UNDP Jobs - 34657- Adviser to the Customs Service of the Republic of

Adviser to the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova

Location :

Chisinau, MOLDOVA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Feb-2013

Application Deadline :

07-Jan-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

8 months with possibility of extension

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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 EU High Level Policy Advisory Mission (EUHLPAM) is a project financed by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP. The objective of the project is to support the Government to implement its reform agenda, the Government Activity Programme and the National Development Strategy Moldova 2020, and in particular to assist the Government to develop the capacities required for the preparation, negotiation and implementation of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, and visa liberalization. Specifically, the project aims at strengthening the policy-making, strategic planning and policy management capacities of selected line Ministries and Agencies involved in the negotiation and implementation of the Association Agreement and visa liberalization and at enhancing stakeholders’ knowledge and awareness of EU policies, legislation and regulations in sectors strategic to the conclusion of the Association Agreement including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, and to the implementation of visa liberalization.

The EUHLPAM will achieve these objectives through the continued delivery of an optimal mix of policy, legal and institutional advice ensuring that the Moldovan authorities have direct access to EU best practice and reform experience in order to strengthen policy design and implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Adviser to the Customs Service will act within the Customs Agency’s overall framework to help build a stable and comprehensive customs control procedures at land and airport borders and inland, which would ensure that proper, uniform and/or harmonised application of national and international customs-related legislation enhances the powers for customs officers to effectively administrate and enforce customs legislation.

He/she will report to the Director General of State Customs Service, with a reporting line to UNDP, and will be the lead sector expert and coordinate short term and local experts’ work within the Mission on this particular component. Adviser will cooperate closely with the other Advisers in the EUHLPAM team and the EU Delegation in Moldova. Together with other EUHLPAM advisors she/he will represent the Mission in meetings with key officials, partner organisations and other institutions involved in implementation of the project. All activities performed in the scope of this assignment will be closely coordinated with ongoing and planned EU-funded activities, especially with the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM).

Key responsibilities:

Provide strategic advice on developing a modern and efficient customs service in line with the EU standards and aiming to:

Provide general advice in view of negotiations on the EU-Republic of Moldova Association Agreement, a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) and on the EU-Moldova Visa Dialogue;
Assist in implementation of the Strategic Framework in customs co-operation between EU and Moldova;
Support development of customs cooperation related to the EU external borders including exchange of information and joint control;
Ensure that national customs-related legislation, including provisions related to the supply chain security based on international standards, is applicable and can be implemented;
Support the development of border and inland control strategy to have the relevant controls with all the necessary resources;
Support delivery of the system to monitor and reduce waiting times at the border;
Ensure that a comprehensive intelligence setup is in place and regularly updated, in support of investigation and enforcement systems and procedures;
Advice on the capacities and institutional requirements for preventing and combating customs fraud, risk analysis, and for the operation of mobile customs teams;
Support facilitation of legitimate trade as a matter of principle and balanced approach to security measures;
Facilitate dialogue between the Moldovan Customs Service and other customs authorities in EU-member states including administrative assistance on customs matters and support formalising cooperation through bilateral agreements;
Facilitate the exchange of experience and mutual assistance with other customs administrations/authorities to promote confidence and cooperation with other national enforcement agencies and ensure learning of the best practices process;
Facilitate coordination and synergies between various donor-funded initiatives in the sector, including the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine.

The above responsibilities will be carried out through the elaboration of strategy documents, policy papers, advisory notes and other relevant documentation as well as through provision of technical on-the-job advice and guidance.

UNDP shall ensure that the Adviser works according to a prioritized work plan to be established in close consultation with the beneficiary, the EU and the UNDP.

The advisor is required to be present in Moldova at least 60% of the time. Full time commitment will be an advantage.

Competencies

Profound proven knowledge of the Customs systems and relevant EU standards;
Excellent analytical skills, skills of synthesizing and presenting information;
Experience in providing consultation and advice to EU/EC, UN Agencies or other international development partners such as WB, DFID, SIDA etc;
Experience in national negotiations of EU integration will be an asset;
Knowledge of the EU-Moldova relations and of Moldovan state institutions will be an advantage;
Knowledge of EU programmes policies and assistance instruments;
PC literacy;
Excellent writing and communication skills;
Fluency in English, good working knowledge of Romanian or Russian will be an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in Law, Public Policy and Management, Finance, Economics, or related field. A Bachelor’s Degree combined with 17 years of experience in the customs sector will serve in lieu of a Master’s Degree;

Years of experience:

Minimum 12 years of relevant working experience in the area of expertise;
Minimum 8 years experience in similar positions of advisory for and/or implementation of reforms (Customs regulations and policies), in providing advice to policy makers on related reforms issues, or in capacity building in the customs issues in EU, EU candidate or ENP countries.

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
Proposal: explaining why they are the most suitable for the work;
Financial proposal;
Personal CV including past experience in similar projects, the duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and at least 3 references.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

The Financial Proposal shall specify a daily lump-sum fee and travel expenses quoted in separate line items. Payments are made monthly to the Individual Consultant based on the submission and approval of the time sheets (monthly) and activity reports (quarterly). The Advisor is required to be present in Moldova at least 60% of the time.

Travel

One time travel to join duty station/repatriation travel must be included in the financial proposal. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Note:

For complete information about this vacancy, including detailed tasks and responsibilities, full and detailed description of the evaluation procedure which will be applied, as well as the UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract, please refer to the Terms of Reference and the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice published at the UNDP Moldova website, Jobs Section: http://www.undp.md/jobs/jobdetails/249/. Please follow the application instructions described therein.