project’s progress reports and final reports.
Participate in bi-monthly Vietnam SECO online project team coordination meetings.
Keep abreast with developments in the country and identify synergies and opportunities relevant for this Swiss Trade Policy and Export Promotion Programme with other projects and initiatives including other ITC projects, with the UN Country Team in Viet Nam, and other relevant projects.
Provide inputs as requested to the UN Country Team to reflect ITC’s actual and potential support on the ground.
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COMPETENCIES
ITC’S VALUES are: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

ITC’S CORE COMPETENCIES are: Communication, Teamwork, Planning & Organizing, Accountability, Creativity, Client Orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Technological awareness.

ITC’S MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES are: Vision, Leadership, Empowering Others, Managing Performance, Building Trust, and Judgment/Decision making.

Functional & Technical Competencies:

Good knowledge of trade-related technical cooperation
Proven project management or coordination skills
Strong problem solving and analytical skills
Knowledge of the organisation of events and (international) delegation visits
Excellent drafting and communication skills
Knowledge of trade issues and economic conditions in Viet Nam
Ability to work under minimum supervision with efficiency, competence and integrity
Good network in the area of trade development, in private and public sector

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Advanced university degree in economics, business administration, agriculture or similar. Extensive relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the university degree.
At least 10 years of trade development experience and in the area of project management, event organization and communication.

Good network and relation to public and private trade-related stakeholders in Viet Nam. Good relation to other trade-related technical assistance players in Viet Nam.

Previous Experience in working with the MOIT. Previous experience in working with development agencies and in the area of development cooperation. Experience in working with a UN agency would be an asset.

Advanced written and oral English and fluent Vietnamese.

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