Senior Project Officer for Trade in Services and SME Promotion

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

As a federal enterprise, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. We work in a variety of fields and support our cooperation partners in designing strategies and meeting their policy goals. GIZ Viet Nam is currently engaged in three priority areas:1) Vocational training; 2) Environmental policy and sustainable natural resource use; 3) Energy. For further information please visit our website: www.giz.de/viet-nam [1].

1. Within the green cluster, several regional initiatives on regional trade integration are bundled under the ASEAN Regional Economic Integration (ASEAN REI) portfolio. The project team in Hanoi is in charge of the implementation of the Viet Nam based activities of among others these BMZ financed regional projects: Strengthening Regional Structures for Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion in ASEAN (SME): aims to strengthen the ASEAN SME Services Center for improving cross-border business development and National SME Information Centres within the framework of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2025,  by implementing the following thematic fields:  (1) Improving the ASEAN SME Service Centre; (2) Strengthening national SME information centres, and (3) Promoting national SME services for internationalization.
2. Promotion of Competitiveness within the Framework of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (COMPETE): At the ASEAN level, the project supports the implementation of key strategic documents in the fields of competition policy and trade in services. In parallel, the project supports the four CLMV countries in improving the institutional framework for investment and competitive regulatory practice. In the closely linked areas of competition policy and trade in services, strategy and reference documents, as well as action plans for their implementation, are developed.

The ASEAN REI projects work both on the regional level with ASEC in Jakarta and on the country level with a focus on Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The political partners in Vietnam are the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI for ASEAN SME and the Trade in Services Component of COMPETE), Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT as the general focal point for the COMPETE project), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Viet Nam Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (VCCA).

The project is looking for a local qualified candidate to fill the following position:

Senior Project Officer for Trade in Services and SME promotion
Duty station: Hanoi, Vietnam  
Duration: ASAP until 31 December 2023 with possibility for extension

Main responsibilities:

• Is expected to devote the majority of his/her working time towards the ASEAN SME project with a smaller share on the ASEAN COMPETE (TiS component) project activities. Is not responsible for the competition policy component of the COMPETE project.
• Is responsible for the overall project coordination and implementation of the two country components on SME internationalization and Trade in Services including the preparation of work plans for the Viet Nam activities in close coordination with the national project partners (MPI, MOIT);
• Contributes to the project activities on the regional/ASEAN level as required.
• Applies proactive, constructive and creative thinking and independent initiative to further develop the cooperation with the partners and initiate new project initiatives.
• Provides professional advisory services to national and local partners in the working area by identifying needs, developing concepts and strategies, providing technical inputs, and working on policy recommendations;
• Prepares ToR for and supports the implementation of national and international short-term consultant missions;
• Is responsible for the preparation and organization of workshops, capacity development measures, and public-private dialogue events under the two project components; 
• Provides coaching and guidance to staff at lower band or sub-band and can take the technical supervision and coordination responsibility for staff members.
• Play an active role in networks with the expert community and position GIZ expert contribution.
• On behalf of management, represents sectoral in dealing with partner organizations and high-level Government Officers.
• Assures project monitoring and regularly updating information on project progress and the status of results;
• Assures the PR work for the projects;
• Any other administrative and technical tasks as required by the Team Leader.

Minimum requirements:

• Masters/Bachelor degree in an area that is relevant to achieve the program objectives (Business, Economics, Social Science, or other related fields) or relevant job experience in these fields.
• At least 7-10 years of professional experience and at least 3 years in a comparable position;
• Experience and good understanding of SME support services in Viet Nam, especially those in support for internationalization is required.
• Familiarity and/or experience with Trade in Services, specifically AFAS or ATISA would be an added advantage;
• Prior experience in digital service delivery to SME would be an added advantage;
• Experience in managing international and national consultants;
• Experience of working with public institutions, ideally with MPI or MOIT;
• Ability to quickly master complex and unfamiliar subjects.
• High work ethics, reliable and motivated, able to handle multiple simultaneous assignments with competing priorities under the condition of tight time schedules and fixed deadlines;
• Excellent organizational skills; efficient, accurate and high-quality delivery of all work-related output;
• Fluency in Vietnamese and English (written and spoken) is required;
• Willingness to travel on short trips, both within Viet Nam and within ASEAN.

Successful candidates will enjoy good working conditions, competitive benefits and compensation and good policies of training and development.

Interested qualified candidates are invited to send the GIZ Application Form in English, copies of relevant certificates and references, either by email (to [email protected] [2]) or by post (to GIZ Office Hanoi, 6th Floor Hanoi Towers, 49 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi, Vietnam) before 15^th June 2022.

Note: Please state “Application for Senior Project Officer_SME_AgriTrade” in the subject line or on the envelope. The short-listed candidates will be contacted within 4 weeks after the deadline. Telephone contact is not encouraged.

Please visit our page Career Opportunities: GIZ Viet Nam [3] athttps://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/109163.html [3] to download the GIZ Application Form.

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