UNDP Jobs - 54457- Individual Consultant - Provision of Individual Se

Individual Consultant - Provision of Individual Services of a Trade Economist/Strategist to Support Development the Concept of Saudi Export Development Strategy

Location :

Beirut, LEBANON

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

18-Mar-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Thirty (30) days from the start of the contract

Languages Required :

Arabic English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Thirty (30) days from the start of the contract

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Aid for Trade initiative for the Arab States (AfTIAS) aims to achieve inclusive economic growth with increased employment opportunities and greater competitiveness through trade policy reform in Arab countries as an integral part of the regional trade and economic integration agenda.

The AfTIAS focuses on assisting Arab countries and the main sub-regional and regional integration entities to accelerate the pace of trade reform and regional economic integration, to strengthen the employment effects of those reforms with particular focus on women and youth. Economic integration through increased trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) are considered as means available in the short to medium term to policy makers to engage countries on a higher path of sustainable economic growth.

To this end, the AfTIAS also supports initiatives aiming at improving performance of cross border operations at selected border posts in the Arab countries, along specific trade/transport corridors to facilitate flow and movement of goods, means of transport and people. Furthermore, it cooperates with Arab countries in addressing contemporaneous challenges such as how to promote economic and trade competitiveness towards more diversification of their economies for sustainable and inclusive growth.

Combination of policy instruments (in terms of policy measures, regulatory framework) with good, future-oriented practices would create a “virtual loop” contributing to the achievement of the project objective. This evidence-based policy approach would support the implementation of quality development solutions that best serve the needs of the Arab region and its member states.

Duties and Responsibilities

The deliverables and outcomes of the first stage of the project shall demonstrate the key findings from practical experiences that result from a detailed and comprehensive analysis undertaken by selected experts. It includes among other issues an assessment of the current exports policies in the KSA, challenges and opportunities for the Saudi exports in the international markets. To that end, it is essential to present facts and operational information in a structured manner with evidence-based analysis to substantiate policy recommendations and suggestions of holistic directions.

A particular focus would be on the main outlines of the new proposed strategy, with clear identification of its features, characteristics, capability of its smooth implementation as well as how it matches real and documented needs of the Saudi export sectors and figuring out of the main sectors and specific goods with high export potentiality in the international markets.

In achieving the objectives of the first stage, the experts will be required to establish clear work methods that enable a fact-based analysis and evidence-supported assessment. In this pursuance, a conduct of a deep analysis and shall be agreed in advance to its effective implementation. As overall, the assignment targets the current export regime in the KSA while priorities would be given to the sectors and goods with the highest export potential.

Moreover, attention should also be given to the analysis of the effectiveness, relevance and efficiency of the current export policies and regime in the KSA as the basis for appropriate recommendations. The assignment should include an analysis of the extent to which these policies can be effective and practical taking into account priorities of SEDA.

Finally, the study will identify key issues, challenges and opportunities in developing and advocating for further involvement of the Saudi business sector in the implementation of the new strategy with focus on exports of goods and services, in support of achieving key objectives of the SEDA.

For additional information, please refer to Annex I, Terms of Reference.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

Expertise in developing and implementing market and planning strategies;
Expertise with the development of export promotion strategies;
Expertise in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methodologies;
Excellent oral and written communications, presentation and drafting skills with fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic, as desirable; and
Substantive knowledge of UNDP strategies and practices will be an advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree, preferably Masters’ degree, or equivalent, in international marketing, business administration, economics, trade and development or related field.

Experience:

Minimum (15) years of practical experience in international market and export promotion;
Proven experiences in economic, market research and analysis; ability to perform market research and summarize findings in a concise manner;
Demonstrated experience in performing similar assignments;
Experience in the development of export promotion strategies and plans with particular focus on local markets of goods and services;
Experience in working with national policy decision-makers and export promotion agencies;
Knowledge of Saudi business and institutional environment is a must; and
In-depth understanding of the Saudi export climate and the challenges faced by Saudi exporters in the international markets.

Languages:

Excellent oral and written communications, presentation and drafting skills with fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic, as desirable.

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete.